According to recent research from the Victorian branch of the Australian Hotel Association, eight in 10 Victorians see pubs as an important part of their social lives, and integral to their overall sense of wellbeing, a statistic that is surely replicated around the country.But what happens when large corporations, multi-venue groups and multinationals decide that what the community pubs represent and foster is available to be commodified on a large scale? What changes when a pub operates less as a civic space and a place that operates for the community, instead refocusing on its potential as a purely money-making asset?Every week it's reported that some of the country's most iconic pubs have been bought up by large pub groups, and absorbed into larger portfolios "On our one day off, we're sorting out orders."It's a lot of work, and some things might not be so cheap, but the familiar faces and community atmosphere is an important part of what regulars love about the place.Anecdotally, regular pub-goers report that their favourite venues lose their soul when big groups take over."Honestly, I felt like I could have been anywhere," reported one customer after he met mates for a beer at a Sydney pub that had recently been taken over by a hospitality giant.It wasn't bad, he said