Bike meet drink prices

[alanTDM]

Towards the end of last year and and especially this year we have seen quite a number of pubs starting Bike nights.
Now i know of the 3 original ones which have been going for a number of years eg.The Lysley@Chippenham,The Red Lion @Avebury and The Hunters Lodge Inn,Leigh Common,Wincanton

Out of interest what are the prices of the soft drinks at these new bike meets compared with the original ones any body know ?could prove interesting
Say for Coke draught per pint or bottle
Orange and Lemonade per pint
Lime and Soda per pint
and what ever else one drinks J2O eg.

[FJ_Biker]

Good call Alan, the fuel in our tanks is not getting cheaper.

[Iceman]

At Sallys I think I paid £1.70 for a pint of Lemonade! Dont drink coke.

[bobthecod]

I must of got ripped off, i paid £2.50 for a pint of lemonade and blackcurrant

[Hunar]

not sure about the others, but a pint of coke will set you back £2.50 or £2.70 at the sally. I was quite astonished that a pint of coke was so expensive, considering the last time I went out on a regular basis, a pint of coke was being sold for £1 or £1.50, but other pubs I have been to have charged the same, one pub was even £3 a pint for coke, so the sally isn't the most expensive for soft drinks. I personally think that soft drinks, especially drinks that a 'mixed' at the pump, like coke, should be a lot cheaper than it currently is, considering how cheap it is for the landlord to buy in, and that soft drinks are not taxed as much as alcoholic ones, so more profit per pint.

My main complaint about the high charges for soft drinks is that it doesn't really disuade people from drink driving, when a pint of beer costs the same as a pint of coke, alot of people will go for the beer, and because it costs so much these days, people will be less likely to turn up for meets because of the high cost of the drinks. I don't think it will be long before the pubs are boycotted because of the high prices they charge for soft drinks, and meets end up taking place at a burger vans and other such places, cheaper food and drinks. Which is a shame, because pubs are a great palce to have a meet. Hopefully common sense will return to the 'pub' market and pump mixed soft drinks will return to a more realistic price.

It certainly puts a damoner on a night out for me when a round of 2 drinks (one for me and one for the Mrs) costs nearly £7 and one of those drinks was a coke!

[Kevinb]

I work for a pub management company and to be fair to the landlords if they are tied they have to buy from the one source and the price to them for soft drinks is high. We have to remember we are not just paying for the drink we are paying for wages, maintenance, utilities and the high rents they have to pay. If they are free of tie they probably have even higher rents but can buy the drinks cheaper. If they are managed them their hands are tied and they are controlled by the bean counters.
I did find the Sally very highly priced and was paying £5.60 for something I would pay £4.80 for in my local.
I'm still up for restarting a bike meet in Trowbridge if people are interested.

[Hunar]

so its not really the landords fault most of the time then? rather the prices from the suppliers? makes sense I guess.

Still it does seem a bit steep to charge £2.50 - £3 for a pint of coke, when you can buy a 3 x 2ltr bottle from tesco for £3, and when they are not on special they are £1.49 for a 2ltr bottle. It would seem the industry is cashing in big time on the soft drink profits.

For me and the Mrs, both on incapacity benefits at the moment (although I have been given the all clear to return to work, just need to go through the red tape now), ownign and running the bike costs enough money as it is, and it really does come down to 'we can't afford the drinks' that stops us from going out as much as we would like, even stops me from going out solo, with the cost of fuel and the price of soft drinks, it makes for a very expensive evening.

[Dabz]

must admit I'm avoiding going to Poole tonight for money reasons...it's a good £14 in fuel, £1 entry, £3.50 burger/chips, £1 for a drink - soon mounts up!

I do like the Sally though - excellent location that lets people have a bit of a blast on the way and way back. I'm sure landlords aren't deliberately ripping people off, it's just harder to make a living these days!

[Sue600]

Have to admit, I tend to go to bike meets and not always buy anything... saves pennies... and usually talking too much anyway ;)

[KP]

i agree with dabz..not only does it cost to get down to poole,it cost why your there too, i usually have a quiet potter around the local area, find a nice pub and chill out,cant do with the hectic (getting old)..but looking forward to this thursday please speak to me someone lol ;) :-[ :-/

[RoadRocket]

One reason that so many pubs are having bike nights nowadays is so they can get a few people in early and charge high prices for soft drinks.

They certainly do rip people off. £3 for a coke is a rip off by any standard and the prices are often higher on bike nights.

And always count your change. Twice last year I had the same Landlord at a bike night try to short change me.