The UK's largest pub group will now charge customers at hundreds of its locations around 20p more for a pint of beer during busy periods under a “dynamic pricing” system.
Stonegate Group, which owns chains including Slug & Lettuce and Yates, has announced that it is to raise prices at 800 of its venues during peak times, including evenings and weekends.
While it has previously done so for one-off events, such as World Cups, the group has now decided to introduce price variance on a more regular basis in a move that has been met with a widespread social media backlash.
READ MORE: Scottish rugby legend pulls first pint for Glasgow brewer
Patrons are said to have been informed of the change with a “polite notice” in Stonegate pubs, claiming that the reason for the increase is to cover extra staffing costs, more bouncers at the door, extra cleaning, washing glasses, and “complying with licensing requirements”.
A spokesperson for Stonegate said: “Stonegate Group, like all retail businesses, regularly review pricing to manage costs but also to ensure we offer great value for money to our guests.
“Across the managed business, our dynamic pricing encompasses the ability to offer guests a range of promotions including happy hours, two-for-one cocktails, and discounts on food and drink products at different times on different days throughout the week.
“This flexibility may mean that on occasions pricing may marginally increase in selective pubs and bars due to the increased cost demands on the business with additional staffing or licensing requirements such as additional door team members.”
Amongst those who have spoken out online following the announcement is Glasgow nightclub owner Donald MacLeod who said: “Somehow I don’t think they’ll be having any more busy periods.”
READ MORE: The UK's 'smallest' bakery has opened (and it's narrower than a baguette)
Originally formed in 2013 with just 333 pubs, Stonegate Group's portfolio now includes over 4500 sites which range from leased and tenanted to managed.
Find a full list of Stonegate Group pubs here.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel