Pub etiquette

[Cunobelin]

After the thread elsewhere on the etiquette of filling your car with petrol, I wondered if a "pub etiquette" thread would work

To start ..

Yesterday, in the pub and quite busy.

Three of us waiting to be served, and a middle aged gentleman walks in, and as the girl finishes serving, demand a pint, and she is about serve.

This is one of my pet hates.... so I apologised to the bar maid, and said, " I know you are busy and it is difficult to keep track, but the guy on the corner, the lady to my right and then myself have been wait, this guy has just pushed in"

Bar maid was fine, but middle aged guy started throwing a tantrum, about being "in a hurry" and "unable to wait"

TOUGH!

It is common etiquette to be aware of who is before you before you and if the bar staff make a mistake and serve you first, refer them to the other person(s) waiting

[Wowbagger]

Well done! If he's in that much of a hurry then he won't have time for recreational drinking. If he's just thirsty then he ought to carry a bottle of water about with him.

[nikki]

This makes for a fascinating read:

http://www.sirc.org/publik/ptpintro.html

Most anthropologists go off to remote parts of the world to live among exotic tribes, observe their behaviour and ask endless questions in order to understand and explain their strange customs. In 1992, the BLRA asked the experienced social scientists at SIRC to apply the same research techniques in the British pub. Some of SIRC’s findings were published in Pubwatching with Desmond Morris (1993) and its sequel Women in Pubs (1994). In 1995, for Passport to the Pub, the SIRC Research team - led by Research Manager Joe McCann and Senior Researcher John Middleton - embarked on yet another six-month anthropological pub-crawl. In total, the research on which this book is based has involved observation work in over 800 pubs, consultations with over 500 publicans and bar staff and interviews with over 1000 pubgoers - both natives and tourists.

Our first task in the preliminary research for this project was to find out how much tourists knew about pub etiquette. Not surprisingly, given the lack of information available, we found that what tourists didn’t know about pub etiquette would fill a book. This is the book.

[rogerzilla]

IME a busy bar is a scrum and whoever waves their tenner most vigorously gets served.

[Andrij]

This makes for a fascinating read:

http://www.sirc.org/publik/ptpintro.html

Most anthropologists go off to remote parts of the world to live among exotic tribes, observe their behaviour and ask endless questions in order to understand and explain their strange customs. In 1992, the BLRA asked the experienced social scientists at SIRC to apply the same research techniques in the British pub. Some of SIRC’s findings were published in Pubwatching with Desmond Morris (1993) and its sequel Women in Pubs (1994). In 1995, for Passport to the Pub, the SIRC Research team - led by Research Manager Joe McCann and Senior Researcher John Middleton - embarked on yet another six-month anthropological pub-crawl. In total, the research on which this book is based has involved observation work in over 800 pubs, consultations with over 500 publicans and bar staff and interviews with over 1000 pubgoers - both natives and tourists.

Our first task in the preliminary research for this project was to find out how much tourists knew about pub etiquette. Not surprisingly, given the lack of information available, we found that what tourists didn’t know about pub etiquette would fill a book. This is the book.

Kate Fox's "Watching the English"¹ includes a chapter called Pub-Talk.  The chapter makes use of research conducted with her 'colleagues at SIRC'.

¹ If you've ever had dealings with the English (not in the Amish sense), or happen to be English yourself, I recommend you read this book.  Those with appropriate google-fu may find the text online...

[Gattopardo]

IME a busy bar is a scrum and whoever waves their tenner most vigorously gets served.

Bar person mate get served first or who tipped best.

[Gattopardo]

This makes for a fascinating read:

http://www.sirc.org/publik/ptpintro.html

Most anthropologists go off to remote parts of the world to live among exotic tribes, observe their behaviour and ask endless questions in order to understand and explain their strange customs. In 1992, the BLRA asked the experienced social scientists at SIRC to apply the same research techniques in the British pub. Some of SIRC’s findings were published in Pubwatching with Desmond Morris (1993) and its sequel Women in Pubs (1994). In 1995, for Passport to the Pub, the SIRC Research team - led by Research Manager Joe McCann and Senior Researcher John Middleton - embarked on yet another six-month anthropological pub-crawl. In total, the research on which this book is based has involved observation work in over 800 pubs, consultations with over 500 publicans and bar staff and interviews with over 1000 pubgoers - both natives and tourists.

Our first task in the preliminary research for this project was to find out how much tourists knew about pub etiquette. Not surprisingly, given the lack of information available, we found that what tourists didn’t know about pub etiquette would fill a book. This is the book.

Wonder if the dynamic has changed now there is no smoking inside the pub.

[Cudzoziemiec]

Four tips on how to get served quickly at the bar:

https://theconversation.com/four-tips-on-how-to-get-served-more-quickly-at-the-pub-new-research-101927

I haven't read it, so no comments to make yet!

[Basil]

Yes.  People who don't 'get' the etiquette used to really piss me off.  Here in my village local it's not a problem.  The person who is next is the person the woman behind the bar says is next.  None of us dare argue.
Other when there was an invasion  of lads whose normal experience is city centre drinking, where the normal etiquette is to stand 5 deep at the bar, all waving tenners and shouting Mate Mate Mate Mate......,the country Girl¹ was generally pretty good except at the beginning of a new academic year when occasionally someone would need to be told, "You know how I and that chap there were already standing here when you arrived?  Well, traditionally we would be served before you."
I hate it when people's excuse is that the bar staff should know who's next. That's irrelevant, you still pushed in. She just came back from the back with more ice, or he's stressed trying to keep up cos his colleague has been out the back on a fag break for an hour and a half now.

