Now You See A Pub - Soon You Won't?

[zippy]

I said to her, "Just a polite word of advice, that fridge would get a lot colder if you closed the door."

 

She looked at me like I was from another planet.

 

 

Not being funny like.....

 

Don't take this the wrong way.....

 

Just a polite word of advice .....

 

all ways to elicit a positive response

[Gladys]

The traditional pub is gone, partly this is because of the loss of tenanted hostelries and partly because of the drink driving laws (which, of course, are correct). The latter may have caused the former, but there has been a change.

 

Tenants used to create a pub; it was their long term business and most took pride in creating the atmosphere of the pub. Can anyone remember old Ted Drain from the British or McAleer from the Dogs' Home? They 'made' the drinking establishment, took no crap and had a pride in the drinks (ale mainly) they were selling. As soon as these pubs moved to managed concerns the quality dropped.

 

Probably an irreversible change, but I miss a proper pub where you could go in alone sure that there would always be someone there that you knew and, if not, the landlord would have a chat with you while you waited for the rest of the gang to turn up.

[Rhumsaa]

you don't just have to be there at 11am to get the first pint of bitter - if you are drinking in Havana or the likes at lunchtime the chances of there being a regular flow of bitter is slim

 

Same goes for 5pm on a weekday where the bitter has blatantly sat for 3+ hours in the pipes

 

Having said that I'd rather have a lager than the watery piss they call bitter in the poncy pubs

[Lonan3]

The traditional pub is gone, partly this is because of the loss of tenanted hostelries and partly because of the drink driving laws (which, of course, are correct). The latter may have caused the former, but there has been a change.

 

Tenants used to create a pub; it was their long term business and most took pride in creating the atmosphere of the pub. Can anyone remember old Ted Drain from the British or McAleer from the Dogs' Home? They 'made' the drinking establishment, took no crap and had a pride in the drinks (ale mainly) they were selling. As soon as these pubs moved to managed concerns the quality dropped.

 

Probably an irreversible change, but I miss a proper pub where you could go in alone sure that there would always be someone there that you knew and, if not, the landlord would have a chat with you while you waited for the rest of the gang to turn up.

 

I worked in the Clarendon when Don Kennaugh was the tenant. It was a good house - he took genuine pride in keeping the bitter to as near a perfect standard as was possible. The Friday and Saturday night 'singalong' music sessions were absolutely packed - so much so that I was one of the three waiters who were kept going throughout the evening supplying the customers with their drinks. The landlord was always available to chat to the customers, and any member of staff who wasn't willing to the same didn't last very long. The result was a friendly and comfortable pub for regulars, occasional customers and, believe it or not, for the many holidaymakers who used to make a point of going there each year.

In those days of course, there was no thought of serving food - other than 3 flavours of crisps and 'Big D' peanuts - and, apart from the bitter and the mild, everything else came in bottles.

Okay, I wouldn't think there's a great deal of demand for that kind of pub any more - but there are lessons to be learned from the way it was run that have, regrettably, been forgotten or pushed aside in the race to increase turnover and profits.

[TerryMcCann]

Blimey. It's true. On page 12 of the Indy the Brewery have confirmed that the Railway is likely to close in October and will (probably) become an oriental restaurant.

 

An MCB taxi driver based rumour turning out to be true

 

 

I DON'T BELIEEEEEEEEEEEVE IT!!!!!

[Albert Tatlock]

Blimey. It's true. On page 12 of the Indy the Brewery have confirmed that the Railway is likely to close in October and will (probably) become an oriental restaurant.

 

An MCB taxi driver based rumour turning out to be true

 

 

I DON'T BELIEEEEEEEEEEEVE IT!!!!!

It's obviously all gone Wong at the brewery then!

[Gladys]

 

I worked in the Clarendon when Don Kennaugh was the tenant. It was a good house - he took genuine pride in keeping the bitter to as near a perfect standard as was possible. The Friday and Saturday night 'singalong' music sessions were absolutely packed - so much so that I was one of the three waiters who were kept going throughout the evening supplying the customers with their drinks. The landlord was always available to chat to the customers, and any member of staff who wasn't willing to the same didn't last very long. The result was a friendly and comfortable pub for regulars, occasional customers and, believe it or not, for the many holidaymakers who used to make a point of going there each year.

In those days of course, there was no thought of serving food - other than 3 flavours of crisps and 'Big D' peanuts - and, apart from the bitter and the mild, everything else came in bottles.

Okay, I wouldn't think there's a great deal of demand for that kind of pub any more - but there are lessons to be learned from the way it was run that have, regrettably, been forgotten or pushed aside in the race to increase turnover and profits.

 

You probably would know my very good friends the Watterson clan from those times then, Lonan. They used to frequent the Clarrie in the 70's.

[crazyorhythm]

"Gettin ratarsed of a night will soon become a dying art"

[Braigev]

The Bridge is closed for 6 weeks plus also for a refurb which leaves only Clinch's at that end of North Quay.

[Deejay Denzel]

And in Peel there seems to be some unsettlement...

 

Public House No. 1

 

Public House No. 2

[Gladys]

Huge difference in price there Deejay! Not surprised at the Creek being up for sale.

[Sparky]

Most pubs on the Isle of Man are shit.

 

Identikit menus and food of a depressingly low standard, which we're expected to pay handsomely for. Surly crappy staff and management, and most amazingly of all - awful drinks in a lot of places!

 

I've lost count of the number of bad pints I've had, and staff not doing the simplest of things, like pulling through some bitter from the pump if you get the first pint of the day.

 

My brother runs a pub in the lake district and recently came across for a weekend, his main comments about some (not all) of the the pubs he visted were: -

 

Overpriced,

Dirty,

Poor Quality food,

Abysmall service,

Staff swearing and smoking.

 

He thought the queens was on the right track. He also went in the Sefton and wondered where they got off with charging £4 for a glass of poor quality wine?

 

Apart from a bus driving past him and 6 other people at a bus stop, trying to be charged extra for a roll when it was advertised as 'Soup and Roll' and a shop refusing to sell him something out of the window. He was very impressed with the way Douglas treated its visitors!!!

 

Oh and yes he did complainb at the time. He's on about coming over, opening a pub and offering the level of service he HAS to maintain to keep in business across, thinks he'll make a mint. BTW he consitently wins CAMRA and brewery awards for the ale and food at his pub.

[Ean]

Please encourage him, would be brilliant to have a pub that does a good range of real ales in Douglas.

[When Skies Are Grey]

Probably echoing what a lot of people are saying on here but...i was in Portlaoise at the weekend (hour outside of Dublin)...small town (population circa 14k)..yet the choice of pubs and restaraunts was really good.

 

The pubs were bright and friendly, cheery bar staff who were happy to chat with you (whilst I bored them for the upteenth time about Andy Johnson's brace against the RS!). Food was served until late in the evening and the pubs were busy (and smoke free).

 

A small town but missing the small town attitude....it cant be that hard to mirror now can it!!!

[The Bastard]

You ain't going to change the Douglas pub scene overnight. It's not a social drinking scene, it's all about the socially disadvantaged drowning their sorrows, so the majority of pubs are the dirty, coarse drinking sheds that Albert's mate described. Seeing as there are no longer any clubs to go to, the scene has to change & some effort has to go into it from the landlords & the brewery.