It is certainly not a case of Blue Monday as pubs experienced their busiest Monday of the year so far recently.*

What do those who have already been back to the pub think about the experience?

Nearly half think that the atmosphere was better pre-lockdown (43.3%). And half of those people think music would make it better (49.5%), see graph 1.

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One third (31.1%) of those who feel strongly that the experience was better in pubs before lockdown are in the 45-54 age bracket (see graph 2).

One third of those who strongly feel music would make atmosphere better are aged 18-24 (31.4%).

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Thoughts from Startle's CEO, Adam:

“It's wonderful to see customers returning to the much loved pub. The weather, return of sport, and the Eat Out To Help Out scheme have been helpful tailwinds. The challenge for Operators will be to deliver the great experience customers expect, so that they keep coming back when the skies open and the financial stimulus has passed. It's encouraging to see that customers recognise the importance of music in creating the right atmosphere as getting this right is a really quick win for Operators.”

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This hub is going to be the place to be for consumer research in retail and hospitality, so make sure to bookmark it, follow us on social, write it on a post-it note or whatever it is that you do. You could also sign up and subscribe to our mailing list, which is easy like Sunday morning.

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Surveys carried out July 2020. Sample size (n) >1000 people, UK Nat. Rep. with 95% confidence level & margin of error of +/- 5%.

*Daily Mail article: ‘Pubs and restaurants had their busiest Monday of the year’. 5th August 2020