Pub Rules

At this time of year when many people are off work and venturing out to their local pub in the evenings I'm reminded of the reasons why that peculiarly British establishment can be so brilliant and yet also, on occasion, the opposite. I'm talking about things that can wreck the traditional pub atmosphere; as the old saying goes, never work with animals or children, that's also a good rule of thumb when it comes to many pubs in my view.

There are exceptions of course, when the boozer is in the middle of the countryside and surrounded by a glorious garden or fields then dogs and kids present fewer issues, but in a crowded town or city centre establishment they invariably just irritate. When the pub in question markets itself as a "Sports Bar" then big TV screens showing the football/rugby are to be expected or when an establishment has a unique feature, for example, games like shuffle-board or pool/snooker etc. then fair enough, these are specialist pubs that attract a particular crowd!

I tend to avoid places (like the plague) where I know there's a high likelihood of kids running around and dogs snarling at each other (especially in Winter and activity moves indoors), for me these things aren't conducive to conversation, relaxation and serenity, all things I tend to look for in a good pub! An environment in which to take ones time, converse with friends and family and (ideally) savour well made beer!

The problem is a classic one, you can't please all the people, all the time but perhaps a good compromise for generic pubs is to have some kind of watershed for kids and dogs? For example, 7pm, beyond which the space becomes adults only. In places where there's a limited selection of venues this would be fair, no one wants someone else's tired irritable child or yapping pooch impinging on their hard earned down-time as the evening matures. The worst case scenario is a pub that tries to be all things to all people. I happened to be walking home from the train station the other evening and felt inclined (i.e. it's holiday season) to drop into a pub en route to catch up on emails. The place in question is a place that stocks a pretty reasonable selection of craft beers and also has comfy armchairs and sofas, it's a generic pub/bar, perfect to read the paper or catch up on email etc. Unfortunately they have a pro-kid, pro-dog policy and no watershed. I approached front door at about 7:30 pm and without even entering knew that on this occasion I would pass, the place sounded like the kennels at Battersea Dogs Home! Horrendous, I kept walking.

Of course, I understand that not everyone has the same perspective on the ideal pub as me! For some people they are simply all-day public spaces in which to meet other families and to let the kids/dogs off the leash for a couple of hours, and that's fine, but I think it's good that some places have firm rules about this kind of thing and others are more relaxed choice and clear policies are key, then, at least you know what you're getting for your cash and can plan accordingly.