Queuing at the bar / pub

[ChrisG]

Good to know that Green Street is still open.

It appears to have been done up, it was very decent

[JR1882]

Germany it’s not uncommon to smoke inside - I believe it’s down to the owner/operator of the premises to decide.

Croatia you can smoke inside bars too, nowhere with food I think and they have to have doors open.

[Rowls]

It's literally 4€ for a 0,2l glass of wine near me, and 5€ for a 0,5l of locally brewed beer in probably the most expensive tourist town near Frankfurt. It's not expensive.

By contrast, I was in Barnoldswick 3 weeks ago and paid circa 24 pounds for 2 glasses of Pinot Grigio and a pint of Landlord bitter.

There were two types of ex-pat I met in France:

1. "Everything French is ****"
2. "Everything British is ****"

It's so easy to fall into these catergories, either in a literal sense or metaphorically.

I've literally paid £2 per pint in the Brew'm all season and similar prices in Wetherspoons. Not only that, but only certain parts of Europe serve half-decent lager (I can vouch that most of the beer in France is what the Scots call "pishy") and nowhere but NOWHERE serves proper cask bitter.

It's hardly that Burnley is Heaven on Earth, or "England is always better" it's just we sometimes all need to be grateful for what we have got and not so eager to draw big black and white distinctions over our existence.

[Duffer_]

Pish

[nil_desperandum]

As for European prices being cheaper - ha!

You need to get out (of the UK) more often

It depends what you are drinking and in which country, but statistics suggest that the price of alcoholic drinks in the UK is above average in Europe
Nordic countries are significantly more expensive, but prices are often much cheaper throughout Eastern Europe.
Obviously more specialised drinks such as Whiskey and Champagne do not follow this general pattern

[ChrisG]

There were two types of ex-pat I met in France:

1. "Everything French is ****"
2. "Everything British is ****"

It's so easy to fall into these catergories, either in a literal sense or metaphorically.

I've literally paid £2 per pint in the Brew'm all season and similar prices in Wetherspoons. Not only that, but only certain parts of Europe serve half-decent lager (I can vouch that most of the beer in France is what the Scots call "pishy") and nowhere but NOWHERE serves proper cask bitter.

It's hardly that Burnley is Heaven on Earth, or "England is always better" it's just we sometimes all need to be grateful for what we have got and not so eager to draw big black and white distinctions over our existence.

I never said it was rubbish, on the contrary, I do miss a pint a bitter, and it's often the first port of call when I land in Blighty. I was merely commenting on the price, and let's face it, the cost of ale in Burnley versus the vast majority of the UK is an anomaly.

I lived in Altrincham for many years before moving out here, and it most certainly isn't 2 quid a pint for cask ale there...

On the cask ale note, I actually found an bar in Berlin selling cask the other week, bizarrely it was owned by the Lambrate Brewery from Milan. Was a real novelty having a cask conditioned stout from a hand pull in Germany, that's for sure!

[ChrisG]

And Lancashire cheese. And pies. I miss them too.

[ClaretOfMancunia]

Table service is slow and the thirsty British pint downer wouldn’t appreciate the wait.

As for European prices being cheaper - ha!

You need to get out (of the UK) more often

Agree with your first point and disagree with your second! I travel to the continent every two or three weeks for work and other than the Nordics, Switzerland and Luxembourg - I've found most places far cheaper for wine and *usually* cheaper for beer on average. Depends where you go of course, need to get away from the tourist areas and find where the locals eat/drink.

[Claret86]

Like this?

Screenshot_20250522_203357_Google.jpg

Exactly like this. He was served immediately

[Rowls]

Agree with your first point and disagree with your second! I travel to the continent every two or three weeks for work and other than the Nordics, Switzerland and Luxembourg - I've found most places far cheaper for wine and *usually* cheaper for beer on average. Depends where you go of course, need to get away from the tourist areas and find where the locals eat/drink.

