The new pub era: insights from KAM's Pub Spotlight 2026
What operators from Punch, Star Pubs, JW Lees and more shared about teams, customers and the future of the pub.
If you feel like the rules of running a pub are shifting beneath your feet, you aren't alone. At Pub Spotlight 2026, hosted by KAM Media, industry leaders from Punch Pubs, Star Pubs, JW Lees and many more gathered to take apart the ever-changing hospitality scene.
The discussions focused on three perspectives shaping the modern pub: the employees, the customers, and the future of the sector.
1. The employee perspective: happy teams mean healthy bottom lines
Panellists Laura Cavandish (Punch Pubs & Co) and Greg Sergeant (Star Pubs & Bars) made one point clear: technology should make work easier, not harder. The real challenge is identifying the two or three tools that genuinely support your team, rather than adding complexity.
- Wellbeing is a business strategy. 65% of employees believe better wellbeing directly improves the quality of customer service.
- The human value. Teams should spend their time hosting quizzes, running events and creating atmosphere, not battling clunky systems behind the bar.
- Culture from the top. William Lees-Jones of JW Lees shared their "secret sauce": celebrating teams together and personally visiting pubs with gifts at Christmas.
2. The customer perspective: selling connection, not just alcohol
Younger generations are spending less and visiting less often. Your competition may not be the pub down the street any more. It's a quiet night in.
- The shift to midweek. Late-night drinking is cooling off, and Tuesday and Wednesday occasions are growing.
- The power of familiarity. Guinness, roasts, and fish and chips remain the anchors of the British pub.
- The experience factor. Whether it's brunch or mechanical pig racing for charity, give guests a story to tell.
3. The future perspective: digital discovery
If your pub isn't easily found online, it doesn't exist to the modern consumer. Digital discovery is now one of the main ways guests decide where to go for their next midweek drink, Sunday roast or spontaneous catch-up.
Guest behaviour beyond the till is the new gold standard. Platforms like MIXR (Stonegate Pub Company) help operators track loyalty, not just sales.
The bottom line
The operators who thrive will support their teams, create real reasons to visit, and make sure their pub is easy to discover online. When customers are searching for their next quiz night or Sunday roast, your website should show them exactly why your pub is worth leaving the house for.
That's exactly what My Place, our website generator for independent pubs, is designed to help you do.
