The entire staff of The Pub clocked in early this morning to prepare for the wave of customers expected in light of the #Brexit vote late last week. With England’s shocking vote to the leave the European Union and even more shocking revelation that most Brits didn’t know what the EU was, prices at the English-themed restaurant are expected to drop significantly. With the impact of the vote being felt overnight, the British pound fell swiftly against the US dollar and local Lexington diners, a group of big eaters who know a thing or two about pounds, are smelling blood in the water.
“It is true,” tells The Pub’s visibly-shaken general manager Dan Cameroon. “With the recent vote to leave the EU, our prices are gonna be at an all-time low starting today. We’re not talking ‘free Jimmy Johns sandwich for an hour on a random Tuesday’ low, but still pretty low.”
“I’ve been coming here to eat for a few years now,” says Lexington Yelp reviewer Chris Cross. “The prices have always been a little high in my opinion. And it certainly doesn’t help that they’re serving British food over here either. I’ve always brought them down a star for that right out of the gate. I wrote about that in some of my early Yelp work saying, ‘It’s like going to a Mountain Dew-themed dentist’s office. It just doesn’t make good sense.’ But with this vote, the fact that I can get my bangers n’ mash at such a heavy discount now, well, that almost makes it worth it to come on over here.”
The Pub has always been an island compared to the mainland restaurants in the area such as Saul Good and the Smashing Tomato. With Thursday’s vote, however, The Pub will now be standing alone, even from the likes of long-time restaurant neighbors such as Johnny Carino’s and Logan’s Roadhouse.
“In the past, if someone from The Pub needed to borrow some sugar or needed to borrow some milk,” explained Carino’s manager Fredo Cappozzoli, “it was no problem. We’re all in this together, ya know? But now….ehhh….I’m not so sure. I guess they’re better than us now and don’t need us no more.”
Despite the long lines (queues or whatever they call them over there) and sharp declines in menu prices at The Pub, management and staff at the Friday’s just across the road, feel confident their business will be just fine.
“What are people gonna do?” questioned Friday’s shift leader Frank Drumpf. “Leave our restaurant – which has the perfect party and suspenders type atmosphere – to go over there for $2 gouda bowls with Oasis blaring? Nah. Plus, we show football in here. And not that Manchester U garbage either. Real football. Well, right now it’s Canadian football season, and we sometimes show that, but it’s still football.”
What the future will hold for The Pub and surrounding restaurants with the #Brexit ripple effect is unknown. Pub manager Dan Cameroon has a difficult task ahead of him trying to manage almost impossible profit margins while dealing with Fayette Plaza management threatening to build additional walls around Moe’s, thus blocking one of their vital loading zones.
“As long as I can keep trading our pounds for gyros with Pita Social over at the mall,” explained Cameroon, “I think I can keep this ship afloat. Now, I just gotta figure out a way to keep my employees from walking over to the theater to see Independence Day 2 and we’ll be bloody brilliant. Cheers, mate.”