¹ Wow. That's the first time in years that I've typed the word Country and Girl did not appear as an auto suggestion.

[Cunobelin]

IME a busy bar is a scrum and whoever waves their tenner most vigorously gets served.

Bar person mate get served first or who tipped best.

Seen that one fail......

We were waiting and there was a middle aged couple next. Young lad walks in and gets served immediately. The man asks why and is told it was because it "was a mate"

Middle aged chap asks to see manager.......

When he arrives the middle aged guy politely introduces himself and hands over a business card. Then explains that the reason they were there was to look at the function room for his daughter's wedding, however the bar man's behaviour means they will no longer be considering the Hotel.

Very unhappy manager

[nicknack]

¹ Wow. That's the first time in years that I've typed the word Country and Girl did not appear as an auto suggestion.

Is that the "Neil Young" auto-fill app?

[Basil]

¹ Wow. That's the first time in years that I've typed the word Country and Girl did not appear as an auto suggestion.

Is that the "Neil Young" auto-fill app?

That only kicks in when I type the word  Cinnamon.

[Gattopardo]

IME a busy bar is a scrum and whoever waves their tenner most vigorously gets served.

Bar person mate get served first or who tipped best.

Seen that one fail......

We were waiting and there was a middle aged couple next. Young lad walks in and gets served immediately. The man asks why and is told it was because it "was a mate"

Middle aged chap asks to see manager.......

When he arrives the middle aged guy politely introduces himself and hands over a business card. Then explains that the reason they were there was to look at the function room for his daughter's wedding, however the bar man's behaviour means they will no longer be considering the Hotel.

Very unhappy manager

Lucky escape IMO middle aged guy sounds like a fucking nightmare who feels many are below him.

Similar thing happened where I worked as a teen.  Think the middle aged tosser, decided that he knew more about wine than the Head sommelier.  Complaints were made and threats of not holding an event at the venue. The manager then took the card and stated that he would contact all the local event place in 30 miles and make sure they knew what a pompous idiot and make sure that the he would not be able to hire anywhere in that area at any price.  The manager said that the prick (actual words) was to pay cash (in was the late 80's) and that he was banned from the Hotel and the chain. 

When the prick left, manager said to us that he would not do anything.  Just wanted the joy of knocking the idiot a few steps down the ladder as the sommelier knew his wines, for the sommelier it was a passion.

[mrcharly-YHT]

I've worked in a few bars. Full-time, part time (the part-time stint was for nearly 2 years). At festivals and country pubs.

Vigorous tenner waving and shouting 'mate, mate' are ways to get yourself ignored.

Best way to get served promptly is to say (or gesture) that the person next to you should be served before you. That gesture of politeness will endear you to bar staff and get you the best service.

[Tim Hall]

I've worked in a few bars. Full-time, part time (the part-time stint was for nearly 2 years). At festivals and country pubs.

Vigorous tenner waving and shouting 'mate, mate' are ways to get yourself ignored.

Best way to get served promptly is to say (or gesture) that the person next to you should be served before you. That gesture of politeness will endear you to bar staff and get you the best service.

Well, obvs.  i was in a queueueue in a beer tent at a steam rally once. There was a small amount of chaos. Exhibit A was a grumpy bloke opining to all and sundry in a loud voice that "a good bar man should know who is next." Exhibit B was a cyclist of boyish good looks me, with a Mk1 winning smile. I deployed the mrcharly "I think this chap is next" tactic, then got served. I think Exhibit A is still there.

[Legs]

This.

[Jaded]

There’s also a queuing technique. Work out who is going to leave the bar next and make sure that you are positioned to take their place, rather than move out of the way to let them past.

[Peter]

This.

Superb - thanks!

[Gattopardo]

This.

POTD?

[Tim Hall]

There’s also a queuing technique. Work out who is going to leave the bar next and make sure that you are positioned to take their place, rather than move out of the way to let them past.

Dave Gorman has done a piece on that too. I expect it's on YouTube somewhere.

[cygnet]

It's interesting that this 'skill' is called 'technique' but once you are on the front line at the bar pushing in is frowned upon.

[Cunobelin]

I have been in several larger pubs who now have a "bank" waiting system with teh movable barriers

[andytheflyer]

I have been in several larger pubs who now have a "bank" waiting system with teh movable barriers

Not seen these yet in rural/Shropshire/Cheshire, and I hope I never do.  Anyway, I'd do a swift U turn and go somewhere else, so that I can enjoy the experience of having a social refresher, and maybe a chat with a stranger.  I'm not wanting to approach the beverage serving installation like cattle queueing in an abbatoir, to purchase an alcoholic beverage.  I can go to the offy and do that, and drink it in my own privacy, at my leisure.

I hope that those establishments using a queuing system (maybe for foreigners?) all go bust. Immediately.

[Cudzoziemiec]

I have been in several larger pubs who now have a "bank" waiting system with teh movable barriers

To which the obvious question is "snake or multi-line?*" Or maybe they give you a number and you wait to be called? Also, what Andytheflyer said.

*Snakebite, maybe, but how many pubs serve that?