The English public house as a 21st century socially responsible community institution

Abstract The changing nature of the British public house (pub) attracts much attention in the academic and popular literature. This paper reports on an ethnographic study of the pubs located in a single suburban village. The concepts of community, hospitality, corporate social responsibility (CSR) and third place are utilised to develop a theoretical perspective from which to explore publican and customer views of the pub's role in the twenty-first century. The relationship between community and CSR is not always clear but the notion of the pub as a place to meet friends and acquaintances was expressed strongly by the customers of establishments that retain aspects of the ‘traditional pub’. The hospitality of publicans was seen as a key element of the pub's philanthropic responsibility despite a tendency for organisational reporting to focus more on charitable activities in financial terms.