2020 Worst Places to Live in England

Amps

Mad_Cyril There’s something about the double story ones, so much more imposing.

Mad_Cyril

Amps
The regular knifings helped with the imposing aura as well!

jonattonyeah

Nah it’s just different. You all have pub culture, we have bar culture. Our bars are usually quite a bit bigger at the expense of tables (many don’t serve food so who cares). You have the opposite. I doubt the waiting time is much different depending on the quality of the staff.

I like bars as you can get to know the bar staff better which can help with meeting birds, free drinks, and not feeling like you’re just a loser drinking by yourself. Plus, as an investor in a bar, it’s fun running over the bar with a bottle of Jameson for communal SHOTS!

Amps

jonattonyeah Problem being, all bars at some point end up three or four deep, shirley at that point anyone sat at the bar should be tipped out of their chair?

bosstrabs

jonattonyeah I like bars as you can get to know the bar staff better which can help with meeting birds, free drinks, and not feeling like you’re just a loser drinking by yourself.

But what you describe there is the British local pub, really.

Every regular knows, and is known by, the barmaids. If you tip properly, they look after you and even indulge your pissed-up #lowqualitybants with them.

Also, the essence of a decent local is you can go in on your own and always have people to talk to, tables to join.

jonattonyeah

Amps

Now that’s a nice building.

bosstrabs

Amps Problem being, all bars at some point end up three or four deep, shirley at that point anyone sat at the bar should be tipped out of their chair?

What you’re talking about is a town centre bar, though, where that would be legitimate behaviour, but the blokes who prop up the bar utterly own a village pub because they’re the ones who are always in there.

jonattonyeah

Amps

It can get like that, yeah. On nights that are expected to be busy we’ll do half chairs or something (very rare). But people who are lucky to have seats also get it (most do, anyway) that a bit of space invasion is part of the privilege. We’ll also do a shots, beer, and wine station to the side for quick drinks. Those who want labor-intensive cocktails can wait at the proper bar.

That’s also where tips come in. Our staff love it packed, and they turn and burn, as they make more money from volume. I know tips are a dodgy topic here, but in busy bars over this way it does tend to work out well for the customer; if not necessarily financially, certainly in timeliness.

jonattonyeah

bosstrabs But what you describe there is the British local pub, really.

Yeah but if I’m travelling for work it’s nice to find a good dive I can hang at for a few nights. Get some ideas on places to eat, that sort of thing. Plus chatting with the person next to you. Pubs don’t seem quite as conducive for quick chats and short term hangs over a four day period.

Amps

bosstrabs What you’re talking about is a town centre bar,

Dunno, decent local on a Saturday?

bosstrabs

jonattonyeah I know tips are a dodgy topic here

I have moaned about tipping before, but only in the sense that it gives employers the right to pay bar-staff fuck all. I would rather bar staff get paid a fair wage. Then I tip on top if I choose too, not because I am compelled to.

Amps

jonattonyeah that a bit of space invasion is part of the privilege

But I as a bloke trying to order a drink fuckin hate reaching around some cunt.

jonattonyeah

bosstrabs

Yeah, I get it. It’s problematic. But it’s just the way it is here. I don’t see it changing…really ever. I guess what I would say is without tips, the cost of labor goes up that gets passed onto the customer anyway. You’d be paying more than ticket price anyway. So it’s kind of a wash.

bosstrabs

jonattonyeah Yeah but if I’m travelling for work it’s nice to find a good dive I can hang at for a few nights. Get some ideas on places to eat, that sort of thing. Plus chatting with the person next to you. Pubs don’t seem quite as conducive for quick chats and short term hangs over a four day period.

Probably because local friendships are already well entrenched, and you don’t get an ‘in’ if you’re just somewhere for a few days.

jonattonyeah

bosstrabs

You’d have an “in” immediately at my spot, Dave.

bosstrabs

jonattonyeah I guess what I would say is without tips, the cost of labor goes up that gets passed onto the customer anyway.

So, let’s just have an honest system in hospitality like elsewhere.

People get employed and hopefully get a fair wage, they do a good job for it, if they don’t they lose their job. I can take the 20% mark-up on the cost of the drinks.

I think there’s something quite demeaning/undignified about having to act nice to people who might be being total pricks in the name of ‘service’ to scrabble for tips.

*My only experience was as a hotel restaurant waiter as a part-time job while at uni, but I’ve seen enough.

Same goes for taxi drivers - I expect you to take me to my fucking destination, minimum fuss. I pay you for this transaction. I don’t want you being ‘friendly’ (giving your shitty views on Brexit or some other shit you’re totally uninformed about). I don’t want you to do your job properly in the expectation of a bribe at the end of it. I want you to do your job for the agreed standard fare because that’s the contract we entered into.

mono-stereo

Whenever I’ve been travelling alone for conferences etc dive bars are way better for meeting people then pubs in the UK.

I’ve had some fun nights in Barcelona and New York where I’ve got chatting to people sat at the bar next to me then ended up moving on somewhere else.

jonattonyeah

mono-stereo

Exactly. I’m a naturally outgoing and friendly person. When I do work behind the bar I talk to everybody. Have no problem getting a traveler involved in a convo with three babes who come in all the time. I honestly think it’s part of the job. To give people a good time and having them leave happy. People in California are usually pretty open to chatting anyway so it’s not a tough sell.

As a random aside, one night this dude was in there. Headphones in, working on his laptop. Happy hour time. With an absolute stunner next to him. Stunner. She leaves. His bro-dude shows up and I overhear him saying how tough it is to meet women. I’m like, the fuck. You had a beautiful girl right next to you. And I’ll do the bantz to get conversation going. No problem

I banned computers at the bar after that. Sit at a table. But this is place for fun and socializing. Take your work elsewhere. Prat.

jonattonyeah

bosstrabs

I get it, Dave. I do.

Also, you get bad service, you don’t have to tip. I know it’s fucked up. But the weather is fucked up sometimes too. Neither are likely to change anytime soon so I just shrug my shoulders. Actually, given the state of thing, the weather might actually change before tipping does in America lol.

bosstrabs

You get bad service somewhere, you don’t tip. But I guarantee you’ll get worse service, not better, the next time you go in there.

Serving staff have memories of elephants.

jonattonyeah

Amps But I as a bloke trying to order a drink fuckin hate reaching around some cunt.

But we’re just used to it. I dunno. It’s not as big of a deal as you might think. And a good bartender will typically keep a few spaces open for easy ordering. A good bartending will also keep things flowing correctly. Issues are minimal.

bosstrabs

Amps Yeah, fair enough.

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