Cafes and food delivery apps are our new rivals, says Greene King boss

October 17, 2025

Cafes and food delivery apps are our new rivals, says Greene King boss

People swapping cask ales for cappuccinos or ordering a burger and a beer via Deliveroo rather than at their local are a new threat to pubs, according to the boss of Greene King.

Nick Mackenzie, who runs the brewer and pub chain with 2,700 sites across the UK, agreed there were other businesses fighting for consumers' money as a growing share of the population was not drinking alcohol.

"They're taking away leisure time from the pub, yeah. You know, people are choosing to go into coffee shops," he said. "They are part of that competitor set, as are delivery [apps]."

There are now more than 14,000 cafes and coffee shops across the UK. Pubs still number more than 40,000 and the 57-year-old is adamant that the pub cannot be beaten as a fixture of the community.

Mr Mackenzie was quick to reiterate the special status that pubs hold in the UK, emphasising that "community" was as much a selling point as the beers, wines and spirits they sold.

But can pubs - inextricably linked to the sale of booze - entice the younger generation to its premises when the around one-third of under-25s and 20% of all Brits don't drink alcohol?

He made a point of highlighting the no-alcohol beer on draught after nipping into the New Explorer pub, just off Oxford Street, even while pointing out low-and-no alcohol pints still makes up only a small share of overall sales.

"It means that if you don't drink, you can come to the pub, you can meet friends, you can do the things that everybody does in the pub," he said.