Consumer Pub Choice: A Foraging Examination

UK pubs are social spaces where both drink (traditionally beer but also other alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks) and food (from only snacks in wet led (drinking) establishments to fine-dining and everything in between) is offered and consumed. Pubs face an uncertain future, making understanding contemporary consumer preferences crucial. This research modelled pub consumer choice using foraging theory. A mixed methodology (questionnaires, digital journaling, interviews) was employed. Findings classify consumer motivations into objectives, currencies, constraints, and social/temporal aspects with interactions between these elements highlighted and offers insight on overstaying bias as an underlying mechanism for consumers' reactions to pub closures. Our work provides a comprehensive framework, showing factors like objectives, location, time, and personality influencing consumer's choice, offering insights on how pubs can attract and retain patrons.