The White Swan, Twickenham

the refurb stinks. with all the talk of big-bucks bankers and lawyers it was surprising how cheap it looked....that wine 'cage', the colour scheme, the mdf tops to the beer barrel tables, the pointless pictures and that awful, awful mirror and even more disastrous signage.
the staff are now all moody teenagers - now i myself once worked at the swan as a (probably) moody teenager but that was counterbalanced by the brilliant mixture of all different types of staff of different ages, races, looks and personalities - this is now sorely lacking.
with the staff exodus a number of the locals have moved on. some do remain, more out of loyalty to the place than the people. the new owners complete disregard for the history of the place and what really made the place brilliant - the people - is the saddest thing. a bit of tlc could have been administered without alienating long term patrons. they may laugh it off now but once the long cold winters set in and the weekenders dissapear they are going to struggle massively. those now absent locals paid for the logs and gaffa tape that kept the place above freezing in the winter.
i'm not going to boycott the place but, without sounding malicious, i very much looking forward to the day, probably not for many years now, that the new owners decide they've had enough and the place is bought by the owners it deserves and you guys will be back enjoying your pints of.......guinness (sir_stout), fosters (fatangfatang) and IPA (kenbabs)?
See you there!

23 Jun 2010 00:19