Pub annoyances #834

[NickDavies]

You and a friend arrive and are getting the drinks in at the bar while the girls go off on an urgent inspection of the facilities. You've got your eye on a table, your favourite, the one by the fire with the nice view of the garden. Just as you've got served a party come in and promptly deposit coats, shopping and all manner of other accoutrements on chairs around 'your' table. Tough, you say, life's a bitch.

But they don't bloody well sit down. They go and stand nattering to their mates already blocking up the bar (see pub annoyance #74) for the next 40 minutes while an ever increasing crowd stands watching hopefully for That Table to become free. If they really want to rub it in they'll park a baby in a pushchair (see pub annoyance #315) to keep watch.

Oh and if you're having a really bad day pub annoyance #634 (Being Invisible To The Bar Staff) will occur, meaning they will have got served in front of you too.

[Conrad]

You and a friend arrive and are getting the drinks in at the bar while the girls go off on an urgent inspection of the facilities. You've got your eye on a table, your favourite, the one by the fire with the nice view of the garden.

....

, meaning they will have got served in front of you too.

You've been JDW'd

[runningdog]

You've got your eye on a table, your favourite, the one by the fire with the nice view of the garden. Just as you've got served a party come in and promptly deposit coats, shopping and all manner of other accoutrements on chairs around 'your' table.

Ahh, but then there's #252, Nick, you get your beer, decide to sit down at an empty table, and enjoy it. Then, up he/they come, 'Sorry, mate, we're sitting here'. ' Not on your bluidy life you're not'.
It's usually about then that I become pub annoyance #96, the stupid old sod who won't take a telling..........

[hopwas]

You've been JDW'd

Grrr.. you are close to be marked man in my black book..

Is Bristol's JDW that bad? No wonder it is big city hence millions of people visit world famous JDWs!

[hopwas]

Hoppy's number one pub annoyance..

people queue jumping. I simply cant stand these queue jumping people!

I remember last Tuesday in Silk Kite (Tamworth) I was patiently waiting for good 5 mins then new customer simply shouted to barman "PINT OF FOSTERS!!!" then barman duly served him!

I felt like I wanted to punch his face (well I am not violence, honestly!) and I just kept quiet. Finally I got served!

[Oggwyn Trench]

On my trip to Oxford it was the bloody Americans that annoyed me , sitting having a quite pint when they barge in stride up to the bar and shout at the barmaid "TABLE FOR TWO" the look on the barmaids face a mixture of seen it all before and death stare , and then there was the one who asked for a pint of Bombadier and when told they did`nt serve it , loudly told everbody in the pub "its not a real beer house its a pretend one " and of course theres the ones who complain that they cant get Old Peculier in every pub .............

PS appoligies to DPV(Not all are bad)

[Conrad]

Grrr.. you are close to be marked man in my black book..

Is Bristol's JDW that bad? No wonder it is big city hence millions of people visit world famous JDWs!

I think a fairer sentence would be that Bristol's JDW's are just not that good, but then most of the city center pubs are not that good, you need to get just off the main roads to find the good pubs in Bristol.

The more accurate term recently for us would be you have been O'Neill's'd, had appalling service in there on Thursday lunch, so we are once again doing the pub rotation of the centre to find a decent lunchtime pub.

[Millay]

I think a fairer sentence would be that Bristol's JDW's are just not that good, but then most of the city center pubs are not that good, you need to get just off the main roads to find the good pubs in Bristol.

As far as JDW’s are concerned I remember the Commercial Rooms in Bristol, an old Gentleman’s club I believe that had seen better days, and the Knights Templar near the station. Good pubs that I do remember were the Cornubia, the Seven Stars, the Bank and the Kings Head. Plenty of pubs in Bristol as I recall and we were fortunate enough to have a local guide to show us the good ones.

[hopwas]

On my trip to Oxford it was the bloody Americans that annoyed me , sitting having a quite pint when they barge in stride up to the bar and shout at the barmaid "TABLE FOR TWO" the look on the barmaids face a mixture of seen it all before and death stare , and then there was the one who asked for a pint of Bombadier and when told they did`nt serve it , loudly told everbody in the pub "its not a real beer house its a pretend one " and of course theres the ones who complain that they cant get Old Peculier in every pub .............

PS appoligies to DPV(Not all are bad)

Oh yeah.. tell me about it especially Yanks tourists in Stratford Upon Avon! I remember I went to pub called Pen and Parchment in Stratford. I was reading my paper, two American couple ordered two pints of Bass. They never tried British beer before so they decide to taste one.

Next thing I know.. American man simply shouted "WHAT THIS SHIT BEER? too bloody warm!!!" and we can simply overheard him! He marched to bar and ordered something much colder. He got pint of.... Coors!

Now we Brits know Bass never served cold..

[Conrad]

As far as JDW’s are concerned I remember the Commercial Rooms in Bristol, an old Gentleman’s club I believe that had seen better days, and the Knights Templar near the station. Good pubs that I do remember were the Cornubia, the Seven Stars, the Bank and the Kings Head. Plenty of pubs in Bristol as I recall and we were fortunate enough to have a local guide to show us the good ones.

A pretty fair assessment, Knights Templar is an ok pub, inoffensive is the best word I can think of, it is close to the train station and I have used it a couple of times in business meetings of people off the train, too much glass for me personally with the plasmas arrayed all round the room as well, but clean enough. The Commercial Rooms is a really nice building with tons of potential and a good location, and it is a shame to see it so abused. I seem to remember the condiments are at the front arrayed round a little bust that was presumably meaningful at some point but now just in the way of plastic sachet progress.

Whereas the good pubs you mention are just that, the Seven Stars is probably the most familiar to me from having had a few drinks in there before gigs in the Fleece, always been a nice pleasant pub next door to my favourite venue in Bristol, the Fleece & Firkin (fond memories of watching Tim Booth and All About Eve there).