23/07/2026
Cambscuisine founder Oliver Thain's musings on why are so many pubs closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, recent eating habits and more...
We'd love to know whether you've noticed the same changes.
"Pub and restaurant habits have changed. Quite a lot, actually.
One of the things that’s really noticeable across the hospitality industry is how many pubs and restaurants are now closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. Rising costs, particularly the increased National Insurance burden and the cost of being open have undoubtedly played a part. And I suspect Covid has left a bit of a legacy here too.
I was out on the motorbike with a mate recently. Tuesday, a beautiful summer evening. We fancied a nice country pub, and I was determined not to go to one of ours but check out the competition.
We found… absolutely nothing.
Everywhere seemed to be shut which was a shame. A pint and some food in a country pub on a lovely summer evening — or in front of a roaring fire on a cold winter's evening is one of my pleasures. It is becoming surprisingly difficult to find early in the week.
At Cambscuisine, we made a conscious decision several years ago to run at this and stay open seven days a week, all year round. We're local pubs as well as destination restaurants, and we felt it was important to be there when people wanted us.
But let's cut the nonsense…the opportunity was a pretty big part of the decision too. And, as it turns out, we're busy. Mondays and Tuesdays are good trading days for us. People do want to go out. They just need somewhere to go.
The other noticeable change is what time people want to eat.
Twenty-five years ago, when we opened The C**k at Hemingford, we very rarely served anyone for food before 6.30pm. Our evening service was essentially 6.30pm to 9pm, and we would often be filling tables in the 9pm slot.
Fast forward 25 years and things have definitely shifted. We now get plenty of bookings — and walk-ins — at 5pm. And 9pm bookings, even at the weekend, are much less common.
Why? Is it health? Have we finally realised that eating at 9pm is actually quite late? Or has working from home changed the way we structure our days, meaning we're eating earlier and getting home earlier?
Whatever the reason, the old 6.30pm to 9pm dining window has definitely moved.
Perhaps that's the bigger lesson for hospitality. People's habits change and we need to change with them. Standing still isn't really an option.
I'm incredibly proud of how our teams have adapted. Whether it's serving dinner at 5pm on a Tuesday or looking after a full pub on a Monday night, they've embraced those changes and made them work.
I'd be interested to know whether others have noticed the same thing. Are your customers eating earlier than they used to? And if you're a customer rather than an operator, have your own habits changed over the last few years?"
