The Irish Pub Concept was created in 1992 by Guinness Brewing Worldwide (now Diageo) as the benchmark for developing authentic Irish Pubs outside of Ireland.  As of 2020, some 6,500 pubs have been opened around the world as a direct result of their leadership, guidance and know-how.

In 2013, Diageo ceded ownership and management of the website to former Guinness employees, although the original guiding principles remain at the core of what we do. The site is owned and operated by the Guinness Irish Pub Concept team that worked to bring this remarkable concept to life, and we  continue to provide sound advice and direction to prospective operators.

Some of the information on this site is free…investment calculator, general information, lending information, access to our partners etc. For access to the extensive premium content on this site, we ask for a one-time subscription of $49.95 which gives you access to all the premium content for 12 months. As part of your subscription, you will be able to download The Insider’s Guide to Opening an Irish Pub – 2020 Edition, an invaluable and detailed 25-page route map for developing your Irish pub.

If you do want to follow up with a call or email to us, we are happy to provide a free, no obligation consultation that will give you an honest appraisal of your objectives and guidance in achieving them.

If we get to a point where you feel more informed and confident about moving forward, and we’ve agreed that the pub is a viable opportunity, we will offer to provide you with a commercial consulting service that helps you take your pub from the planning stage through to opening in the most efficient, economical and successful way.

Pubs have a very different ratio of food sales to beverage sales than most restaurants. Pubs maintain high food sales while also developing very healthy beverage sales at times when most restaurants are quiet….afternoons, cocktail hour and late night, for instance. Because beverage cost of sales and beverage labor cost are lower than for food, this makes pubs far more likely to be more profitable.

Your first steps will be as follows:

Finding restaurant or pub financing is a challenge in 2025 because, rightly or wrongly, it is considered high risk. The main types of financing are as follows:

1. Bank, Credit Union, SBA (small business loan)
2. Personal Equity (your own money)
3. Investors (Family, friends, business partners, high net worth individuals)

Ideally, you are looking for an existing restaurant premises which can be renovated. That way, you have existing infrastructure such as HVAC, kitchen ventilation hoods, washrooms etc. and will save some money as compared to fitting out a building from scratch.

Please check with your local beer, wine or liquor distributor to see what marketing support might be available for your pub.

If you have restaurant or bar experience, that is certainly an advantage. If you have small business experience, that is certainly an advantage. If you do not have restaurant experience but do have small business experience than you will need to hire management who can help you through the learning curve. The qualities you will need most are a strong work ethic, a very quality-focused approach and endless patience.