ben_haines_london

People on this forum were ssking what one does in pubs. There is a good and detailed guide to pub etiquette at http://www.sirc.org/publik/pub.html

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m_kingdom

Ettiquette and pub, the first time the two have been coupled in one sentence I'm sure.

lweber

Great site. Serious analysis of the pub dance.

flanneruk

m_kingdom:

Can you think of anywhere it's easier to get the etiquette wrong? Or where getting wrong guarantees so frequently you won't get what you came for?

There's one pub I know where the skeleton is the corner is a tourist still insisting, 25 years on, that he's got a right to expect to be served at the table, just like back home.

Intrepid

A very interesting and informative site, Ben, and thanks for posting this. I suppose some will think the contents speak volumes about British Society as a whole...or at least one aspect of it.

m_kingdom

One would call it more common sense, or know how. Ettiquette suggests much more formality and elegance - something which does not seem wholly appropriate to a pub'.

AllyPally

Thanks Ben, I have read some of the section on The Opposite Sex with great interest. Just the other day, I went into my local to wait for BF and it was very busy, i.e. no seats. I had no choice but to stand at the bar, something I really hate doing. I waited for some seats to become available, hovered without being too obnoxious, and when some seats came up, they were grabbed by the surrounding men. It was very annoying. Nothing I could do about it. It wasn't because my legs were tired. I just didn't want to stand at the bar. I ended up reading my filofax in order to send off 'leave me alone' signals!!!!

But I do buy my rounds!

david_west

There should be a section called "Laws you would enact when you become King, on pain of death (or tinfoil in the fillings)"

Here are some of mine: Don't use credit cards for god's sake - you knew you were going to the pub. Get some money. And if you get cash back; it should be a flogging offence to pay for any subsequent drinks with a card.

Unless you are Irish and over 60, do not order Guinness in a busy pub.

Its a pub - people smoke in pubs. Get over it. Now.

In the gents do not stand next to another man unless absolutely necessary.

Only the landlord is allowed to use phrases like "cheer up it might never happen" etc.

any others?

earl30

that last one has me a little confused, mate. If your not supposed to stand next to another man in the gents, then who? I rarely have the opportunity to stand next to a woman in the gents.

david_west

I mean if there is a choice, ie a vacant space that doesn't require standing next to another chap.

THis is the sort of thing I mean:

http://www.drinknation.com/urinaltest.php

I'd also have a law banning Robbie Williams from the Juke Box.

matthew

Quite accurate isn't it.
Just one thing so far - if you say "and yours" (ie offering to buy a drink) to the bar staff where I come from (North West England), this will normally be taken as a 10-20 pence tip applied to your total and dropped noisily into a tip glass somewhere behind the bar (ie not a full priced drink.) It's difficult to know which they will go for in a given area of the country.
The buy a whole drink thing seems more common in the south of England.

flanneruk

The tipping thing in pubs, I'd suggest, is a bit of a red herring for most visitors.

Yes, Matthew's right: the culture of "one for yourself" varies much more between pubs than the SIRC book implies.

But it's the exception everywhere. Typically you offer the bar person a drink when there's some kind of relationship - like a conversation that's been going on for some time, or a collective celebration. No Brit - even the most generous tipper in other countries - will offer a drink to a barperson somewhere they've just stopped for lunch on a journey.

The general ruke for overseas visitors, I'd suggest, is simply: don't tip (ie offer the staff a drink) in pubs, unless your British drinking companions are offering the staff a drink when it's their round.

Indeed it's arguable that this is the only occasion a visitor needs to be aware of any kind of code in Britain.

Ann41

I always find it strange when I go to England to visit friends that the etiquette in pubs is different than in Ireland. The biggest thing is that they actually seem to obey licensing laws in England. We're used to being in the pub until at least 2 in Ireland, and it's weird to have to get last rounds in at 11.

Patrick

UH-oh, I'm not fully Irish and I'm under 60, so guess I've really been screwing up ordering Guinness. What's that all about? And why only if over 60?

Kath

A quote from Ben's article (pet peeves of bartenders):

People who order the Guinness last.? (Guinness and other stouts such as Beamish, Murphy?s and Gillespie?s take a while to pour and settle. Always order these drinks first, so that the bar staff can allow them to settle while preparing the rest of the round.)

JudyC

Interesting articles.

Never realized it is so complicated to go to a pub!

PatrickLondon

My 'dictator's rules' would be

- if you're buying a round, get the order straight before you get to the bar, and if necessary write it down (I hate people who try to order drinks in committee)

- if the bar's getting crowded, move away once you've got your drink (especially if there's more than one of you) and give the thirsty people a chance to order.

And there's more, especially on coffee bars, but that would have to be a different thread.

david_west

The observation of closing time is a very hit and miss affair, plenty of pubs wil offer "lock-ins" ie after hours drinks - but this is usually just for the regulars.

More rules:

It should be a crime to have a television playing some pointless foreign sport in an english pub (especialy yank motor racing which seems to be on(silently) all the time).

Ladies:- whilst I am always very happy to see you in pubs, please don't think that gives you the right to talk about football. We don't talk about sex and the city in shops do we?

And all rugby players and fans of rugby are henceforth barred from all pubs. They may, if they want, carry on their revolting practices in specialist, members only, bars.

It will also be a crime to look over my shoulder when I am playing the quiz machine.

All pubs will be forced to have a pub dog. preferably a labrador or golden retriever (red setter at a push).

Coffee has no place in a pub. None whatsoever.

rquirk

Making contact with the locals:

Always ensure that you make proper contact with the locals by showing some interest in them.

It is polite to ask them the question 'What ya lookin' at?'

Kate

Note to "regulars":
Just because you and your mates regard yourselves as regulars, don't assume that you can spend all night blocking the bar by using it as your personal table. And you're boring the barstaff.

Note to bar staff (particularly young girls):
Just because there is a man (any man) stood behind me at the bar doesn't mean you should serve him first when you've been ignoring me for 10 minutes.