Main Bar Consultation

Thank you to those of you who gave feedback during the Main Bar Survey at the end of last year — your input was really valuable.

We’ve now analysed an amazing 1,602 responses, and the message from students was clear: affordability, atmosphere, community, and safety are what matter most. We also heard understandable worries about franchising and what any potential changes might mean for our student community, impact on jobs and use of space.

As an Association, we must make changes. Main Bar has not been developed for over a decade, and we need to find out what you want from this space to ensure we plan correctly. Our current financial position simply isn’t sustainable. But the exciting thing is that every step we now take will be to protect and strengthen the student experience, from societies and events to representation, belonging, and job security.

Key Takeaways from the Survey:

• Affordability is number one — it’s the biggest driver for students choosing Main Bar.
• Students want a lively social environment at night and a calmer, study-friendly atmosphere during the day.
• Safety matters and plays a big role in where students choose to spend time.
• There is opposition to franchising.
• Among those who are open to franchising, Wetherspoons was the preferred option, mainly due to affordability and atmosphere.

See a breakdown of results here.

• Affordability First. Price was our main priority when creating our new simplified bar menu — and we’d love your feedback! We’ll endeavour to have regular deals and promotions alongside consistently low prices, now and in the future.
• Strengthening Community. We love that Main Bar feels like home for so many students. This won’t change. We’re also making it clearer than ever how every penny spent in the Union goes straight back into activities, support, and experiences for our community.
• A Versatile Atmosphere. Main Bar needs to balance a chilled daytime atmosphere with fun, high-energy evenings. To boost evening experiences, we’re hiring Entertainment Hosts — student staff dedicated to levelling up events like Pub Quiz and Karaoke.
• Keeping You Safe. Safety is and always will be a top priority. We’ll work on signage and messaging, so everyone knows exactly what we have in place to keep students and staff safe.
• Consistency is Key. Reliable opening hours and consistent service are now operational priorities across our trading departments.
• What Is Main Bar?! Main Bar is a versatile space — but it doesn’t yet have a clear identity. We want that to change. We’re developing brand values and (very excitingly!) a new name, and we’ll need your help choosing it. Watch this space!

• We’ve applied to the University for a loan to carry out a Building Upgrade.  
• If successful, the loan could be used to:

  • Develop our spaces and trading services by working with a franchise/external partner.

  • Invest in our spaces with the aim to make them more financially sustainable and relevant.
  • Or potentially a mix of both.

We will be in touch again once we find out if the loan has been successful.  

If we do select a franchise/external partner option we can confirm that:

• Students and staff will be able to speak with them directly and raise any concerns.
• Staff will remain part of the Union staff team.
• We’d retain ownership of our space.
• Prices would stay low — or potentially even lower.

Why did the Union do a Main Bar survey? 

• For a number of years the Association has not been financially stable.

• Main Bar has not been developed for over a decade, and we need to find out what you want from this space to ensure we plan correctly.

Why are you asking about a franchise / external partner? 

• We have been tasked by our Board (the governing body of the Association) to explore options to allow us to continue serving food from Main Bar, to ensure we continue to be a hub for students, and to allow us to be financially viable as an organisation.

What would operating with a franchise / external partner mean? 

• A franchise / external partner is essentially about a brand, its products, and its systems. To clarify: the bar would be wholly owned and operated by the Students’ Association. It would be our staff, employed by the union just as they are now. We would still be able to run events, show sports, and the space would remain ours.

How do you know this is the right thing to do? 

• At the moment we don’t, that’s why we are doing everything we can to ensure we make an informed decision, this involves:

- Exploring options available to us

- Adapting the way we currently operate

- Working with the university

- Using a franchise / external partner

- Talking to other student unions

- Using the feedback via our survey

- Talking to students via our Forums and at our pop-ups

Would student staff lose their jobs if we went with a franchise / external partner? 

• No student staff would lose jobs because of a franchise / external partner coming in.

Would student activities be affected if Main Bar is franchised? 

• No student activity in the Union will be stopped because of a franchise. Alongside this, we’re running a separate project to explore how we can make the very best use of all our spaces across the building to support student life.

• With such a large building, we have the capacity to host a wide range of initiatives in different areas — whether that’s in Main Bar, Rector’s, Beacon Bar, or a society room. This flexibility means we can cater to diverse student activities while ensuring the Union remains a hub for the whole student community.

• The Change Programme we have undergone recently was about modernising our Union to ensure we are accessible and empowering for all students – any changes we make will ensure student voice and activities are at the centre of these and will be an enabler not a barrier for activity.

What about student society funds? 

• Every penny you spend in the building goes straight back into funding student activity and representation. Which is the reason we exist. Our aim is to make Main Bar profitable which would enable us to reinvest more money back into student activity.

Would dietary requirements be catered for? 

• Whatever direction we take, vegan, vegetarian, and gluten‑free options will always be available.

Would food and drinks be more expensive? 

• The options we are exploring are to ensure we can remain competitive and keep cost to our members as low as they possibly can be, our aim would be to keep prices the same or even lower than we’re currently offering.

Would it affect how safe we feel? 

• We would still have ownership of the space, staffing it accordingly with our student and permanent members from Customers Safety and Bars Team. Safety would remain our top priority.

• Our entry policy will not change - members of the public are already allowed into the Union and we would keep our safeguarding policies in place.

Would it still feel like a student bar? 

• Yes, we would get to pick the name, the branding, the colour scheme, the signage and posters we put up etc.

Would it cost the Union money? 

• There would be an investment if this is the route we chose. However, whatever we do, we need to invest to ensure our services are financially viable and relevant.

• We would only make this investment if we were confident it would then generate money to reinvest in student activity and nothing would be deducted from the student spend as a result of an investment.

Got more questions? 

• We urge anyone who has any questions to reach out to us directly via presaffs@ if you’d like to speak to an Exec member, or union@ if you’d like to speak to a staff member.

We want every student to have the best possible experience at university and in St Andrews. Your feedback is vital in helping us improve, grow, and ensure we’re always here to support you.