View Full Version : Boycott Wetherspoons!
Arkless Electronics
25-10-2013, 01:01
I've just been barred from my local wetherspoons for fuck all reason... basically making a sarky remark to a rude "jobs-worth" barmaid! It's been my local for about 5 years! Apparently (after checking on the interweb thingy) they are renowned for such behaviour (they barred a pensioner for complaining that there was a hair in his food!!) also, apparently, I have no come back or complaints procedure to follow. That's that! I checked their website and their policy is that if a local pub bars someone they will ALWAYS, no matter what the circumstances, back up the decision of the local pub and refuse to enter into any discussion of whether or not there was a legitimate reason. I have been told I can take it up with the manager when he is in tomorrow but to expect to be told that the barring stands and that he won't even enter into a conversation about why I was barred and whether or not it was justified...
So what more can I say but BOYCOTT THEM FOLKS!
The problem here is that you enter a pub at the landlords discretion, and if you are refused entry or subsequently thrown out they aren't obliged by law to give you an explanation. Having not been there when the incident occurred it would be pointless of me to comment as it wouldn't be fair to either yourself, the barmaid or Wetherspoons. You don't have to look too hard on the net to find negative press about all and sundry.
I have been 'invited to leave the premises' on the rare occasion in the past, usually because I was behaving like an arse or I was with a group who were. On one particular occasion (it was a warm summers day after work) I was sitting at the bar quietly drinking a pint and reading the paper when some eejit walked up behind me and decided I needed a lager shower. Obviously I wasn't expecting it and therefore reacted on instinct. A scuffle broke out and even though the landlord, who I knew well incidentally, had witnessed the entire incident, he threw us both out, me for retaliating. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't pissed about it but arguing the point would have lead to me being barred permanently and perhaps even to a wee chat with the boys in blue. As it happens I had that 'wee chat' with my new found friend outside, who came around to my way of thinking eventually. In my experience being abrupt with bar staff, regardless of the issue, will only ever end up in one scenario...
Audio Al
25-10-2013, 05:23
Only ever been in one
Not impressed, the place was dirty and depressing
Not for me !
Rothchild
25-10-2013, 07:10
I already avoid them whenever I can anyway so my take on this is that you've been provided with a great opportunity to find a better local (maybe even one that's not owned by a corporate business).
I've been boycotting them for years. The McDonald's of pubs. Absolute shite.
sq225917
25-10-2013, 07:28
Blimey jez that's awful surely there's a self help group for those banned from their local weatherspoons. The decision you have to make is do you want to suck it up, apologize for whatever you didn't do that they say you did and drink in the pub or hold your ground and be barred. I doubt there is a middle ground...
Rare Bird
25-10-2013, 08:44
Ive never had a problem i go in three of the sheffield ones because i drink real ales.. I have given them some grief in the past regarding pulling beer but they take it on the chin no probs..
Wakefield Turntables
25-10-2013, 09:00
Ive never had a problem i go in three of the sheffield ones because i drink real ales.. I have given them some grief in the past regarding pulling beer but they take it on the chin no probs..
Yep, I agree with Andre. Our local "beardy wierdy" pub as my missus calls it is actually not bad at all and they respect CAMRA's rule of topping up your pint!
all the weatherspoons in my area re populated by the scum of the earth anyway
last time I ventured in I was also asked to leave as some mental tattooed battleaxe randomly went off at me and the landlord didn't appreciate me telling his regular to go fuck herself
its hardly a loss being evicted from a witherspoons
.......its hardly a loss being evicted from a witherspoons
A blessing disguise surely ?
indeed, at least it keeps all the nutballs in one place having one in your town though
No jukebox, no pool table, good beer, reasonable food and in our local Wetherspoons, polite staff and good company, what's not to like? :scratch:
Rare Bird
25-10-2013, 09:46
:thumbsup:
I'm sure they vary with area and many years ago I remember the one in Wolverhampton being a pretty decent bar
but the ones down by me in Herts, or the one I ventured into once in Manchester, no thank you
walpurgis
25-10-2013, 10:08
I've just been barred from my local wetherspoons
Maybe they just don't like you Jez. :)
Seriously though, I'm not keen on Wetherspoon establishments, I find them lacking in a real pub feel and devoid of atmosphere. Often they seem to draw a lunchtime crowd from local businesses and offices that do nothing to add to the experience.
I'm assuming it's a convenient place for you to pop in for a beer. The only thing you can hope for I suppose is a change of management, this happens often in pubs, so you may not have to wait too long. Some pub managers wear out their welcome by banning too many people and a natural sort of boycott occurs anyway.
Personally I've only ever been barred from one pub and that was for breaking a table over the head of a seriously piss taking git, many, many years ago.
Rare Bird
25-10-2013, 10:35
Drinking is the simplest thing on earth for me {as long as i can get a seat}
The Mission is to drink Beer till im pissed cos the goal is to extract the alcohol within the beer, this is what i drink for, don't care about atmosphere, refuse to socialise. So you know i kinda don't really care about the surroundings, however i'd rather not drink in a war zone for fear of spilling the sacred juices..
Others obviously go out to pubs for different reasons..
Well that's what you get for insisting that Solid State is better than Valves!
I've been boycotting them for years. The McDonald's of pubs. Absolute shite.
