Czech Beer Maker Helps Local Pubs with Aid Program
2022-07-04
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1Czechs have long gathered at village pubs - buildings or rooms where alcoholic drinks and often food are served.
2These pubs serve as a place to talk with friends or celebrate special events.
3But in this country that is famous for its beer culture, increasing costs and less spending have left many pubs fighting for survival.
4U Kryslu is a pub in the village of Sec in the Czech Republic.
5The business is suffering from a drop in sales as customers in the village of 318 people cut back on spending.
6This is the latest blow to pubs struggling to come back from restrictions tied to the COVID-19 pandemic.
7Sec Mayor Helena Chytra is seeking a new operator for U Kryslu.
8She recently warned, "In many villages and maybe even in ours the pub will cease to exist."
9She added, "Five or 10 years ago at weekends the pub was full. There was no place to sit on a Friday or Saturday night."
10Although Czechs drink 129 liters of beer per capita yearly, they have increasingly turned to drinking at home.
11Plzensky Prazdroj, which makes Pilsner Urquell, a famous Czech beer, researched pubs in the country.
12It found that around 12 percent of pubs in Czech towns with fewer than 5,000 people have closed down in the past three years.
13That number is almost double the rate of bigger cities.
14Fast-rising costs may cause more pubs to close, market experts say.
15"The economics of one pub in one village does not often make sense," said Lubos Kastner, a restaurant owner and member of the Czech Gastronomic Institute.
16He added that rural pubs would take a bigger hit as the economy worsens.
17Many small pub owners do not want to pass on price increases for fear of losing customers.
18However, Czech inflation hit a nearly 30-year high of 16 percent in May.
19"In the autumn...the chokehold (for many small pubs) will begin," said Hanus Vala, owner of the Na Palube Steakhouse in Milevsko.
20Some owners have turned to Plzensky Prazdroj, the maker of Pilsner Urquell, and its "Village" program.
21The program offers advice and financial aid for struggling local owners who worry about coronavirus lockdowns and economic problems.
22Eva Vejvancicka is the owner of U Kantu pub in Myslovice.
23She said she bought it in 2019 to prevent its closure and has since received financing from Plzensky Prazdroj.
24"The pub is important for people to meet.
25There isn't even a shop here.
26A pub has always been here," she told Reuters recently as a group of friends sat outside with beers.
27Plzensky Prazdroj began its program with 80 pubs in 2017 and now helps nearly 900 - about 10 percent of Czech village pubs.
28The aid includes direct financial payments as well as advice on things like improving the menu and the appearance of the businesses.
29Company spokeswoman Petra Kubova said the program targets businesses in villages of less than 5,000 people.
30In these villages, pubs are often one of the few places people can get together.
31Kubova compared important places in a village to the legs of a stool - a kind of chair.
32"Every village has a three-legged stool of church, soccer field and pub that helps support the community. Without one, a village is missing a leg of the stool."
33I'm John Russell.
1Czechs have long gathered at village pubs - buildings or rooms where alcoholic drinks and often food are served. These pubs serve as a place to talk with friends or celebrate special events. 2But in this country that is famous for its beer culture, increasing costs and less spending have left many pubs fighting for survival. 3U Kryslu is a pub in the village of Sec in the Czech Republic. The business is suffering from a drop in sales as customers in the village of 318 people cut back on spending. This is the latest blow to pubs struggling to come back from restrictions tied to the COVID-19 pandemic. 4Sec Mayor Helena Chytra is seeking a new operator for U Kryslu. She recently warned, "In many villages and maybe even in ours the pub will cease to exist." 5She added, "Five or 10 years ago at weekends the pub was full. There was no place to sit on a Friday or Saturday night." 6Although Czechs drink 129 liters of beer per capita yearly, they have increasingly turned to drinking at home. 7Plzensky Prazdroj, which makes Pilsner Urquell, a famous Czech beer, researched pubs in the country. It found that around 12 percent of pubs in Czech towns with fewer than 5,000 people have closed down in the past three years. That number is almost double the rate of bigger cities. Fast-rising costs may cause more pubs to close, market experts say. 8"The economics of one pub in one village does not often make sense," said Lubos Kastner, a restaurant owner and member of the Czech Gastronomic Institute. He added that rural pubs would take a bigger hit as the economy worsens. 9Many small pub owners do not want to pass on price increases for fear of losing customers. However, Czech inflation hit a nearly 30-year high of 16 percent in May. 10"In the autumn...the chokehold (for many small pubs) will begin," said Hanus Vala, owner of the Na Palube Steakhouse in Milevsko. 11Some owners have turned to Plzensky Prazdroj, the maker of Pilsner Urquell, and its "Village" program. The program offers advice and financial aid for struggling local owners who worry about coronavirus lockdowns and economic problems. 12Eva Vejvancicka is the owner of U Kantu pub in Myslovice. She said she bought it in 2019 to prevent its closure and has since received financing from Plzensky Prazdroj. 13"The pub is important for people to meet. There isn't even a shop here. A pub has always been here," she told Reuters recently as a group of friends sat outside with beers. 14Plzensky Prazdroj began its program with 80 pubs in 2017 and now helps nearly 900 - about 10 percent of Czech village pubs. The aid includes direct financial payments as well as advice on things like improving the menu and the appearance of the businesses. 15Company spokeswoman Petra Kubova said the program targets businesses in villages of less than 5,000 people. In these villages, pubs are often one of the few places people can get together. 16Kubova compared important places in a village to the legs of a stool - a kind of chair. 17"Every village has a three-legged stool of church, soccer field and pub that helps support the community. Without one, a village is missing a leg of the stool." 18I'm John Russell. 19Jason Hovet and Michael Kahn reported on this story for Reuters. John Russell adapted it for VOA Learning English. 20________________________________________________________________________ 21Words in This Story 22customer -- n. someone who buys goods or services from a business 23cease - v. to stop doing (something) 24per capita - adv. by or for each person 25chokehold - n. a force or influence that stops something from growing or developing 26menu - n. a list of things that you can choose from; a list of the foods that may be ordered at a restaurant