Bar Flies

[Andy Ven]

A bug bear of mine. Why do people have to stand/sit at the bar and block the route of other customers who are trying to get served (even when there are seats free elsewhere)?

Customer Waiting!

I don't get it. I don't see the attraction of standing where everyone else needs to get past.

[Alesonly]

Yes I find this annoying as well sometimes But if its a large Bar area with plenty of room and one side is kept clear of obstruction for service only I think its OK.
I would much prefer this instead of some soulless gastro Pub where theres just low seats sofas and no bar service like some of these modern gastro Pubs.

[gillhalfpint]

I dribbled a little (not a lot) of beer accidently (of course) down a bare back of a lady who was sitting at the bar with her group of friends who wouldn't budge for me to read the pumps very well, and I had difficulty reaching the bar with my money or to collect my beer.

If there have to be seats at the bar, I applaud the Wellington in Birmingham where arrows on the bar declare an area to be free of stools thus giving access.

[trainman]

I rather like standing at the bar, rather than immediately making for a seat but, because I, like Gill & most here, understand the need for punters to look properly at pumpclips etc, I'm always conscious to try not to stand in an inconvenient position, or to move when someone is evidently trying to look at the selection or get served.

I'd be willing to put a few bob on the likelihood that the ignorant woman & her friends in Gill's tale were NOT drinking real ale and thus give no thought to where they cause an obstruction, though simple manners should come into play to enable another customer to reach the bar!

I recall a pub in Sutton (I must have been lost!) where a 'lady' had the bar menu open and propped up at the bar obscuring 5 of the 6 handpumps! (Turned out it was the same bank of 3, repeated).

[Andy Ven]

I applaud the Wellington in Birmingham where arrows on the bar declare an area to be free of stools thus giving access.

I think that's good but, ironically, I was in the Wellington yesterday lunchtime and there was a big crowd stood drinking and chatting between the arrows so it was a squeeze to get to the bar even though there was a fair bit of space elsewhere. It's not the only pub where this happens though.

[arwkrite]

Watch people and you will see some like to congregate at choke points and look amazed when you ask to come past. Not only pubs but in in offices ,factories,shops anywhere. The same goes for coffee machines , they have their drink so sod any one else trying to gain access. Some local pubs have The Gang of However Many. They sit / stand at the bar from about 3pm talking golf , horse racing or where they have been or going on holiday next. They all have permatans and 4X4s parked well away from the pub, but you can never work out where their income is from. The women have plenty of gold jewelry but in my neck of the woods men limit themselves to a gold watch. No excess of bling. These are all aged 40 plus, white Anglo Saxon , dressed in expensive casual style while the men drink ale with scotch later the women drink a spirit in orange juice. Face is everything. A couple of Thai brides have appeared on the scene but are effectivley cut out by the females ,so they sit together totally ignored by their husbands. I am glad to say some of us lower orders make the effort to talk to them.

[Farway]

Watch people and you will see some like to congregate at choke points and look amazed when you ask to come past. Not only pubs but in in offices ,factories,shops anywhere. .

A personal bug bear of mine, the daft s0ds who stop in supermarket doorways whilst they think about goodness knows what.

I once ran into the back of an old bloke with my trolley when he suddenly stopped in the exit, after apologies he walked on a few paces, then suddenly stopped again, I ran into him with my trolley again, I think he at last caught on that stopping abruptly in choke point is a daft thing to do

[Eddie86]

I like the idea of marking out where there's a through-fare at the bar. Most of the people we get at the bar seem to be decent enough to shift, but listing the beers, abvs, breweries and style on a blackboard in the pub helps alot! I think the wellington has a TV screen at the end of the bar if memory serves me correctly...

[gillhalfpint]

Another pet hate is going to spoons and having to inhale a deep breath of fresh air before pushing through the crowd of smokers congregating round the door.

The Wellington has a couple of the screens so the beers available can be seen and yes this is a great idea.

The Babington in Derby has a great list of beers displayed this way too. Good idea for any pub with a brill selection.

[arwkrite]

But to be fair having to run the smokers guantlet applies to most pubs whether or not they have a smoking shelter. JDWs is no different to other pubs in having nicotine bouncers.