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I\u2019m trying to find a way to blame the tech bros-cum-incels in Silicon Valley for the soaring cost of pints in London, because they must\u2019ve had an impact, surely? They have all the money. There is hardly any left for the rest of us.<\/p>\n
And so some pubs and bars are choosing to charge more for drinks for various reasons. There are the spiralling rents and utility bills with which to contend, not to mention the Government tax grab on hospitality.<\/p>\n
It could also be that they\u2019re unable to scale to the point of funnelling costs down a little to accommodate greater accessibility. Oh, and then that people are drinking less due to health concerns and have less disposable income. I\u2019ve barely begun to get into this and everything already feels like a mess. I guess that\u2019s because it is.<\/p>\n
Imagine getting a round in after work at that price. Four friends, that\u2019s \u00a355<\/p>\n
Inevitability makes the fact no less challenging. Find the \u00a311 pint at Stanley\u2019s rooftop bar in Mayfair<\/a>, a part of town associated with big spenders, the upmarket. No wonder it\u2019s here that the working person\u2019s pint eclipsed a tenner for the first time. Shocked, much? I\u2019d be surprised if you weren\u2019t \u2014 \u00a311 for a solitary Birra Moretti is alarming whether it\u2019s for good reason or not. Imagine getting a round in after work at that price. Four friends, that\u2019s \u00a355. Two rounds are over \u00a3100 \u2014 a ton \u2014 for a handful of five per cent pints. Absolutely insane. Disastrous, culturally, by the way, in Britain.<\/p>\n Does Stanley\u2019s need to charge so much? I\u2019d wager not. Yes, costs are up for everyone and I\u2019m sure the bar, which is part of the upscale Chesterfield hotel, needed to review prices to keep the balance sheet in check. Many hospitality businesses are suffering in Britain in 2026, even if some are doing spectacularly (that\u2019s why places keep opening \u2014 there\u2019s still money to be made). But \u00a311 for a Moretti, come on. I don\u2019t believe a Mayfair<\/a> hotel buys so little lager<\/a> that it needs to charge such a premium.<\/p>\n What are you really paying for?<\/p>\n Fine, it\u2019s the hotel\u2019s prerogative: those in charge are catering for a certain clientele and bid to attract a small portion of the market. This is not a place for the everyday worker. <\/p>\n No problem. More upsetting then is the precedent it sets: this will prompt others to do the same. When there really wasn\u2019t any need. <\/p>\n I\u2019ve absolutely no problem with quality food and drink requiring a fair price, one many would deem steep or out of reach, but this is a fairly average lager. Moretti is basically the Sainsbury\u2019s of beer<\/a>. Decent, but nothing special. It\u2019s no Asahi. And although the cleanliness of pipes, storage and so on play a part in the taste of lager, generally it\u2019s much the same around town. I could go to an everyday pub and have a Moretti that tastes a little better, in fact, for half the price.<\/p>\n At Stanley\u2019s, you\u2019re not only paying for the lager, that\u2019s true. It\u2019s \u2014 supposedly, at any rate \u2014 the service, the view from the rooftop<\/a>, the fact you\u2019re in Mayfair, which is considered by many to be a privilege. If lavish living and luxury (well, four-star luxury rather than five) is your thing, Stanley\u2019s would be a shout.<\/p>\n