Latest news with #drinkinghabits
News.com.au
29-06-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
‘The death of the shout': Aussies ditch round-buying at the pub
The Aussie pub shout – the sacred social tradition of 'buying a round' for your mates – has long been a staple of Australian night-life. But new data on how Aussies are spending their money reveals that this beloved custom is on the way out. Rising living costs mean a full round for a table can now easily top $100, while changing drinking habits and technological advances are encouraging punters to skip the shout altogether. Instead, Aussies are increasingly choosing to split the bill or simply pay for their own drinks. The latest research comes from Tyro Payments, a payments platform company, and revealed a huge generational spending divide is unfolding at the pub. Using data collected from over 1000 participants and more than 30 million food and drink orders, the report reveals that nearly half of Aussies (49 per cent) have changed their drinking habits due to cost pressures, with one in 10 cutting out alcohol altogether. The report also found that the traditional 'shout' is dying, as Aussies are now 35 per cent less likely to buy rounds for their friends than they were last year. Instead, they're opting to order via QR codes and sidestep the age-old question of 'whose turn is it?' The trend is most prominent among millennials, with 42 per cent saying they'd use a QR code to order drinks specifically to avoid a shout. Among Gen Z, 38 per cent said they use QR codes for the same reason, while 37 per cent of Gen X and 33 per cent of Baby Boomers are also embracing this tech-driven approach. The ease of sending a quick bank transfer to a mate has also made it simpler than ever to settle up the bill without the awkwardness of unpaid drinks or unclaimed rounds. Brian Sarkis, General Manager of ArtHouse Hotel in the Sydney CBD and co-owner of East Village Hotel in Darlinghurst said he's noticed this shift playing out in his bars. 'At East Village, we mainly see customers buy individual drinks when they're with a group of friends,' he told 'Even for birthdays or celebrations, they are more likely to just buy the birthday person a drink rather than shout the whole table.' Mr Sarkis says he's noticed that people are still keen to come out and enjoy a fun night, but they're definitely being more conscious about their spending. 'Buying a round for six people in today's market, that's a big hit to the wallet. The whole 'shouting' thing has pretty much disappeared,' he admits. 'The QR system has eliminated both the generosity and the guilt of round-buying. No one has to be the generous one, but no one has to be the tight one either. Buying someone a drink used to be a gesture, now it's just more efficient to order your own.' He's also noticed that people are much more strategic about their spending now. 'They'll calculate exactly what they want to spend before they even sit down,' he explains. 'The days of 'let's see how the night goes' spending are pretty much over. People have a budget and they stick to it.' This trend isn't unique to Australia. A recent article in The New York Times reported that a similar thing is happening in the US. Gen Z in the States are far less likely to open up a bar tab than they were a few years ago, preferring instead to swipe their cards after every drink, no matter how many rounds they end up having. While bar tabs are more common in American culture than in Australia, the reasons for this change in spending habits remain the same. Having to pull out your card each time you buy a drink serves as a reminder that you're spending money, which helps to curb overspending amid cost-of-living pressures. Gen Z is also favouring 'one-and-done' transactions, mainly using Apple Pay and tapping their phones for a purchase, as they would for a coffee at a cafe. So, it appears that not only is the Aussie shout coming to an end, but mindless pub spending in general.
New York Times
31-05-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Gen Z Doesn't Want to Start a Bar Tab
Late one Saturday night at Bar Lubitsch, a West Hollywood cocktail bar known for its kitschy, Soviet-era décor and frosty vodka drinks, Scott Korinke and Nolan Marks wriggled themselves from the sweat-drenched dance floor and made their way to the bar counter. Mr. Korinke, 26, ordered a martini for himself and a vodka Red Bull for his friend Mr. Marks, 25. As he fished a Visa credit card out of his green leather wallet, the bartender yelled out a question over the music: 'Do you want to start a tab?' Mr. Korinke shook his head no and swiftly closed out. The pair might order more drinks later on, but the prospect of opening a tab was verboten. 'Why leave a credit card with the bar? I don't know if I'm going to be here that long, so I don't want to leave a tab open,' Mr. Korinke said, joking that he had 'commitment issues.' His ethos reflects a growing phenomenon among Gen Z bargoers: an aversion to opening bar tabs. Much to the dismay of bartenders, many 20-somethings prefer to close out and pay after every drink, no matter how many beverages they end up ordering. The reasons for this are myriad. For a generation that consumes less alcohol than older drinkers, opening tabs can seem exorbitant. They have become accustomed to one-and-done transactions — usually with a simple tap of their phones — and consider purchasing drinks at a bar to be no different from, say, buying a coffee at a cafe. They can feel anxious about losing track of their spending by leaving their credit cards behind the bar. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
BBC News
22-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Lincoln Beer Festival downsizes amid shift in drinking habits
A city's beer festival has moved to a smaller venue blaming falling attendances and a major shift in drinking Lincoln Beer Festival has relocated to Southside, a former church on Colegrave Street, for its 43rd year and will run from Thursday until Mark Richards said the change reflected the shift in drinking behaviours, with people going out earlier and fewer younger people socialising since the pandemic."The younger generations in their 20s aren't really going out late at night so there is a lack of footfall in pubs and venues throughout the country in that," he said. The three-day event, offering beers, real ales and alcohol-free options, was previously held at The Drill on Free School Richards said it was "a great shame to leave" but said the festival had to "adjust" to changes in society."We've had to make the decision [to change venues] because our footfall reduced as a result of that," he said. Michael Thurlby, who owns three pubs in Stamford, had also noticed a change in people's drinking habits. "We've had to adapt the hours and the style of our businesses to offer what people want today and not what they wanted 20 years ago," he pub landlord added people were opting for a healthier living by going out earlier with family and drinking more alcohol-free believed attitudes shifted as a result of the 2007 smoking ban and the coronavirus pandemic. The BBC spoke to members of the public about their drinking habits. Bowen Jones, 19, was sat in a pub with a pint of apple juice. He said: "I've never drank, I just don't like the taste of alcohol."Mr Jones said he went out the night before until 04:00 BST, did not drink alcohol, then drove home. "People don't go to the pub so much like my parents used to do," he Jones' friend, Oliver De'ath, 18, said he only drinks on special occasions."I don't really see the enjoyment in it. Sometimes we go out for food instead, I go to the gym. I think it is more socially acceptable [not to drink]," Mr De'ath said. By starting at noon and offering alcohol-free options, organisers hoped to reflect changing drinking event, sponsored by Lincoln CAMRA, will run until 23:00 BST on Thursday and Friday and until 21:00 BST on Saturday. Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
