A
satanic perversion of the English
pub, created by
soulless corporate
cockroaches.... Well, it's not quite that simple.
Basically in the Eighties a lot of public houses were bought up by the major chains (like Guinness, now Diageo) and converted into places which :
Now these pubs, like any
avatar of
the Insane Clown, are boring and dreary places. However the awful truth is that a lot of them were boring and dreary before. Only a few pubs conform to the English ideal of
eccentricity,
friendliness and local uniqueness. Many of them were just dingy and dark and glum.
If you are a cheerful free-marketeer, you'll think that the new pubs will inevitably compete up the ladder to become wonderful inspiring places where customer service comes with a smile and the beer and food is delicious.
I'm more pragmatic: at least since they all have the same names and logos, it is easier to avoid them.