‘Freedom?’ There’ll be a halfway house stance for a great many pubs
Attempts to weigh up what it will be like at the local when restrictions are largely lifted on Monday
WELL, here we go with “normal” on Monday then – but it will remain a different sort of normal for most pubs. The Government’s lifting of restrictions is loaded with “recommendations” and “guidance” but, at the time of writing, precious little detail as to how they think the hospitality sector should proceed.
Most conscientious licensees will work it out for themselves and, from what I am seeing and hearing, it will be something of a halfway house for most of them, easing back towards normality but being mindful of customers who still may wish to be cautious.
Personally, I will welcome the freedom to walk around a pub unrestricted and the opportunity to walk up to the bar and peruse what’s on offer (staff are not always clear about it).
But, when push comes to shove, I have to say my experience of table service and of using an app to order beer was largely positive, once I’d gone through the rigmarole of downloading the app.
I downloaded the app Butlr last year in the Yorkshire Dales, at the very wonderful Devonshire in Grassington, which was the Drover’s in the recent remake of All Creatures Great and Small. Once up and running, it was quick and easy to use.
A couple of weeks ago, I attended my first music gig since lockdown, all seated and socially distanced at the Hairy Dog in Derby to see the fine local band These Wicked Rivers.
Here, they were also using Butlr and, in these circumstances, it worked a treat.
Getting a drink at gigs can be a pain. You’re missing the band, for a start, and it’s often difficult to hear and be heard at the bar.
It was actually my first visit to the Hairy Dog and I was impressed. The list of available drinks was absolutely clear, the service quick and I didn’t miss a note of the music – but of course it relies on people being at a table.
I’ve also found table service – without an app – working well on quiz nights at two of my locals. Remaining seated while the questions are coming is useful.
Whether some pubs will retain table service, or the option for table service, may depend on the extent to which it works for them or their customers.
I’m receiving varied views.
At the Bless in Derby, for example, manager Dec Callaway says the first thing to go will be table service.
It has, he says, been a huge staffing burden. It has cost them a lot to have plenty of staff on nights which have turned out to be very quiet and there has been little pattern to which nights those have been.
Table service is difficult in big, drinks-led pubs with plenty of rooms, like the Bless.
It is less difficult in pubs with a relatively small bar area and in which almost every corner can be seen from the bar, which is one of the reasons Alan Shepherd at the Spread Eagle in Etwall says he loves table service and will retain it.
He told me a few weeks ago that customers who are settled and comfortable in their seats tend to stay longer and spend more – as long as the service is prompt and efficient.
He’ll let people order at the bar but ask them then to sit and have their beer brought to them.
More prevalent, I think, will be a halfway house approach, as detailed by the folk at the renowned Holly Bush at Makeney,who wrote on their Facebook page: “As of July 19, you are now allowed to come and order with us at the bar. We will still be offering our barcode/app ordering which allows you to stay at your table and have your drink brought to you!
“Wearing your mask will now be your decision, we are happy with whatever makes you more comfortable during your Holly Bush experience.”
Emily Bowler at the Smithfield wisely points out that some customers will feel wary of returning without restrictions in place, whereas they had cautiously done so with restrictions.
“I’m excited, but I’m also concerned about the amount of people such a fast relaxation of the rules excludes,” she says.
“A lot of our regulars who have felt safe enough to come, particularly outside, I now fear will no longer feel safe.
“We could find that actually ‘freedom day’ could give many pubs a downturn in trade as people no longer feel safe and, as a result, are excluded.
“We’ll be using our sensitivity and judgement of what’s needed for each individual. If we feel someone might benefit from table service, we’ll do it but we simply can’t staff for those that ‘prefer’ it, I feel it has to be a genuine need.
“We will be setting up a ‘no standing zone’ from the front door to the front corner of the bar, to allow those who are less comfortable free and easy access to the bar and a close exit behind them.
“I’m keen to make sure people enjoy this freedom and have the opportunity to prop up the bar – as long as they can respect others and let those who don’t feel safe have some space.
“There is a huge element of trial and error. We can’t get it right for everyone but we never stop trying.”
Doesn’t that last sentence just sum it up? The pubs to put your trust in are the ones where the licensees and their staff follow that philosophy every day.
Thankfully, we still have many such.
A lot of our regulars who have felt safe enough to come, I now fear will no longer feel safe.
Emily Bowler