A lack of manners is proving too costly

Throughout lockdown, many people looked forward to the day they could once again socialise with friends and family over a drink in a pub beer garden.

And so it was no surprise last Monday to see so many people take advantage of the Spring sunshine and get out to raise a toast to another step back towards normality.

It has been a tough year for the pub trade and so it is to be hoped that they will get a boost from being able to open outdoor areas once again. Of course, with that comes a lot of pressure on landlords and staff to ensure that punters are following the strict protocols.

To help ensure things go to plan, many establishments have asked people to book in advance. Table reservations are a sensible idea, it helps pubs gauge how many customers they will have and at what times. And it should help remove the issue of people turning up unannounced only to then be left frustrated when turned away. But it only works as a system if those same drinkers use it properly. Sadly, that isn’t always the case.

In today’s Echo, one seafront publican explains how a number of ‘no-shows’ at the weekend led to a disappointing Saturday. And with some pubs incurring the additional cost of employing more staff to operate a table service system, the last thing they need is for people to make bookings and then not turn up. Of course, people will have lots of different reasons for booking a table in a beer garden and then not attending. But, where possible, the right thing to do would be to inform the venue and thus allow them to offer it to someone else.

We’d call that good ‘table manners’.