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The Pub Curmudgeon - Pluses and minuses
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Boak and Bailey recently posted about defining a classic pub. I don’t really propose to get into that debate, except to say that to my mind a pub needs to have to some extent stood the test of time to qualify as a classic. As part of the ensuing discussion on Twitter, they posted this list of things that made them feel positive about a pub, which struck a number of chords with me.
So I thought it would be interesting to do a quick list of things that, to my eyes, make a good and bad first impression in a pub. Some of them obviously are mirror images of each other. I know some will say “you’ve done this sort of thing before”, but isn’t every blog just variations on the same handful of themes anyway?
The Good
- Appears welcoming from outside, for example displaying opening hours and menu
- Comfortable seating, preferably benches, but certainly not café-style tables
- Warm, rich tones in colour scheme
- No suggestion of being unwelcome from either customers or staff
- Some drinking customers, preferably chatting with each other
- The presence of children is sensibly managed
- Piped music is either absent, or tailored to the likely clientele, and is kept at a moderate volume
- Well-kept beer
- Real ales that show some connection with the local area or the pub’s heritage
- Food (if available) that isn’t just the usual run-of-the-mill pub menu, and includes interesting non full meal itemsSome aspect or feature that makes it distinctive or memorable
The Bad
- A greeter at the door
- High proportion of tables with place settings
- Pale, cold colours in decor
- Barflies making it difficult to get to the counter
- Lackadaisical, offhand staff
- Loud, foul-mouthed customers
- No cask beers that I recognise
- Lack of comfortable seating – posing tables or café-style layout
- Uncontrolled children within the bar areas
- Piped music too loud and/or inappropriate for clientele
- Menu concentrating on expensive, restaurant-style meals
- Lack of drinking customers or provision for non-dinersTV football dominates entire pub
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