Exact date award-winning pub will close its doors for good as punters sob ‘such a huge loss’
AN award-winning pub has revealed the exact date it will close its doors for the very last time as punters call it a “huge loss”.
The Tap Bar & Restaurant in Stafford has decided to call time for good on July 26.
The pub made the announcement to its fans on its Facebook page on Thursday.
It said: “After much speculation, we would like to personally let our loyal customers & supporters know that The Tap Bar & Restaurant will be closing its doors on Friday 26th July.
“It has been a very difficult decision & one that we haven’t taken lightly.
“Not only have we enjoyed meeting, getting to know and becoming friends with so many of you, but we have built a home & team.
“We would like to thank all of you for your custom and would love to see you in The Tap before we close to raise a few more glasses!”
Regulars were heart-broken to learn the news.
One said: “Very sad to hear this, it’s a great restaurant/pub with fantastic friendly staff.”
Another added: “So, so sorry, this is a huge loss to Stafford as a town.”
A third wrote: “Very saddened to read this! Good luck to you all in the future.”
While a fourth fan posted: “Oh no! I am so sorry to read this.”
The announcement comes at a tough time for pubs and restaurants up and down the country as they struggle to recover from the Covid pandemic and the cost of living crisis.
Earlier this month, a bar in Leeds called the named Wapentake, said it was closing for good.
Over the past 12 months, a total of 472 pubs across England and Wales have permanently closed, according to analysis of government figures by real estate firm Altus Group.
It comes as pub and brewery bosses call for the main political parties to cut beer duty and reform business rates ahead of the General Election on July 4.
The Conservatives, Labour and Liberal Democrats have all pledged to shake up business rates in order to reduce the burden on high street shops, pubs and restaurants.
Soaring pint prices
THE sobering prospect of paying £25 a pint by 2040 is on the horizon, a study warns.
The average cost of a lager has already gone up 11 per cent this year to £4.69.
If that rate is maintained annually, then in 16 years it will cost a wallet-busting £25.70.
Drinkers have already faced a 28 per cent rise over the past five years from when a pint was £3.67.
The latest research, by FruitySlots.com and based on Office for National Statistics data, adds to pressure on boozers as beer becomes increasingly unaffordable.
Pub closures are already up 51 per cent to 80 a month in the first three months of this year.
Firms which pay business rates – the property tax affecting high street firms – saw an inflation-linked rise in April of 6.7%.
However, the Government has extended a 75% discount to business rate bills for the 2024/25 tax year, up to a cap of £110,000.
Emma McClarkin, chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA), added: “The pub closure figures for the first quarter of this year are a reflection of the continuing high costs of doing business, especially with factors like high energy costs and food and drink inflation remaining higher than the topline inflation rate.”
What else is happening in the hospitality industry?
Rekom UK, the UK’s biggest nightclub operator announced earlier this year over a dozen venues would close with immediate effect.
The operator said in February 17 of its venues would close after calling in administrators the month before.
Meanwhile, a further 11 sites remain open after having been sold to new owners and a further dozen locations are still open under Rekom’s ownership.
Earlier this year, Revolution Bars cut its annual profit outlook, saying its younger customers were being disproportionately impacted by the higher cost of living.
Then in March, it said around a quarter of its total number of bars, around 20, could close as it struggled to shore up its finances.
The following month, it said it was continuing to “evaluate all the options available to it”, including engaging with key stakeholders and potential investors over a possible fundraising.
It’s not all doom and gloom though.
A “ghost town” is set to be revived with the opening of a £3.6million Wetherspoons pub.
The King of Essex will be built over two floors of a former Poundworld in Basildon, and is expected to be one of the chain’s biggest boozers.
The boozer is due to open its doors in late November and will create 70 new jobs.