The rise of “bring your own booze” culture adding pressure on UK pubs

“Bring your own booze” (BYOB) has long been associated with parties and barbecues, but it’s something that’s starting to damage the pub sector.

With many pub businesses across the UK already struggling with tight profit margins and increasing costs, what may seem like a harmless cost-saving habit for consumers is now becoming a growing concern for operations trying to protect revenue and maintain control over their premises.

As a result, some operators are warning that the trend could be quietly eroding one of the sector’s most important revenue streams, while also creating new problems around safety, licensing compliance, and everyday management.

The growing BYOB trend in hospitality

It’s often common that restaurants and pubs don’t allow customers to bring their own food and drink to the premises. 

However, there are some venues that actually encourage bringing your own booze, with several London-based BYOB restaurants allowing customers to bring their own drinks to the premises. 

For example, the capital’s Engel and Jang offers a BYOB deal every Monday with £15 corkage, as well as their own wines at a reduced price on this day. Meanwhile, The Laundry allows diners to bring as much booze as they want with no charge on Tuesdays (it costs £25 for other days).

While not completely common, there are several reasons why some hospitality venues promote BYOB policies. This includes attracting customers who want specific drinks, increasing food sales instead of drinks sales, reducing the costs associated with obtaining liquor licences, or just having a competitive advantage over other businesses.

For consumers, bringing their own booze is popular as it cuts down on costs, particularly with distaste over inflation – something which could see pints go up to £9 in London, and £7 elsewhere in the country.

Why pubs are feeling the pressure

While BYOB may seem like a minor issue in isolation, pub operators say it’s becoming more common in practice, with the Morning Advertiser reporting a growing trend of customers attempting to smuggle in their own drinks.

The Squirrels in Dunston, Northampton, describes the act as “disrespectful” and “dangerous”.

“We check ID. We monitor how much people are drinking – sometimes that’s a pint of water instead of another drink, sometimes it’s switching someone onto soft drinks, sometimes it’s a firm ‘no’”. The pub wrote on an Instagram post.

“But the moment alcohol is brought in from the outside, all of that control disappears. We don’t know what’s being consumed. We don’t know how much someone has had. We can’t manage intoxication. We can’t protect the space the way we’re legally required to.

“And that’s exactly what happened last night. What was once a safe, well-managed environment quickly becomes unpredictable – and that’s not fair on our team, and it’s not fair on the people who come here to enjoy themselves safely.”

Unsurprisingly, the increase in BYOB means that pubs are at risk of financial loss, particularly with the hospitality industry being the hardest hit by inflation over the last decade, with operational costs surging by 62% within this time.

Beyond lost sales, Nick Landells, legal executive at Poppleston Allen, also told The MA that operators may also face legal liabilities. While consuming alcohol from outside the venue isn’t illegal, he warns that operators risk facing a licensing review “if nuisance or crime and disorder arise from customers consuming their own alcohol on the premises”.

How pubs can respond to BYOB challenges

For pub businesses that are tackling bring your own boozers, the first thing they should focus on is clearly communicating their drinks policy upfront – such as through menus, business websites, and booking confirmations – so customers know what to expect before they arrive. 

Landells also advises that venues with security staff should “risk assess every person wanting entry and consider searching any high risk customer groups”. 

He added that staff should “watch for customers buying rounds of soft drinks and pay closer attention to groups sitting in quieter corners of pubs and beer gardens”, as well as “respectfully challenge customers where they’re showing signs of drunkenness after five diet lemonades”.

Alternatively, if a business is considering BYOB, one option is to only allow BYOB on specific days (such as Mondays) or times during the day (like quieter weekdays or early evenings), to avoid the risk of disruption during peak trading hours. A corkage fee can also help offset lost alcohol sales.

Clear rules are important too. If BYOB is allowed, pubs should determine what’s acceptable – whether it only applies to wine, limits on quantity, or whether spirits are excluded entirely. This will help customers understand what the policy covers, while still protecting margins.

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Planet of the Grapes founder Matt Harris has over 25 years of experience in hospitality. Read his bi-monthly column for Startups now.

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