Case Study: Pub & Menu Data Scraping from McMullen’s Pubs
The Challenge
Our client, a hospitality analytics company, wanted to gather comprehensive restaurant and drinks data from McMullen’s Pubs — including pub locations, menus, pricing, and offers. With dozens of pubs across the UK and regularly updated content, manual collection was inefficient and lacked consistency.
Hurdles We Faced
- Dynamic Menu Loading: Menus were loaded via JavaScript, making static scraping ineffective.
- Different Layouts: Each pub page had a slightly different structure and data presentation.
- Frequent Content Updates: Menu items, drinks, and pricing changed seasonally.
- Anti-Bot Protection: The website implemented detection systems limiting automated access.
Our Step-by-Step Approach
1. Requirement Analysis
Defined the exact data needed – pub names, addresses, menu items, prices, allergens, and seasonal specials.
2. Custom Scraper Development
Developed a Python-based scraper using Selenium and API request interception to handle dynamically loaded menus and content variations.
3. Proxy Integration
Used rotating proxies and randomized request headers to ensure stable, uninterrupted data collection without detection.
4. Data Structuring & Cleaning
Cleaned and standardized all extracted data into a uniform structure suitable for analytics and search functionality.
5. Automation & Updates
Configured automated scripts to re-run periodically, ensuring the dataset remained current as new menus and locations were added.
Results & Impact
- Successfully scraped all McMullen’s pub details and menu data with 99% accuracy.
- Reduced manual collection time from days to minutes.
- Provided the client with up-to-date insights into pricing trends and menu changes.
Our Services & Expertise
At Ascendance Solutions, we specialize in:
- Hospitality Data Scraping & Automation
- Restaurant Menu & Location Data Extraction
- Proxy-Managed Crawling for Dynamic Websites
- Data Structuring for Analytics Platforms
📧 Connect with us at connect@ascendancesolutions.com to automate pub and restaurant data extraction for your hospitality analytics or research projects.