+1. I wouldn't be seen dead inside one!! :nono:
Still, the treatment Jez has received (based on believing his side of the story) is a disgrace. What happened to the old saying of 'the customer is always right'?
Now, having worked in retail for many years and knowing how difficult it can be sometimes dealing with the general public, I would always add 'within reason' to the above and leave out the 'always', hence 'the customer is right within reason', as there are some total assholes out there who have no consideration for anyone but themselves.
However, in any company, the paying customer should always have the right to complain about their experience of dealing with that company, via following an appropriate complaints procedure, in the case of large companies, and/or with smaller companies, by contacting the owner/manager directly, whereupon all evidence from that complaint is then judged on its merit by said company, in order to ascertain, without prejudice, who is in the right or wrong.
The fact that this procedure isn't possible with Weatherspoons, and that 'the powers that be' there can simply ban who they like, willy-nilly, is a total disgrace, and unacceptable.
Marco.
+1. I wouldn't be seen dead inside one!! :nono:
Marco.
Why not? Like brewery owned chains they ain't all the same. If you are ever down this way I'll take you into our local for a brew and a meal, I think you would be very pleasantly surprised, especially with the wine list ;)
http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/03/92/8a/6a/samuel-lloyds-impressive.jpg
Why not? Like brewery owned chains they ain't all the same. If you are ever down this way I'll take you into our local for a brew and a meal, I think you would be very pleasantly surprised, especially with the wine list ;)
Lol - of course I would certainly take you up on your kind offer, Dave. Cheers! :cool:
However, I don't normally drink in 'chain pubs' (in fact, I don't go out much to pubs in general, preferring to drink at home), but when I do it's almost always to a quaint (privately owned) country pub, which not only serves superb real ales, but equally superb FOOD ;)
Andre and I agree on so many things, not just with hi-fi, but our drinking habits are POLES APART!! :D
For me (and Del) the primary reason for visiting a pub is to eat a really nice meal, and if the beer happens to be good it's a bonus, otherwise we'll just order a bottle of wine. In that respect, establishments such as Weatherspoons, tend not to 'cut the mustard', as the menu is full of the usual, mass-produced, generic pub food we would avoid like the plague. However, that said, there are sometimes exceptions.
Do you have to pay for your food in advance in Weatherspoons? If so, that would be another reason not to go, as I abhor that practice. I like to be the one in control of the food I'm paying for, so that if it's crap or below standard, I can complain and retain the option of not paying for it, rather than that option being removed from the beginning....!
We have an 'old man's' pub right next door to our house and one (an Ember Inns establishment, similar to 'Brewers Fayre') about 3 mins walk away... Do we go to either of them? No - NEVER, simply because they're just not our thing. However, each to his or her own.
Here are two of our 'locals', which epitomise what we look for in a pub: http://www.boatondee.com/
http://www.brunningandprice.co.uk/pantyrochain/ Check out the photos section: http://www.brunningandprice.co.uk/pantyrochain/gallery/
Marco.
Arkless Electronics
25-10-2013, 11:51
No jukebox, no pool table, good beer, reasonable food and in our local Wetherspoons, polite staff and good company, what's not to like? :scratch:
I would have said the same about this one until being barred for bugger all reason! I've been in some bloody awful wetherspoons in the past but this one was pretty damn good.... and my local source of real ale!
As Marco said, what the hell happened to customer service and the customer is always right? I was merely responding to surly attitude and rudeness from their staff with a well deserved sarky remark. The rude barmaid should have been reprimanded rather than me being barred!
I have, as I mentioned been told that the manager will be in today and I can talk to him... which I will in order to at least have my say. However, as they apparently don't have to have a good reason to bar someone I expect that he will prefer to see a good customer who's done nothing wrong be barred than publicly overturn the decision of the staff member who barred me!
Several friends of mine who are also good customers of wetherspoons have said they will now boycott it so at least it will hit their turnover... still leaves me without a real ale watering hole in walking distance though :steam:
I used to be a regular at a local Wetherspoons when I lived in Horsham, West Sussex (but bizzarely banned from the 'roughest' pub in the town) but since moving away I now frequent my local which is another chain pub but works for me.
I used to get in a lot of pubs and frankly I always prefered to drink in a dive with genuine character (and characters|) rather than a place that looks like some Yuppie's loft apartment. However since the ridiculous smoking ban I now exclusively drink at home where I can smoke and listen to my choice of music; where time is never called and the beer is a damn sight cheaper. Like Marco I only go to a pub nowdays if I want to eat there.
I was merely responding to surly attitude and rudeness from their staff with a well deserved sarky remark. The rude barmaid should have been reprimanded rather than me being barred!
Spot on. If the manager doesn't at least listen to your side of the story and take your comments on board, it's an utter disgrace and a candidate for reporting to your local newspaper.
Incidentally, if you have the means to record the conversation you have with the manager (via the use of a Dictaphone or whatever), then do it.
Also, if the manager is dismissive of your plight, don't automatically assume that senior management at head office will take the same view. Ask for the address and the name of the MD, to whom you can send a strong letter of complaint.
If all is not as it's painted to be (i.e. that staff can bar whom they like with impunity) then, if as you say the fault was with the barmaid, the manager may think twice about barring you, if he thinks that he could get into trouble for it! ;)
Marco.
