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At both the Leeds and Knaresborough venues, regular customers are described as the beating heart of the establishments. "They'll chat to our small children as they come in from nursery," Alice says. "The regulars are literally part of the family, in every single week, same time, same table." Despite 2021 NHS statistics suggesting Gen Z are drinking less alcohol, both sets of landlords find the younger generation still enjoy a trip to the pub. "There's quite an industry rumour that young people aren't drinking and whatnot and I'm starting to really disagree with this," Christian says. "When I was younger I was going to nightclubs but now they seem to be looking for experiences and I think a place like ours offers an experience." The landlords also notice that young people are returning to classic "old man drinks". "They're absolutely wild for milds, for Bass, for all these traditional ales that maybe they knew from parents or grandparents growing up," Christian says. Sam and Nicole says they are serving more Guinness and whiskey than ever to Gen Z. "It's like it's a new thing all of a sudden, it's not, it's always been there," Sam says. "It's really nice that the younger generation are getting into it and actually seeing what's been around for hundreds of years and enjoying it." Sam adds that The Highland Laddie does not host just one particular demographic. "You've got people coming for all sorts of different reasons, whether it's to visit family or they're on a business trip," he says. "That's the wonderful thing about pubs, isn't it?" Christian says. "It's the level playing field, you could be the cleaner stood next to somebody that owns a huge company and you're the same person in that environment."