Yeah, I shouldn't have typed out that stupid bit about getting out of the UK. I should have just left it at, "There's plenty of great beer at low prices here in England."

[ClaretOfMancunia]

"There's plenty of great beer at low prices here in England."

That I can agree with. I don't know how spoons can do pints of ale for less than 2 quid!

[dougcollins]

Happens at my Wetherspoons in Skipton frequently, but weirdly seemingly only the day drinkers, not in the evening, nor any of the weekend warriors and it's almost uniformly over 50's men.

I always march to the front and leave a trail of punters giving me the shiza eye in my wake.

Only once have I been accosted for it "there's a queue here pal". I just laughed at him and said that's not how It works. The lass who served me said "they're all regulars and they've been told we're not going to honour the queue if someone doesn't want to do it, so please carry on doing it, it's the only way they'll learn'.

It's on YOU, dear punter, to make a stand.

I visit Skipton spoons quite regularly.

One of the problems in there is the staff themselves- absolute dog at working out who is next. That's why the punters queue up.

[ChrisG]

There were two types of ex-pat I met in France:

1. "Everything French is ****"
2. "Everything British is ****"

It's so easy to fall into these catergories, either in a literal sense or metaphorically.

I've literally paid £2 per pint in the Brew'm all season and similar prices in Wetherspoons. Not only that, but only certain parts of Europe serve half-decent lager (I can vouch that most of the beer in France is what the Scots call "pishy") and nowhere but NOWHERE serves proper cask bitter.

It's hardly that Burnley is Heaven on Earth, or "England is always better" it's just we sometimes all need to be grateful for what we have got and not so eager to draw big black and white distinctions over our existence.

I've just paid £3.45 for a pint of very well kept Jaipur in London. Now that is good value.

[ChrisG]

And it was table service.

[karatekid]

That I can agree with. I don't know how spoons can do pints of ale for less than 2 quid!

Someone told me that Spoons buy up barrels of ale that are near their use by date so get them a lot cheaper and get through them faster because of the cheap prices to the customers.

[Jakubclaret]

I'm not bothered who's responsible for the pricing whether it's the landlord or brewery I'll continue to walk past the empty pubs & do my own thing. Sod queuing & paying over the odds each to their own.

[GetIntoEm]

Ones who prefer to drink at home are saddos, skinflints and the miserable

I'd rather pay £6 for a Guinness in a pub than pay £2 for a can and drink it at home

[Jakubclaret]

Ones who prefer to drink at home are saddos, skinflints and the miserable

I'd rather pay £6 for a Guinness in a pub than pay £2 for a can and drink it at home

If you get x3 level of enjoyment that way fair play some can't justify that level of enjoyment in reflection to the pricing.

[alwaysaclaret]

Maybe it's personal then but I've been to some pretty busy bars where the bar staff could be forgiven for not knowing. Punters, on the other hand...

I did bar work for 10 years or more, always knew who was next.

[Herts Clarets]

I've just paid £3.45 for a pint of very well kept Jaipur in London. Now that is good value.

Jaipur in my local Spoons in Hertford is £2.39 a pint for one of my favourite ales. It is one of the best Spoons I have been in, beer is always well kept and if you avoid the swill that is GK IPA, Doom Bar and Ruddles, usually a good selection of regional ales on. Thankfully they don't sell McMullens which is brewed practically outside their front door but not the best beer.

And the myth that Spoons buy short dated barrels is exactly that, a myth.

[Duffer_]

I did bar work for 10 years or more, always knew who was next.

Good - I'm glad. You being an excellent bar worker, always knowing who is next in the line, is not the same as saying that punters always get served in the order in which they arrive at all bars. I have plenty of experience of this not happening, particulary when four deep in the bars of Leeds and Glasgow.

I always felt that busy bars should have used the supermarket deli ticketing system but I can see that might have been overkill. We are world famous queuers - the single line is a natural expression of our cultural norms and should be embraced!