Rare Bird
25-10-2013, 12:26
However, I don't normally drink in 'chain pubs'
They have sofa's :eyebrows:
Andre and I agree on so many things, not just with hi-fi, but our drinking habits are POLES APART!! :D
O yes. I admit i do have bad habbits but i use things as a tool, pubs are one. I need the booze in the Beer for mi gulliver, i see no other reason to visit a pub. I never ever eat when i booze.
As for paying for food after you have eaten! This must be the one thing that pissed me off the most on holiday in Greece, they wont let you pay as you order. You know & i know the reason why & it aint tradition ;)
tips?
never be afraid not to leave one
realysm42
25-10-2013, 12:42
Ah Wetherspoons, the realm of legends.
The amount of money I must have spent in the Kingston branch.
My crowning moment must have been ripping my jeans right up the crotch when having a stupid dance off with a mate :lol:
I used to get in a lot of pubs and frankly I always prefered to drink in a dive with genuine character (and characters|) rather than a place that looks like some Yuppie's loft apartment.
Same here, if I was purely going out for a drink. I can't stand 'Yuppies' or the rather vulgar 'nouveau riche' or aspiring middle-class types, who tend to frequent the kind of pubs we go to, but sadly that is also these days where the best food and real ale are served. Therefore, Del and I usually tuck ourselves away in a quiet corner of the pub, and enjoy the food and beer (and each other's company), leaving the pretentious pillocks to their own devices! :wanker:
However since the ridiculous smoking ban I now exclusively drink at home where I can smoke and listen to my choice of music; where time is never called and the beer is a damn sight cheaper.
I do agree, apart from about the "ridiculous smoking ban", which I'm sorry, I feel has been one of the best things ever to happen. Segregating smokers from non-smokers, of course, would've been better, but that wouldn't always have been possible. Basically, I'm in favour of anything that stops me having to inhale someone else's filthy poison, so if that means smokers are kept in a separate room away from everyone else, or there is total ban on it, as is now the case, then I'm happy!
Like Marco I only go to a pub nowdays if I want to eat there.
Indeed, and thing is, as I don't drink much (a pint of beer or sharing a bottle of wine with Del) keeps me happy, as long as the food is good, we can drive to whatever nice little country pub we like, without me being over the limit :)
Marco.
Marco, don't get me wrong, I love a quaint country pub too and we have a dearth of them in this area and they all provide excellent food, a few to restaurant standards. I have enjoyed eating out at many of them (and it shows :lol:). However it is nice to have somewhere to go which is within a short walk from my house, where one feels comfortable, where one doesn't have to endure inane pop music blaring out to such an extent that you can't hear yourself think, where one doesn't have the constant clack of pool balls punctuating every sentence and finally, where you can be assured of decent and interesting company. This particular Wetherspoons outlet is not in the town centre, it resides next to a rather posh hotel near the town boundary. It is frequented by people such as myself but also by some rather more interesting characters. For example, we live very close to Rockingham Motor Speedway and you might find race engineers, racing drivers, pilots and all manner of fascinating people in there at various times, most of whom have a story or two to tell. It definitely is not your typical Wetherspoons. The food they sell is not typical of the chain either, in fact it is rather good :)
Beobloke
25-10-2013, 13:55
Like Marco, I much prefer a nice country pub and we luckily have five within easy walking distance (and about another 6 if you're happy to strap on the walking boots for a longer yomp!).
That said, though, I would agree that Wetherspoons establishments do vary greatly - I've been in more than one that was hideous but I've also been to a couple that have been very nice and served a great selection of real ales, which is my main priority when visiting such an establishment! I would never dismiss one on principle, just in case I was missing out on a nice beer I'd not tried before! :cool:
I hope it works out for you, though Jez - it increasingly seems these days that bar staff do not have to tolerate sarcasm or rudeness from customers (quite rightly) but yet the reverse is not seen as a problem. Doesn't seem right somehow...
Oh and as for the smoking ban - best thing to ever happen IMHO! As I pointed out to one friend who was a smoker once when we were arguing about this, he was effectively forcing me to sit in a cloud of the side-effect of his chosen vice. I then enquired of him whether, given that my chosen vice is beer, if he'd be happy to share the similar side effect if I peed all over him? :D
jollyfix
25-10-2013, 14:32
There is a wetherspoons 3min walk from us, nice place, old and original character. We pop in there because they have a very good choice of real ale, and more importantly its cheap. Less than £2.50 a pint of good ale in London, count me in.
I think wetherspoons pubs are like all other pubs, there are good ones, and there are bad one's. Unfortunately the staff can be the same.
I hope Jez gets sorted, as the thought of being barred from a good cheap ale pub within walking distance must be a nightmare.
My regular in Somerset is one of my favorite pubs. My mate described it as a pub lost in time. Located on the Mendips, out side toilet, crackpot of a landlord. You enter the pub to find yourself in a tiny room unchanged since the 50's. You look around but there is no bar, through the next door,more of the same. The next thing you find yourself outside again where you just started from, " where the hell is the bar". Try another door, find a bar, no larger, just a barrel of Rogers finest cider, and a load of local real ale barrels behind the bar ( no taps, just ale from the keg). They do food, you can either have a cheese roll, or a cheese and onion roll ( cheap white roll, slab of local cheese,even thicker slab of onion). I have seen people thrown out of the pub for taking out a mobile phone, to be clear, not using a phone, but just out of bag/pocket and onto the table...
this say it all, there is even a cave entrance in the car park.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/pubs/3313420/Pint-to-pint-Hunters-Lodge-Inn.html
Arkless Electronics
25-10-2013, 15:02
There may be light at the end of the tunnel it seems.... I've had a call from a mate of mine who tells me that when a delegation went and complained and threatened to take their custom elsewhere they were told "oh... erm.. well he's not barred then but the manager will have to have a chat with him before he can be served again"! Oh how I'm looking forward to that chat :eyebrows: Watch this space.
