The Truth about Women and Pubs

If you’ve read this blog before, you’ll know that my posts are about women, beer and pubs – and that I have a lot to say about those topics! As part of BitterSweet Partnership, part of my work involves listening to women and what they think about and want out of beer – and our latest survey has some very interesting information which tells us what women really think about pubs.

The Good News

58% of women we polled claimed that they visited a pub at least once a month – with 16% claiming they visit once a week or more. Nearly three quarters of women who visit pubs claim that they prefer locally owned and independent pubs; which is good news for those publicans and suggests that women highly value individuality in their choice of location. I think a lot of people feel that where they go says a lot about them – so is your pub a place that others would be happy to be seen in? I’m not suggesting that pubs should aim to be celebrity hangouts, just that things like a welcoming interior and a bit of character go a long way!

Food For Thought

How can you attract more female customers to your pub? Improve your food menu. Nearly half of the women we surveyed (46%) said they already visit pubs that serve excellent food – proving that a fantastic menu is a real draw for female customers. There’s always room for improvement, though - 31% would visit other pubs more often if the food was better. This could mean upping the quality of your ingredients, putting a bit of originality into your menu, introducing some more interesting bar snacks or increasing the number of lighter choices of meal.

These statistics are only the beginning, and there’s more to come – we’re sharing what we learned both through my posts here and on the BitterSweet Partnership blog – so check back for more. In order to celebrate the first birthday of BitterSweet Partnership, we’ve started a new Facebook page called Beer Angels – you can become a fan for more information, news about women and beer and more!

Are you surprised by any of these findings, or did they confirm your existing thoughts?