The Added Cost of Drinking a Half

[Bobsy]

I've borrowed this quote from the Extended Cask Days thread:

(all for $6 pint / $4 half-pint)

This is one thing that bothers me a bit, and I don't mean to single out Volo as a lot of places have a similar policy. Why is it that half a pint isn't half the cost of a pint? I'd love to have multiple halves to try out new things, but it can be hard to justify when the equivalent of a pint is $8 before factoring in taxes and a tip (which would put it at over $10).

If I recall correctly a half in the UK is more or less half the price of a full pint, with maybe a slight extra cost. Using the above example the extra cost is 33% more per sip for a half. At C'est What if you scaled the size and price of a 330ml glass up to a pint you'd be paying over a buck extra per beer. Both are excellent bars, with fantastic beer, and I wish them continued success, but is this another cost of being a beer drinker in Canada?

I'd be curious to know other people's oppinions, as I'm sure there are people who agree with me, as well as those who would say if the barowner can get away with charging more then all credit to them.

[lister]

You could turn this on its head and consider you're getting a deal on the full pint. If the half is $4 then the full should be $8.

Volume discount on a full pint?

*shrug*

[GregClow]

The cost of the beer isn't the only cost incurred by the bar when serving it to you. Presumably, all of the other costs involved would be roughly the same regardless of the size of the beer (or any other drink) that they are serving to you.

So for sake of argument, you could consider $2 of every drink you get to be a "fixed cost", and the difference would be what you are paying for the actual beer. In which case $4 for a half-pint and $6 for a full pint is perfectly fair.

(Yes, I know that the math isn't quite so cut & dried, but the premise is sound, I think...)

[Bobsy]

The cost of the beer isn't the only cost incurred by the bar when serving it to you. Presumably, all of the other costs involved would be roughly the same regardless of the size of the beer (or any other drink) that they are serving to you.

So for sake of argument, you could consider $2 of every drink you get to be a "fixed cost", and the difference would be what you are paying for the actual beer. In which case $4 for a half-pint and $6 for a full pint is perfectly fair.

(Yes, I know that the math isn't quite so cut & dried, but the premise is sound, I think...)

Hey Greg,

I see your point about fixed costs, but here's the bit of math I have on a typical bar visit: I'll sit in a bar for an hour and drink a pint of beer, the cost for me is $6 plus tax and tip. If on another visit I opt to have a couple halves, I'll be sat there for the same amount of time and then pay $8 plus tax and tip. Beyond washing an extra glass I'm unsure how my visit would incur any additional fixed costs.

I also think it would be fairer if fixed costs were applied to a keg or cask rather than individual orders, as I think my example shows that I can drink the same amount of beer and spend the same amount of time in the bar but get dinged for choosing one way and not the other. That way a bar can order a cask and say we have $xxx in fixed costs that we want to recoup and we want to make xx% of profit on what we paid for this, so this is how much cash we want this cask to bring in (and then price accordingly).

Anyhoo, its probably a pretty mute point as its pretty rare to see folks drinking halves, which i think is a sad thing because I think its nice to get a bit of variety and try new things. It just seems that there's a disproportionate cost involved somewhere. I need a better paying job and then I wouldn't care. Anyone offering?

[JerCraigs]

I often drink half pints, and typically consider the added cost the price of variety. Accuracy of formulas aside, I think Greg has it right. Its essentially a volume discount. Same reason a can of Coke isn't half the cost of a larger bottle. Another point is that a "half pint" is sometimes closer to a 12 oz pour, rather than 10, and is thus more than half a pint of beer.

In the case of a cask, there is the added factor that the cask will go faster if people are drinking pints, which is important since its more perishable than a keg.

[Gedge]

One might also argue that in this era of "responsible consumption" that the consumer is being penalized for drinking less.

But hey, this is common retail practice. A dozen doughnuts is cheaper (per unit) than six.

[Belgian]

I think there are justifications for both sides of this.

PRO the cost:

Sometimes a 'half' is actually bigger than a half-pint, so the ounce-to-price ration is more equal than one may think. Look at the measurements when comparing cost.

The costs of everything besides the beer MAY be duplicated when not ordering full pints. (Serving, washing, breakage, who knows what else are all times two for the owner.)

CON:

I think 'upgrading' your bar tab - eg. adding up a few halfs to count as one pint would be friendlier & better for many things: the customer's enjoyment, people gaining affinity for new beers, moving product more evenly, and moderating the total alcohol consumption if he's eager to try things. They might just sell more beer overall in half-pints.