On the smoking ban front I was furious at the time but can see now that non smokers have a valid point. However, I still think it's ridiculous that in a pub where the majority of the customers and all the staff are smokers a landlord can not declare his a smoking pub (I have been in pubs before where maybe 30 people are stood outside smoking and only 4 non smokers are left in the pub!). It should also be possible to have a designated smoking room, with suitable ventilation/extraction, at the discretion of the publican. All IMHO.
Arkless Electronics
25-10-2013, 15:26
Good luck Jez ;)
Thanks!
Beobloke
25-10-2013, 15:28
and a load of local real ale barrels behind the bar ( no taps, just ale from the keg)...... I have seen people thrown out of the pub for taking out a mobile phone, to be clear, not using a phone, but just out of bag/pocket and onto the table...
Funnily enough my closest ale-house also has all the beers in kegs behind the bar and anyone caught using a mobile phone is asked to put £1 in the Landlord's charity tin! As the website says: We also sell soft drinks, teas, coffees and (somewhat reluctantly) a lager or two
The food selection isn't fancy but it's all home cooked and all superb.
http://www.hampshirebowman.com/
Arkless Electronics
25-10-2013, 16:53
Seems very nice indeed! I wouldn't be surprised if it was £3.80 ish a pint though....(?) £1.80 in the wetherspoons hence my unbridled horror at the recent events!
Funnily enough my closest ale-house also has all the beers in kegs behind the bar and anyone caught using a mobile phone is asked to put £1 in the Landlord's charity tin! As the website says: We also sell soft drinks, teas, coffees and (somewhat reluctantly) a lager or two
The food selection isn't fancy but it's all home cooked and all superb.
http://www.hampshirebowman.com/
Smokings banned in pubs for good reason, us non smokes dont want to smell the shit, but of course the smokers think they can do what the hell they want fcuk the non smokers eh :steam:
Andre
I think the point was more that some pubs could have chosen to stay smoking, and nobody would have forced non-smokers to drink there.
Fact is, I've barely been in a pub or a restaurant since the ban. I imagine there are plenty of others like me who constitute a significant loss of trade for the hospitality industry (and, dare I say it, more likely given the carelessness we show towards our health, also likely to have been bigger consumers of booze than non-smokers):).
Peter
archiesdad
25-10-2013, 18:59
My local W/spoons is a souless hole so I stick to a more likeable place only 200 yards away with usually 8 real ales, wine by the bottle(sensible pricing) for SWMBO and decent affordable pub grub, best of all, lively debate is encouraged. Ok the prices may be a bit higher but the service is worth it, since the smoking ban the whole place smells better, is cleaner and I'm sure that we see more folk through the door, smokers need only step a few yards to smoke under cover away from the door.
One poor point, the bogs are freezing, I reckon I could almost pee icecubes.
walpurgis
25-10-2013, 18:59
There may be light at the end of the tunnel it seems....
Fingers crossed, good luck!
Arkless Electronics
25-10-2013, 19:21
Unbarred and had profuse apology from manager... Result!
Oldpinkman
25-10-2013, 19:26
Does that mean you'll be changing the thread title? :scratch:
jollyfix
25-10-2013, 19:31
Nice one Jez :cool:
Result Jez
The Mission is to drink Beer till im pissed cos the goal is to extract the alcohol within the beer, this is what i drink for, don't care about atmosphere, refuse to socialise. So you know i kinda don't really care about the surroundings, however i'd rather not drink in a war zone for fear of spilling the sacred juices..
Why don't you just drink at home? :scratch:
walpurgis
25-10-2013, 19:51
Good!
Glad you got it sorted out :)
Unbarred and had profuse apology from manager... Result!
Excellent news, Jez. Hope that cheeky bint of a barmaid got a 'slap', too!
Marco.
:clapclapclap:
I have to agree with you Dave...the Samuel Lloyd in Corby serves a good range of bitters and the food is ok.....Curry night on Thursday is particularly good.
I have to agree with you Dave...the Samuel Lloyd in Corby serves a good range of bitters and the food is ok.....Curry night on Thursday is particularly good.
mmmm, curry night... :drool:
mmmm, curry night... :drool:
I've not been into the Chequered Flag yet, any good?
I've not been into the Chequered Flag yet, any good?
I haven't Dave...but my kids tell me that the portions are big!
Audioman
25-10-2013, 20:15
Can we change this thread to 'Don't Boycott Wetherspoons they're jolly nice chaps'. :)
walpurgis
25-10-2013, 20:20
mmmm, curry night... :drool:
Like the new avatar Dave.
GT6 Mk.III, nice. Very nice when fitted with the 2.5TC lump (not the PI engine 'cos then you have to change the whole fueling system).
