The Old Ship, Hammersmith

A group of six ex-colleagues met for a social evening drink and meal, however, we had our evening thoroughly spoilt by an officious, surly and arrogant manager, together with her duty manager.
My colleague would have liked to have our group sit upstairs on the open balcony, but was challenged by the manageress and told it wasn't open unless we were eating - we were!
On a second attempt at trying-out the balcony, my colleague was again challenged by the manageress and told where the toilets were - he was simply trying to set up a corner for our group of six.
I arrived rather later and went into the downstairs bar and waited for more than 10 minutes, but with no bar service - other people were served but we were ignored by the bar staff until another colleague of mine made direct comments to one of the bar staff.
We were advised that as we were waiting near the food ordering part of the bar, we would not be served any drinks - just a gentle reminder or enquiry whether we wanted to order food or drinks was all it would have taken.
We were told to get to the back of the queue by the duty manager, who said that someone had taken the signs from the bar saying that food only could be ordered from that section of the bar.
I wasn't at all happy with the duty manager's attitude - he was abrasive and had a perceived ego problem with his own self-importance - I asked for his name and then asked if we might be served by him now, which he took offence at and declined our request, then the manageress came out from behind a door and said that she'd heard all the preceding conversation and wouldn't have her staff spoken to in this was.
I asked her for her name and she duly gave this and then stated that we wouldn't be served at all again.
We had all arrived from different parts of London and further afield and we all felt humiliated by both the manageress's lack of social skills and spitefullness, together with the duty manager's over- inflated ego.
Hospitality is the key here (or lack of it) - this pub is not hallowed ground nor precious and deserving of aloof and prickly welcomes!
The management should be removed at the Old Ship, Hammersmith, in favour of customer-focussed and friendly staff.
This pub only had about 20 customers on that evening - I wonder why, and most certainly would not advise anyone to visit for a pleasurable experience.

31 Jul 2013 17:17