Yup like pubs in the UK. Times change, it's nice to keep a few examples of such things but why go out of our way to save them all; it's only preventing the next generation from having their thing. Which tbh given the current generation in power, makes sense.
The sad thing is that the trend is towards homogeneity and cutting costs. Local pubs in the UK have been rolled up by a few large chain operators. Likewise in this story small family grocery stores and being replaced by chain supermarkets.
It's not just a matter of being "behind the times", I think in the future we will regret having killed individuality in favor of convenience.
In Belgium, most pubs (as in the physical buildings) are owned by one of three very large breweries. The rent is often steep, and there can be strict requirements on what drinks can be served. I suspect this is part of the driving force behind the decline of pubs.