Haselsh1
25-10-2013, 21:00
I used to get in a lot of pubs and frankly I always prefered to drink in a dive with genuine character (and characters|) rather than a place that looks like some Yuppie's loft apartment. However since the ridiculous smoking ban I now exclusively drink at home where I can smoke and listen to my choice of music; where time is never called and the beer is a damn sight cheaper. Like Marco I only go to a pub nowdays if I want to eat there.
OK so I don't smoke but I do like to drink good red wine that I can buy for a damn good price elsewhere and drink at home whilst listening to some fine sounds. I wholeheartedly agree with these comments.
Am I the only one to be depressed by the number of people on this thread who judge a pub by its food? Time and place for everything gentlemen.
Good grief! I want clean surroundings, interesting conversation/a bit of a craic and excellent beer. If the pub sells crisps/nuts/pickled eggs or perhaps a pork pie then fine. Manager at my local gives my dog a sausage - perfect.
Like the new avatar Dave.
GT6 Mk.III, nice. Very nice when fitted with the 2.5TC lump (not the PI engine 'cos then you have to change the whole fueling system).
I'm a big fan of the GT6 and TR6 Geoff, owning and driving either would be grin inducing, definitely Triumphs heyday IMHO.
rubber duck
25-10-2013, 21:22
Just had lunch today at my local Wetherspoons, then saw this thread. The clientele make me feel posh, the food is cheap and cheerful, real ale is cheap and good, and they banned smoking years before the smoking ban...
In defence of Wetherspoon's , at The White Swan at Highbury Corner they do the best Guinness l have tasted in England( and believe you me l am an expert on these matters)it is quite addictive and goes down a bit to easy, then it is off to the next watering hole along Holloway Road..........
Am I the only one to be depressed by the number of people on this thread who judge a pub by its food? Time and place for everything gentlemen.
Good grief! I want clean surroundings, interesting conversation/a bit of a craic and excellent beer. If the pub sells crisps/nuts/pickled eggs or perhaps a pork pie then fine. Manager at my local gives my dog a sausage - perfect.
In my case, it's a culture thing. Italians simply don't do 'pubbing', in the way that Brits do. Also, we live to eat, not eat to live, as most Brits do. Therefore, a large part of any day revolves around food (what we're going to be making that day for lunch or dinner, and by 'making' I mean home-made from scratch) - and that situation doesn't change when we go out to a pub... ;)
Alcohol (mostly wine) is simply something we have to accompany a meal, so when the eating stops, so does the drinking. I almost never go out to a pub purely to drink.
Marco.
Good to see you had a result there, Jez. I'm still boycotting Wetherspoons though :)
I sort of understand non-smokers and the ban, don't get me wrong. It's the principle I object to - the government should not have the power to legislate for such things, the smoking policy should be up to the individual landlord. As it happens before the ban a lot of pubs had installed expensive air-con systems to remove all the smoke so the whole 'sitting in a cloud of poison' business was pretty moot anyway. personally I think they did it to deliberately close the traditional pubs as part of their cultural-Marxist agenda. It would never have happened under a Conservative administration (no money in it). There are two huge pubs near to me, both listed buildings, both now boarded up and decaying as all the regulars smoked. A terrible shame.
Marco - I don't get this only drinking with food thing - although I know Italian family meals go on for about 5 hours ;) Where I am from the tradition is to go out drinking first and then, once a skinful has ben reached, roll along to the Chinese or the Indian with the appetite really up. Probably not as healthy but there it is.
Marco - I don't get this only drinking with food thing - although I know Italian family meals go on for about 5 hours. Where I am from the tradition is to go out drinking first and then, once a skinful has ben reached, roll along to the Chinese or the Indian with the appetite really up. Probably not as healthy but there it is.
Lol - each to his or her own, dude. However, there is no doubt that drinking on an empty stomach is very bad for your health, especially your liver.
In Italy, people go to bars mainly to socialise (chat, play cards, dominoes, etc), or just watch the world go by. The drinking bit is of secondary importance - and in many instances, it doesn't involve the use of any alcohol, as coffee is often the preferred 'tipple'! ;)
Outside of my teenage years, I've never seen the attraction of 'getting bladdered', but then there will be those who won't share my passion for enjoying fine food and wine (in moderation). At the end of the day, I guess we all have our vices :)
Marco.
Gordon Steadman
26-10-2013, 10:11
In my case, it's a culture thing. Italians simply don't do 'pubbing', in the way that Brits do. Also, we live to eat, not eat to live, as most Brits do. Therefore, a large part of any day revolves around food (what we're going to be making that day for lunch or dinner) - and that situation doesn't change when we go out to a pub... ;)
Alcohol (mostly wine) is simply something we have to accompany a meal, so when the eating stops, so does the drinking.
Marco.
Not all the Brits do pubbing either. We have an English bar in the village that I think I have been in twice in six years. Like you Marco, I regard alcohol mainly as an accompaniment to food.
I had an Italian girlfriend for a few years when I was younger and fitted right in with their lifestyle when I was in Italy. In the UK, we went into one pub for a Guiness and I got set upon by a bunch of rowdies because we were talking about the Malvinas (thats what they call them in Italy!!) That was the last time I went into a pub in the UK. Considering when the Falklands was, thats quite a few years.
Back when I was a lad, a Friday night drinking session took ages to plan because one of our number kept getting himself barred from one pub or another, so we had to work out which ones he'd been barred from long enough for the landlord to have forgotten the ban.