[ollieclarets8]

Went to a quiz last night in Yorkshire - £5 exactly for a pint of Carling. I needed to buy a second pint to get over the shock of the first.

[THEWELLERNUT70]

Germany it’s not uncommon to smoke inside - I believe it’s down to the owner/operator of the premises to decide.

Croatia you can smoke inside bars too, nowhere with food I think and they have to have doors open.

In Denmark it's down to the sq ft size of the establishment, under a certain size and smoking is allowed indoors

[IanMcL]

Went to a quiz last night in Yorkshire - £5 exactly for a pint of Carling. I needed to buy a second pint to get over the shock of the first.

Hope you asked the Q. Why is the beer so dear, here?

[Herts Clarets]

Went to a quiz last night in Yorkshire - £5 exactly for a pint of Carling. I needed to buy a second pint to get over the shock of the first.

That's over priced by precisely £5

[aggi]

Someone told me that Spoons buy up barrels of ale that are near their use by date so get them a lot cheaper and get through them faster because of the cheap prices to the customers.

Spoons really screw the prices down because they are so big. Some breweries might sell into them as a loss leader (particularly to get people buying their cans) or they'll brew cheaper stuff for them.

A bit old so obviously the amounts will have increased (particularly for power) but this is an interesting (for some) breakdown of the cost of (craft) beer
https://beernouveau.co.uk/costs-quality ... ve-profit/

[Clovius Boofus]

Someone told me that Spoons buy up barrels of ale that are near their use by date so get them a lot cheaper and get through them faster because of the cheap prices to the customers.

It's a myth. Breweries will cut each other's throats when supplying a pub company that has over 800 premises. Also, Spoons operates on very tight margins and holds the freehold on most of its estate - this lowers the price at the pump.

[ollieclarets8]

That's over priced by precisely £5

Ha!

[dougcollins]

Went to a quiz last night in Yorkshire - £5 exactly for a pint of Carling. I needed to buy a second pint to get over the shock of the first.

I can't imagine a pub in Yorkshire lasting very long if they're charging £5 for Carling.

[ollieclarets8]

I can't imagine a pub in Yorkshire lasting very long if they're charging £5 for Carling.

The DJ even shouted something like, "Why pay silly prices down in London when you can get it here" - barmaid didn't look impressed.

[Spike]

What’s with this weird new trend of youngsters standing behind one another at the bar / pub, rather than queuing all in 1 mass? When did this become the norm??

Used to happen Yates Wine Lodge half a century ago not a new thing

[box_of_frogs]

Used to happen Yates Wine Lodge half a century ago not a new thing

Surely not the one on the corner of St James’ and Manchester Rd? Can’t remember that when I was 16.

[Claret Till I Die]

Surely not the one on the corner of St James’ and Manchester Rd? Can’t remember that when I was 16.

Yates' was what is now the Boot. The one on the corner of Mcr Rd & St James Street was The red lion.

[GetIntoEm]

I can't remember a single file queue in Yates but my memory is fuzzy around that time

[ChrisG]

I can't remember a single file queue in Yates but my memory is fuzzy around that time

Used to frequently see a lot of folk with a sniffly cold queuing for the toilet cubicles in Yates back in the day

[dougcollins]

I can't remember a single file queue in Yates but my memory is fuzzy around that time

And I dont recall ever drinking wine in Yates's.

[GetIntoEm]

And I dont recall ever drinking wine in Yates's.

Not even from the blob machine?

[JR1882]

Used to frequently see a lot of folk with a sniffly cold queuing for the toilet cubicles in Yates back in the day

That’s not changed now that it’s a Spoons don’t worry, you’d be amazed, not kids either, lots of 30/40+ shoving **** in their noses.

Just realised if they are 40 now they may well have been in Yates at 18

[dougcollins]

Not even from the blob machine?

I think I used to get some really cheap and nasty cider.

[RammyClaret61]

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