A publican in Belfast made headlines recently for refusing to sell a customer a glass of Coke as his pub is ‘for drinkers only’.
John Bittles, owner of Bittles Bar in Belfast, made headlines recently for saying that his pub was for real drinkers only after refusing to serve a customer a glass of Coke.
He has since doubled down on his refusal to serve soft or non-alcoholic drinks as he claims that people supping soft drinks in his bar ‘isn’t ideal’ nor good for business.
Guinness flying off the shelf – a popular drink
Speaking as to the reason why he refused to sell a customer a glass of Coke, Bittles said, “This guy came in and ordered a Coke, well a glass of Coke doesn’t really work for me.
“It was a bit tongue in cheek, but we’re selling up to 700 pints of Guinness a day, we only have a small number of tables, so someone sitting there with a Coke isn’t ideal”.
He added, “We are so busy at the moment; even today, we’ve sold hundreds of pints, and it’s only half two”.
It appears that the decision to refuse to sell glasses of Coke hasn’t hurt Bittles business. It has had quite the opposite effect, as Guinness is flying off the shelf.
No stranger to the headlines – good for business
John Bittles and his pub are undoubtedly no strangers to the headlines as back in July, they made them when he put up a sign warning potential customers that the pub would no longer be serving half-pints of Guinness.
His decision to move on to banning soft drinks seems a natural progression for the pub and its attitude towards what’s best for business.
In an interview with the Belfast Telegraph at the time, he explained, “It only went up during the week, and nobody has kicked up any fuss or complained. I think most people know it is a bit of tongue and cheek fun, and they are asking if it is true, and we are telling them it is.
“We are a small place here, and we are selling hundreds and hundreds of pints a day, and there is no room for selling half pints. You are not going to get the same experience drinking a half pint as you are a full pint anyway”.
Quality over quantity – maximising business potential
Finally, John went on to stress that as the pub is so small and possesses only ten tables that it’s of paramount importance that they do everything in their power to maximise every bit of business they get.
John said about his latest tongue-in-cheek action, “I know people mean well, but we only have ten tables here. It doesn’t pay us to sell half-pints.
“Most people know it is a bit of tongue and cheek fun, and some of the tourists wouldn’t be sure, but at the end of the day, they are happy. I think most people know it is a bit of tongue and cheek fun, and they are asking if it is true, and we are telling them it is”.