Stratmangler
26-10-2013, 10:35
Back when I was a lad, a Friday night drinking session took ages to plan because one of our number kept getting himself barred from one pub or another, so we had to work out which ones he'd been barred from long enough for the landlord to have forgotten the ban.
I'm surprised that you tolerated his dickhead tendencies :scratch:
You should have dropped your "mate" until he learned how to behave in public ...
The Black Adder
26-10-2013, 11:02
In Sheffield there is a Bankers draft (Witherspoons) and I must have been in there about 5 times ever all of which were not of my choice.
It was an experience but I've never liked the place full stop. To me it just felt wrong, it had no redeeming features to make me go back by choice. Same with Harvester pub/restaurants or anywhere else with more than one pump of cream flow. Gah...! Utter tripe IMO.
Thing Fish
26-10-2013, 11:26
I'm not a big fan of open shiny pubs/bars. I drink in a bar that was converted from a shop in the 70s. It's quite small and hasn't been redecorated in decades.
Everyone in there pretty much knows everyone else and as we are all seasoned drinkers so there is rarely any trouble.
I would say the average age is around 40, occasionally a teenager might wander in but rarely stops.
I pop in at least twice a week for a couple of hours to sample their fine real ales and partake in some cultured chat.
There is a shiny Witherspoons fairly local but to be honest i'd rather stick pins in my eyes than cross the threshold.
To be honest I struggle to understand why a Wetherspoons establishment would appeal to the younger generation. There's no music, no bar games and although their bars do sell lager, so do other establishments which provide the facilities a Wetherspoons pub lacks, or am I out of touch? :scratch:
Thing Fish
26-10-2013, 11:52
To be honest I struggle to understand why a Wetherspoons establishment would appeal to the younger generation. There's no music, no bar games and although their bars do sell lager, so do other establishments which provide the facilities a Wetherspoons pub lacks, or am I out of touch? :scratch:
I may be wrong but due to their buying power they do sell pretty cheap lager which I suspect may appeal to the yoof of today.
Dave - your out of touch ;) Big University campus near me so there are a couple of student bars within staggering distance. Silly shaped pool tables and a sound system majoring on SPL over any quality, too loud to talk, packed with idiots bouncing around, terrible music. A good pub should have a good jukebox with a decent 1970s back catalogue that should always include 'Freebird' and Steve Harley's 'Come Up and See Me'. Too many watering holes fall at these simple first hurdles.
The Black Adder
26-10-2013, 12:11
Having no music playing was one of the things we liked back there in the 90's. Just like the dusty olde proper pubs with sawdust on the floor. All of which have now long gone... I must admit it was one thing that was different to other (newly established) bars, at least you could have a chin wag instead of screaming the same sentence over and over again down your mates ear lug for the 4th time. lol
One place I trod in to only once was Yates and it was like a fecking zoo. Full of football chanting chavvy meat heads slapping their girlfriends about. I will always remember it because The Prodigy's 'Smack my bitch up' was on...!
The week after we were out at a birthday bash and my mate got glassed in KEE KEE's (Sheffield night club) by his ex and his mate jumped of the viaduct bridge and killed himself on after some shitty skunk weed.
The 90's. Excess all areas.
Rare Bird
26-10-2013, 13:03
I don't get this only drinking with food thing - although I know Italian family meals go on for about 5 hours ;) Where I am from the tradition is to go out drinking first and then, once a skinful has ben reached, roll along to the Chinese or the Indian with the appetite really up. Probably not as healthy but there it is.
At last someone normal :eyebrows:
Rare Bird
26-10-2013, 13:10
In Sheffield there is a Bankers draft (Witherspoons) and I must have been in there about 5 times ever all of which were not of my choice.
It was an experience but I've never liked the place full stop. To me it just felt wrong, it had no redeeming features to make me go back by choice.
Hi Joe
The Bankers draft is the roughest of the Weaterspoons in Sheffield. You get a lot of middle aged to old in there that have nothing in their lives but drink. The fact that it's bang in the shopping centre & the fact that the tram is just outside the door it's bound to be popular. However you go up top near the City Hall you will find the 'Huntsman' & 'Lloyds No.1' bar are totally different or 'Swim Inn' up Glossop road.. The 'Huntsman is where i go & wil be going in around 10 mins.. Cheers
:cool:
At last someone normal :eyebrows:
Normal? I hate being bladdered because that means I'm not in control of myself and I don't want to wake up the following morning only to learn I have done something stupid the night before. When I go out it's for a good meal, a wee drink and good company, if not then I can do the same at hone ;)
Dave - your out of touch ;) Big University campus near me so there are a couple of student bars within staggering distance. Silly shaped pool tables and a sound system majoring on SPL over any quality, too loud to talk, packed with idiots bouncing around, terrible music. A good pub should have a good jukebox with a decent 1970s back catalogue that should always include 'Freebird' and Steve Harley's 'Come Up and See Me'. Too many watering holes fall at these simple first hurdles.
You forgot My Sharona by the Knack... :D
Gordon Steadman
26-10-2013, 13:22
Normal? I hate being bladdered because that means I'm not in control of myself and I don't want to wake up the following morning only to learn I have done something stupid the night before. When I go out it's for a good meal, a wee drink and good company, if not then I can do the same at hone ;)
Yup, that's normal for me.
If there is one thing I can't stand its loss of control (except maybe in one circumstance) By drinking with food, you get to enjoy both more as they compliment each other.
