London pub help,please
 

I know this is a dumb question, but I'd really like to know..........

When entering a pub or very casual restaurant, do you seat yourselves or wait to be seated?

Thanks!
Suzy

You seat yourself in a pub. And you order your drink at the bar and take it to your table. If you order food, you do so at the bar as well. They will bring the food to your table when it's ready - sometimes they give you a number, sometimes you just indicate where it is you're sitting (sometimes there's a number on the table).
No tipping either... unless you're drinking there for more than a couple and then you might offer to buy the barperson a drink.
There are some older threads on this topic if you want to to do a search.

i just returned fom london today,,yes the pub amswers are correct..but as i just answered another message...pubs stop serving food at 9 pm on most days and 7pm on sunday..after that they only serve beer till 11pm..this was unusual for us as we enjoy eating late, but u need to eat around their schedules...we found out the hard way !!!also , to add to the previous response, u also most of the time need to get ur own condiments...including ur knife and forks and anything else u might need..these are all located in the same area which the bartender will point u too....the word "service" is not well known over there as it is in the states....

<i>&quot;...pubs stop serving food at 9 pm on most days and 7pm on sunday..after that they only serve beer till 11pm... we found out the hard way!!!&quot;</i>

And some pubs don't serve food at all on Sunday evenings. We also found this out the hard way. :)

I 2/3s agree with the folks above.

Of the few pubs (12-14) I have visited, over half took the food orders at the table. When I get my drink, I ask where to place a food order.

Keith

&quot;the word &quot;service&quot; is not well known over there as it is in the states....&quot;

Billy, this is the custom in pubs. You get served perfectly well in cafes and restaurants, but pubs are pubs! It has nothing to do with the British sense of service.

I think people sometimes forget that pubs have always been about drinking - food is a modern by-product, so you shouldn't expect restaurant service or hours for pub food. I can remember a time when few pubs did food at all, and then only at lunchtimes.

I agree with Kate, eating in a pub is totally informal, therefore the idea of restaurant service is not necessary, there is no waiter sucking up to you for a tip, order and pay for the food at the bar some pubs may let you open a tab and keep your cc number for payment at the end.Check out the table number which may be on a brass badge somewher on the table, other pubs give something like a coloured wooden spoon with a number on so the waitress can deliver correctly.
Above all food in UK pubs is pretty good value although it may not be a gastronomic delight like you would get at home, its still perfectly acceptable in many places, and if you find its not, then tell them !
Food takes up a large proportion of their profit these days and most landlords/managers really want to do it well.

Bon appetite

Mucky

My personal experience in pubs is order at the bar, wait for drink, take drink to table, drink the drink!

Suse.....you're leaving tomorrow aren't you? Have a great trip!!!!