Outspoken Northampton landlady goes on Good Morning Britain to slam pint price increases during peak times

A well-known pub landlady in Northampton featured on prime time television arguing against price hikes for pints during peak hours.

The Stonegate Group, who own both the Slug & Lettuce and Yates chains, announced it is to begin raising prices at 800 of its locations during peak times like the evenings and weekends, in order to cover rising costs.

Miranda Richardson, who runs The Squirrels and The Hart in Duston, recently appeared on ITV’s Good Morning Britain and BBC’s Radio 5 Live to give her thoughts on the idea.

The landlady raised her concerns about suggested price increases for pints during peak hours at pubs, which has been dubbed the ‘unhappy hour’ by many.

A consumer expert on GMB opened the discussion saying he was in favour of the price hike.

He said: "I think it's really clever on the part of pubs. They're trying to reduce the crush in a pub at a busy time and encourage you to go at a quieter time. The outrage is all completely confected. If they had put up 20 pence on the price of a pint across the day in all their pubs, no one would have noticed. A pint of beer is not a sacred thing. It is not a life-saving pharmaceutical. That would be outrageous. This is just a pint of beer; you don't need to have a pint of beer, and if you really hate the idea, you can go to someone else's pub down the road."

However, Miranda disagreed with the point.

She said: "They are going to put the prices up, and people are not going to want to go back to that pub. Instead of driving footfall and having more customers by keeping it level, if they put the prices up, we might go in, we might have one drink and go, 'I'm not going to pay more for that on a Saturday night,' so I won't go back. So instead of increasing your customer base and your consumer base, you're just going to alienate them. They'll go once but they won't go back again."

She added: “Yes we get used to it [changes], but why should we get used to it?”

Miranda's plea to the local pub industry is clear: "Get the guest experience right. Make them feel the pub is somewhere you go to."

A spokesperson for Stonegate, which has 4,500 venues, said: “Stonegate Group, like all retail businesses, regularly review pricing to manage costs but also to ensure we offer great value for money to our guests.

“Across the managed business, our dynamic pricing encompasses the ability to offer guests a range of promotions including happy hours, two-for-one cocktails, and discounts on food and drink products at different times on different days throughout the week.

“This flexibility may mean that on occasions pricing may marginally increase in selective pubs and bars due to the increased cost demands on the business with additional staffing or licensing requirements such as additional door team members.”