The Square Peg, Birmingham

I was between buses, with half an hour to wait last Monday, and so I went to get last orders at the Square Peg. It's a very large premises with several entrances, and at ten to eleven, the near Bull Street door was locked. I walked to the next door and that was open. Inside, staff were busy clearing away behind the bar. I waited sometime before a barmaid stopped cleaning to give me some service. "Sorry! these tills aren't on, you will have to go to the other end". It's a very long bar but I did as she asked.

I have encountered this problem before at Wetherspoons and it is really bad service. A bar is designed so that the bar staff can move to meet the customer and not the other way round, It is the bar staff that have to do the walking. It's not a supermarket, I don't have to make my way to the open till with the light on. At the very least the bar maid should have asked me if I minded moving. She was polite in her tone but the service was wrong.

Arriving at the other end of the bar she didn't come to meet me. Instead I had to wait and be ignored by the other bar staff busy cleaning. I waited for a good few minutes and then we encounter the next reoccurring problem I find with Wetherspoons. Finally getting some service I point to the beer that I want. "Sorry that one isn't on". receiving no advice about which beers are on, I remember that Wetherspoons don't turn their pump-clips round when a beer isn't on but instead put silly little "not available" signs on the clip. At a glance these signs are indistinguishable from any other point of sale advertising, and, whilst moving to order another beer I notice a sign on that. I look at my watch, decide that we have waisted enough time already, politely decline the service and leave.

19 Dec 2010 18:40

The Lamb, Broad Eye

Went in recently and the beer was excellent. Bombardier is not a favourite but this was on top form. It would have been a great improvement if one of the customers hadn't muttered "f***s sake" when I asked to be excused whilst trying to get past to the bar. I apologize to that customer for using his public house.

21 Oct 2010 18:26

Swan Hotel, Stafford

It is totally unacceptable, in this day and age, for a hotel of this size and centrality to not sell real ale.

21 Oct 2010 18:18