Former Top Gear star James May – who co-owns a village inn – has revealed that the path to success in the bar trade involves ‘clean swamps and good food’.
Otherwise, he claims, people won’t want to visit and spend money. The bars that are reluctant to change are doomed to failure.
James, who co-owns the Royal Oak in Swallowcliffe, Wiltshire that fewer and fewer people are going to pubs and that things have changed dramatically in recent decades.
Figures show that one in four pubs in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have closed since 2001.
The Campaign For Real Ale said another 30 bars are closing every week, while dozens are being illegally demolished or used for various purposes without obtaining the correct planning permission.
James May, pictured, is co-owner of the Royal Oak bar in Swallowcliffe, Wiltshire
He invested in the local bar in the village where he has a holiday home to secure its future
He said, “I’ve been thinking about this for a while. Nowadays a good pub has to serve decent food.
‘Not all bars are blessed with a good location. I live in London and my local pubs in Hammersmith, Chiswick and Fulham are close to the river. The best places have outdoor areas that are beautiful in the summer.
‘But I believe that to survive in the future, pubs must adapt to the times and offer more activities.
‘There are too many pubs. There are people who complain when a café closes, but it closes because it wasn’t good enough to survive.’
According to James, a radical rethink could help businesses thrive in the future.
He said: ‘Imagine a pub where you can learn to paint, or learn Spanish or maybe woodwork. The people complaining that we are losing the pub are exactly the people you never see in the bar. They like the idea. The role of the pub in society has changed.’
His idea of hell would be a sports bar with dozens of screens showing the latest Icelandic third division game, while another screens offers updates from an Alabama bowling match.
‘I don’t go to sports bars. When we opened the Royal Oak we decided there would be no television. Then people asked if they could watch the Women’s World Cup and the Rugby World Cup. So we changed our minds. Although there is no television in the background. It’s in the bar for big events and that’s it.
The former Top Gear star, pictured, believes pubs need to change radically if they are to survive in the future
He said bars should consider activities such as paint classes or Spanish classes to encourage people to visit
‘We are a restaurant, if I’m completely honest. We’re proud that our chef sources 90 percent of his produce from within a 15-mile radius, making us a bit like a farm shop, something Clarkson has more experience with.”
The types of people who go to bars and pubs have also changed, hastening the change in the industry that some say marks its decline.
‘People are sentimental about the puss of the old world, where people would say ‘the landlord was good because he kept the beer well’.
‘These places were a ‘home away from home’, where single men came to get something to eat because they couldn’t look after themselves. They have to move with the times.
‘Cafes cannot compete with supermarkets when it comes to the price of beer. I find it astonishing that it is at least a fiver per pint. Gasoline is cheaper.
‘Now we have Deliveroo and takeaways. The world has changed.
‘I was in Sligo in the west of Ireland and I was sitting in this beautiful pub that was part hardware store and part bar. You could sit down and order a pint, a hammer and a box of nails. It was brilliant. We need more of that.
A trend in the bar trade is the growth of microbreweries and the availability of a wider range of beers.
James, pictured with co-stars Jeremy Clarkson and James May, returns to Amazon Prime on February 16 with The Grand Tour: Sand Job
‘It’s a dream for most people that they can open a pub, talk to locals and make a fortune. It is a difficult business with long working hours and low margins.
‘We have hired an excellent manager to take care of things. He pays little attention to what we say. Our house is a free house, so we can get our beers from anywhere. Some microbreweries are terrible.
‘We stock some of the expected beers, like Peroni, but we also have Guy Richie’s beer, which is brilliant.
‘We also have an extensive wine list as is now expected.’
James said of his own bar: ‘We have incredibly welcoming and great staff. We are not cheap, but not excessively expensive either.
‘There is a balance. We have seen the cost of ingredients rise, as well as energy bills and staff wages.
‘I’m very proud of it. I only invested in this because I have a house in the village and wanted to be able to walk to the pub for a beer.
“It takes care of itself.”
James added: “The most important thing is clean swamps. People always complain.’
The next edition of The Grand Tour is coming up on February 16 and James May in India is currently on Amazon Prime.