The Black Adder
26-10-2013, 13:31
Hi Joe
The Bankers draft is the roughest of the Weaterspoons in Sheffield. You get a lot of middle aged to old in there that have nothing in their lives but drink. The fact that it's bang in the shopping centre & the fact that the tram is just outside the door it's bound to be popular. However you go up top near the City Hall you will find the 'Huntsman' & 'Lloyds No.1' bar are totally different. If you want quiet & somewhat dead go to the 'Swim Inn' up Glossop road.. The 'Huntsman is where i go & wil be going in around 10 mins.. Cheers
:cool:
Not been out in Sheff for so long now so I couldn't comment on the other one apart from the Huntsman I think, that was better but I just didn't like the ale much... Saying that it might have been a bad pint.
Didn't know you lived in Sheffield...Top lad.. :) I'm a Sheffy lad my self.
I don't like dead pubs either. In my opinion they might as well pack up, I like pubs with atmosphere with a good amount of proper well kept ales. Nice passionate staff. It's a shame there is no Whitbreads brewery, Stones's or Wards in Sheffield any more. At least there used to be more choice although I never really liked Stones's. I left because the place was losing it's way and it's grit.
But I do miss The Leadmill, The Hallamshire on West street and down Ecclesall road. All of which were my stomping ground.
lol.. and my family..! :eek:
Have a good one :cool:
You forgot My Sharona by the Knack... :D
Good point, well made. Publicans, take note.
On the subject of being bladdered I really don't do that. When I used to go up Liverpool and meet up with the family they would leave me for dead with how fast they could drink - practice you see. But I can drink ale all night long without ever feeling drunk or losing any control, except getting a bit louder of course :) I used to drink quite heavily, eventually I sacked it completely for about 8 months, cold turkey. Now 4 cans of Guinness will be plenty enough to get me chilled out. Worst I've ever been was in Las Vegas in 2003, drinking brandy and gambling all night. Slept for 24 hours afterwards so lost a whole day of the holiday. Stayed off spirits ever since. That was a good night, though.
Good point, well made. Publicans, take note.
On the subject of being bladdered I really don't do that. When I used to go up Liverpool and meet up with the family they would leave me for dead with how fast they could drink - practice you see. But I can drink ale all night long without ever feeling drunk or losing any control, except getting a bit louder of course :) I used to drink quite heavily, eventually I sacked it completely for about 8 months, cold turkey. Now 4 cans of Guinness will be plenty enough to get me chilled out. Worst I've ever been was in Las Vegas in 2003, drinking brandy and gambling all night. Slept for 24 hours afterwards so lost a whole day of the holiday. Stayed off spirits ever since. That was a good night, though.
There used to be a small, back street pub in Northampton called The Harbour Lights down near the Carlsberg brewery on the corner of Woolmonger St and Barrack Road which had a reputation for being a bikers haunt. It was dark and dingy but what I liked about it was the jukebox, which was loaded solely with 70's rock from the likes of Rainbow, Sabbath, Led Zep, Deep Purple et al. This was in the early '80's. I liked that place :D
Yep Biker pubs are usually good for ale quality and decent music. In the 80s I used to get into The Swan in Wood Street, Liverpool. It's still there, in a back street near Central Station, but they've cleaned it up a bit now. Back then you'd often see tramps - proper ones with massive beards and knackered top hats, sleeping drunk in the skips in the alley. They had a wonderful sounding old valve jukebox with a great selection of proper music. Sawdust on the floor too. They don't let you use that no more.
archiesdad
26-10-2013, 16:34
Saturday night out for us is a couple of earlyish pints of good ale(and a wine for the ladies) then down to a local Italian eatery for a 3hour(or so) visit, I/we may be a bit worse for wear when we get home due to the owners insistance that we share a nice wine he's trying out and then coffee and brandies. The owners have several eateries, mainly in Edinburgh and never seem in a rush to go home, so we sit what seems to us late on, where as in the Edinburgh the late crowd are just coming in, seems so much more civilised except it does play havoc with my weight and waistline.
O yes. I admit i do have bad habbits but i use things as a tool, pubs are one. I need the booze in the Beer for mi gulliver, i see no other reason to visit a pub. I never ever eat when i booze.
Excuse me for being thick, dude, but what's a "gulliver"? :)
Marco.
The Black Adder
26-10-2013, 17:25
Yep Biker pubs are usually good for ale quality and decent music. In the 80s I used to get into The Swan in Wood Street, Liverpool. It's still there, in a back street near Central Station, but they've cleaned it up a bit now. Back then you'd often see tramps - proper ones with massive beards and knackered top hats, sleeping drunk in the skips in the alley. They had a wonderful sounding old valve jukebox with a great selection of proper music. Sawdust on the floor too. They don't let you use that no more.
lol.. bring back the sawdust. I wonder if there are any of the olde style places left. Anyone know of a pub where they still put sawdust down on the floor as maybe a one off thing?
The smell of freshly put down sawdust and ale... ahh. Alas... as you say, no more.
I must admit there was only two pubs in Sheffield that I remember who did that but i was great.
Do the fish sellers still go round your local too? Cockles, crab sticks and vinegar.
Excuse me for being thick, dude, but what's a "gulliver"? :)
Marco.
