Across Australia, pubs are becoming antiquated as a new generation of adults seek out nightlife entertainment. To capture their attention, pub owners across the country are revamping their venues by introducing craft brewery beers and gourmet food, as well as pushing their pokies into back rooms. According to The Daily Telegraph , pub owners and politicians want to revamp the pub industry.
Now is the time for old-fashion pubs to update their style to suit changing demographics. “Identifying the audience is key,” says Andrew Lewis of Tactical Training Group. “Giving locals what they want in the way of food and drinks, a nice refurbishment, and sending in trained, quality staff will turn a pub around.” With the reinvention of pubs in Australia, poker machines are also seeing some changes.
Visiting pubs in order to play pokies is seen as an activity for older patrons. As such, more and more pub owners have decided to relocate their poker machines to the back of the venues. Where pokies used to be are posh restaurant seating areas and dance floors. Pub owners want to appeal to a younger audience of patrons who are not particularly interested in gambling.
These are patrons that want to drink beers from craft breweries and eat gourmet meals from on-trend menus on a night out with friends. This new trend started out in Sydney, as pub owners wanted to appeal to younger tourists. Now, pub owners in other major cities like Brisbane and Melbourne have decided to follow suit.
Big changes are on the horizon in Australia’s pub industry, and it will be interesting to see how they will affect the poker machine market. Some pubs are trying to reduce their reliance on pokies, and this shift in demographics may be the push they need to make it happen.
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