If it was my pub, I'd do pretty much exactly the same given the situation we're in. They need to generate income to pay for the many improvements inside and I can't get all nostalgic about how it used to look, which was, frankly, shit and dirty (horrible bins not shown in this picture).
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People used to regularly walk by not knowing that there was even a pub there - on a grey day there'd be no one outside so it just looked closed. I'd hear the same sentiment from people who I'd got to come along to my DJ nights. And underperforming pubs don't tend to stay around for so long, so I've got no problems with this space being properly utilised by an independent brewery.
I'm not sure where you're getting this notion of a new focus on 'dining' from my pics when every single person is drinking in the photos, either. I recognised a few locals there too, and the demographic seemed pretty much the same, although you can't judge fully until the inside reopens.
Their new menu is 'British pub grub' with 50% of the items for sharing, so I'm not seeing any fancy shift to a dining experience there, and inside they're investing on fixing the many problems with the building and - finally - installing a decent PA system. It's the kind of basic investment Antic should have made years ago, and I'm glad I won't have to drag up my own PA system again.
What would you have preferred them do with the pub?