I realize that's tricky for inventory, but I'm sure there's a formula that could work - eg. a sample tray is always a fixed price, so it's the same principal (average the cost so you don't lose money.)

I do feel silly paying a lot more for drinking responsibly, and would appreciate the chance to moderate the same or different beers in halfs as I go along (admit it, we may sometimes buy the full pint just so as to not waste money, whatever the total blood-alcohol level!)

I'd love to invite bars to comment on how they view this? I think some of them already do make efforts to be 'fair' to an extent.

I would definitely drink more half pints if the bill did not add up like full pints did a few years ago.

[Jon Walker]

I agree with the volume discount explination. After all most places that sell pitchers are selling the beer at a lower price per ounce in the larger format.

However, being of the British persuasion, I too would prefer that beer was priced uniformly regardless of volume and that (old arguement) draft beer could only be sold in 10oz (half pint), 20oz (full pint) and 60oz (pitcher) measures rather than deceptively sized glassware of undetermined volume.

Oh, and that at least three flavours of English crisps be required by law at all drinking establishments. However my Englishness ends when it comes to pork scratchings and dubious jars of pickled eggs on the bar. No thank-you guvner.

[LarryKress]

Hello fellow bartowellers,

Many good points offered in this thread but I believe we are forgetting one main idea.

Considering the cost of malt and hops now adays, $6.00 for a pint of good craft beer is IMO a steal anyways.
Not sure what beer costs in Toronto, but people tell me that horse piss/mega swill cost more than $6.00 in most pubs in Montreal.

Also, the profit of a craft brewery usually stays in the community.

Cheers,

Larry Kress

[Jon Walker]

Larry, price is a variable depending on so many factors. The thread isn't quibbling cost, it's questioning the rationale for different pricing within a given establishment based on volume.

[LarryKress]

Jon,

Right you are, point taken.
I should have started another thread on my belief that the price of craft beer should rise!

Aside from the added expense of washing another glass, restacking the glass back on the shelf and the necessity of having to have more quantity of glasses on hand in the first place, you also require the service of the waiter who could be serving someone else.
I don't mean to nit-pick but I have seen times at the DdC where the waiters can't keep up to washing the glasses.
There definitely is added expense in serving 1/2's.

Cheers,

Larry Kress

[Tapsucker]

Some additional thoughts:

I wonder how alcohol regulators feel about pricing that encourages more consumption. I mean, we already see it in all packaging that favours better pricing per ounce on larger containers, but it does go against the stated principle of encouraging moderation.

Also, I often see lots of spillage in half pint pours. Maybe it's lack of skill, but it seems that smaller glasses are harder to pour with style.

Belgian, I have often seen 'uprating' of multiple halves to pints in better bars. Generally it happens without asking, it just shows up on the tab that way. I think it's a nice touch that doesn't really affect the bottom line when you take care of a good customer.

[Magni]

In my mind i see it broken down like this.

Let's take the assumption that there are 2 servers and one bartender, a dishwasher, a prep/pantry cook and a cook in a traditional toronto pub.

a half pint =
2x more service from a bartender (if a second pint is desired)
2x more dishwashing, which in turn equals less washing of pans and perhaps longer hours for clean up at the end of the night.
less people order half pints than pints, which means that your glasses that you buy equal out to costing more than a full pint. It's possible that with the assumption of reasonable drinking that half-pint drinkers are more responsible and therefore break less glasses BUT bars often get deals on brand glasses and very often half-pint glasses are generic (cost more money)
More people drinking half pints = less money for the bar based upon a ratio of time spent and time consuming. You are more tempted to drink a pint faster.
Kegs also go off as well, the speed of the depletion of the keg needs to be worked into it.
Finally, people who drink more are more entitled to buy more. $$$

Well, we could also work it out to that it's become a standard and one might as well take advantage of it. ALMOST everything in life revolves around money, and bars/pubs are all about the money.

[cannondale]

Perhaps if it had just been advertised as '$4 half-pint / $6 pint' a pointless thread could have been avoided.

Other than gasoline and a few other things, volume discounts are ubiquitous folks. The details specific to draught beer are irrelevant.

Now get off your computers and back to the business of enjoying the relatively plentiful assortment of products rolling in or currently available at the LC, and anticipating the winter release to come!

[Malcolm]

I can remember when servers at C'est What used to simply pour a "half" into your current pint glass. More like a 3/4...