Nadsat for Head (Clockwork Orange)
I'm surprised that you tolerated his dickhead tendencies :scratch:
You should have dropped your "mate" until he learned how to behave in public ...
Indeed. The problem was eventually solved for us by him getting put in prison for a couple of years.
realysm42
26-10-2013, 18:39
One of life's winners, every group had one.
'You can always tell the winners and the losers at the starting gate.'
What film is that from, then?
Nadsat for Head (Clockwork Orange)
Ah, churz! I should've realised that Andre would've used lingo from one of his favourite films :D
Marco.
'You can always tell the winners and the losers at the starting gate.'
What film is that from, then?
Once upon a time in America
Once upon a time in America
Ah! - you are a man of taste and distinction Roy :)
Ah! - you are a man of taste and distinction Roy :)
Knew that anyway but thanks for the confirmation :D
In my case, it's a culture thing. Italians simply don't do 'pubbing', in the way that Brits do. Also, we live to eat, not eat to live, as most Brits do. Therefore, a large part of any day revolves around food (what we're going to be making that day for lunch or dinner, and by 'making' I mean home-made from scratch) - and that situation doesn't change when we go out to a pub... ;)
Alcohol (mostly wine) is simply something we have to accompany a meal, so when the eating stops, so does the drinking. I almost never go out to a pub purely to drink.
Marco.
Agree with the "culture" thing - for me, the main purpose of a pub is beer, conversation, pub games. If I want a good meal (and I have had only a few out side of my wife's cooking) then I will go to a restaurant.
Notable exceptions to this being a shack on an island a few miles from Hong Kong, and, most recently "Sutherland house" - a small hotel in Southwold, Suffolk (most highly recommended).
As I said "Time and a place for everything gentlemen"
Cheers :cool:
Guy
I agree, Guy, but there's a certain style of food, ambience, and thus overall experience, one gets when dining at a 'gastro pub' that is unavailable anywhere else, particularly if one wants to accompany a meal with a pint of fine real ale on draught, which no restaurant can offer.
In the winter time, especially, for me there's nothing nicer than toasting oneself in front of roaring log fire, inside a cosy (often candle-lit) Olde Worlde country pub, whilst enjoying some superb 'gastro pub' food, all sourced from top-notch local ingredients, whilst sipping a pint of local real ale. The same can be said in the summer, sitting outside in a beer garden of a country pub, enjoying the same type of food and beer, surrounded by beautiful countryside scenery.
Restaurant dining (particularly in cities) is a different thing entirely! :)
Marco.
Rare Bird
27-10-2013, 08:18
Not been out in Sheff for so long now so I couldn't comment on the other one apart from the Huntsman I think, that was better but I just didn't like the ale much... Saying that it might have been a bad pint.
Didn't know you lived in Sheffield...Top lad.. :) I'm a Sheffy lad my self.
I don't like dead pubs either. In my opinion they might as well pack up, I like pubs with atmosphere with a good amount of proper well kept ales. Nice passionate staff. It's a shame there is no Whitbreads brewery, Stones's or Wards in Sheffield any more. At least there used to be more choice although I never really liked Stones's. I left because the place was losing it's way and it's grit.
But I do miss The Leadmill, The Hallamshire on West street and down Ecclesall road. All of which were my stomping ground.
lol.. and my family..! :eek:
Have a good one :cool:
I live in Rotherham {or Rovrum}, but i drink in Sheffield to get away from people i know. I will not socialise in a pub i'm a private drinker unless the wife comes along but i don't talk to her much :D . It's dead easy jumping on the supertram from Meadowhall.
Below taken yesterday's beer swilling session.. Real ale at £1.80 a pint you gotta be mad not to take it up.
http://i1075.photobucket.com/albums/w425/ELPFAN1968/Beer.jpg (http://s1075.photobucket.com/user/ELPFAN1968/media/Beer.jpg.html)
Im a supporter of Wetherspoons, i think they are one of the best things to happen within the UK regarding pubs, Tim is always fighting againt VAT on beer to give the general public a good cheap drink..
So anyone slagging them off has got me to deal with :rfl:
Cod, Chips & Mushy Peas + a pint (of Guiness) for £6! what's not to like :cool:
Arkless Electronics
01-11-2013, 18:55
I live in Rotherham {or Rovrum}, but i drink in Sheffield to get away from people i know. I will not socialise in a pub i'm a private drinker unless the wife comes along but i don't talk to her much :D . It's dead easy jumping on the supertram from Meadowhall.
Below taken yesterday's beer swilling session.. Real ale at £1.80 a pint you gotta be mad not to take it up.
http://i1075.photobucket.com/albums/w425/ELPFAN1968/Beer.jpg (http://s1075.photobucket.com/user/ELPFAN1968/media/Beer.jpg.html)
Im a supporter of Wetherspoons, i think they are one of the best things to happen within the UK regarding pubs, Tim is always fighting againt VAT on beer to give the general public a good cheap drink..
So anyone slagging them off has got me to deal with :rfl:
I've forgiven them after they realised the error of their ways :D
Thing Fish
01-11-2013, 19:14
I've forgiven them after they realised the error of their ways :D
Blimey that was easy! where did all the anger go?
It sounded like you were ready to fire bomb the place.
Arkless Electronics
01-11-2013, 19:52
Blimey that was easy! where did all the anger go?
It sounded like you were ready to fire bomb the place.
Shurely shome exaggeration :eek:
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