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Not so hospitable hospitality...
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I don't drink so I don't go into pubs unless for a meal and that's once in a blue moon.
In a previous role I was working in at least a dozen pubs every day and it was always easy to see who made a good landlord and had an ability to make people welcome. It was just as easy to see those who didn't want to be there but were in it for the money back when pubs were profitable or they were just keeping the place open because it had been handed down to them.
Just listened to a short discussion on RTE about a newspaper article claiming Dublin pub culture has lost its lustre not because of prices but because of the cold welcome given to customers in recent years.
Comparisons were made with similar pubs in Belfast where they felt the atmosphere was much warmer and much more welcoming.
As a non drinker I don't have any experience of this but is it really that noticeable? |
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I haven't noticed much of a change.. There have always been cranky barmen and landlords.. Some would do well to realise a pub is shortened for public house.. As in members of the public can enjoy a drink without being accosted.. In short there have always been pubs where bar staff are known to be rude.. Its not a new phenomenon.. |
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I think the barman trade is next to gone. Being a barman isn't just about pulling pints.
The barmen of old would actually talk to you, be it about the headlines on the front page of the tabloid rag on the counter or the local football game.
Now most won't even make eye contact and haven't the ability to take multiple orders at once from 2 or 3 at the bar.
Because of the lack of staff, any egit can get a job behind a bar, but being a proper barman, I'm afraid they can't.
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Although I know some customers can be right d*cks, I hate rude waiters/bar staff. It's their job to promote the business and make the customers want to come back. I wouldn't return somewhere I didn't feel welcome. |
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"I don't mind gruff barstaff but a gruff waiter/waitress would ruin your night. We usually tip but on occasion lately have decided not to, because of the abysmal service and non-existent smile."
Two of my kids work in an hotel and during the various lockdowns had to take part in online training courses as part of an ongoing customer relation programme.
Since schools and universities started back they lost numerous staff and have been struggling to replace them.
As a result people with little or no experience have been promoted to positions they have never been trained for and the pressure is intense. |
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By *erticalMan
over a year ago
dark side of the moon |
Back in the day if you googled the term “ party animal” a picture of me would come up. Now i am a take it or leave it man, funerals and xmas scoups with mates sees me through. In my opinion a good landlord/ landlady at the helm yes 1., a good feeling about the place 2. Decent bunch of customers to add the comradery 3. Super clean toilets4. And of course a decent level of eye candy5. |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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I kind of follow where the best bands play and hospitality second.
In my locals there is a massive difference between them a couple remember what you drink and look after you and some just don't care.
There seems to be a staff merry-go-round which I think does take away from it. |
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By *og-ManMan
over a year ago
somewhere |
Ive only ever had 3 pubs where the barman and bouncers knew my first name ...different locals at different stages of my life and all enjoyable
If I'm in a pub nowadays it's usually for food rather than drink
On Wednesday night at our social the staff were excellent apart from 2 new people being trained who unfortunately forgot a drink twice for Devine
The manager actually came out and gave her a free drink and an apology to make up for it and that saved everything
Good staff are getting really difficult to find even on €13.00 an hour in Dublin |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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Same as you RB, I’m not a drinker so don’t frequent them very much. I have noticed that the smaller rural pubs haven’t lost their charm or intimacy, while in towns or cities, your just another number. Small sample size over a long period, but my two cents none the less. |
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I know of a pub that has had a few landlords in it’s time, since living here the landlord at the time was adored the place was buzzing, and although it wasn’t a big establishment it was always busy.
Than the landlord left the place lost its sparkle and bit by bit the pub lost its credibility.
Two other landlords took it over and still it didn’t regain much business, it turned into the pub you went too if no where else to go. The latest landlord came in a few months before lockdown (bad timing )
But in that time revamped the place, new ideas and even in times like this, it’s getting known as a good pub with a friendly atmosphere….. was waiting lists to get into and all when reopened. |
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By *ustBoWoman
over a year ago
Somewhere in Co. Down |
I did bar work for a few years and mostly I enjoyed it but I often had to work with the landlords daughter who was really rude to customers it got so bad most customers wouldn't even let her serve them and some would leave when she came behind the bar as her attitude would ruin the night for them .
It's your job to be pleasant to people even people you don't particularly like. |
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By *asual777Man
over a year ago
i travel all over |
There has been a massive deterioration post pandemic , which l have observed here , the U.K. and the continent. I suspect that losing staff who were on the PUP and decided not to come back or move to a different sector , and having to re open unpredictably as restrictions relaxed sometimes without much warning is a lot to do with it . |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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Worked in the bars for over 18 years and was awesome at it, last 8 years part time while studying. However eat out to help out put me over the edge and I quit. People lost all common sense for a discount. I lost it with idiots and was still nice and warm to people that werent assholes. The company i worked for also were dicks. But hard after spending 9-12 hours on feet with balloons everywhere. There has been a massive rise in Karen's over the years, so always on edge incase we get a 1 star review because the heating was 1 degree off what it should be or the candle wasnt the right height and now also everyone is a critic. Customers have changed massively over the years. I could write a book on karen complaints I've had in recent years  |
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"Worked in the bars for over 18 years and was awesome at it, last 8 years part time while studying. However eat out to help out put me over the edge and I quit. People lost all common sense for a discount. I lost it with idiots and was still nice and warm to people that werent assholes. The company i worked for also were dicks. But hard after spending 9-12 hours on feet with balloons everywhere. There has been a massive rise in Karen's over the years, so always on edge incase we get a 1 star review because the heating was 1 degree off what it should be or the candle wasnt the right height and now also everyone is a critic. Customers have changed massively over the years. I could write a book on karen complaints I've had in recent years "
I supplied the licensed trade for more than 20 years and most places had one member of staff who was rude and ignorant and in a lot of cases that was the owner. They made customers feel they were doing them a favour by allowing them on the premises.
In the last 18 months I've been supplying restaurants and coffee shops and staff turnover has been unbelievable.
I agree about the eat out to help out scheme. It just sucked the life out of the hospitality sector and the staff had little or no enthusiasm afterwards.
The demands it placed on people was ridiculous and even though as an independent supplier it helped us increase turnover by almost 200 percent it has led to many months of complete burnout and 6 and 7 day weeks.
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This appeared on my fb feed just by coincidence this morning
"You can always tell when a person has worked in a restaurant. There's an empathy that can only be cultivated by those who've stood between a hungry mouth and a $28 pork chop, a special understanding of the way a bunch of motley misfits can be a family. Service industry work develops the "soft skills" recruiters talk about on LinkedIn — discipline, promptness, the ability to absorb criticism, and most important, how to read people like a book. The work is thankless and fun and messy, and the world would be a kinder place if more people tried it. With all due respect to my former professors, I've long believed I gained more knowledge in kitchens, bars, and dining rooms than any college could even hold."
- Anthony Bourdain |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"This appeared on my fb feed just by coincidence this morning
"You can always tell when a person has worked in a restaurant. There's an empathy that can only be cultivated by those who've stood between a hungry mouth and a $28 pork chop, a special understanding of the way a bunch of motley misfits can be a family. Service industry work develops the "soft skills" recruiters talk about on LinkedIn — discipline, promptness, the ability to absorb criticism, and most important, how to read people like a book. The work is thankless and fun and messy, and the world would be a kinder place if more people tried it. With all due respect to my former professors, I've long believed I gained more knowledge in kitchens, bars, and dining rooms than any college could even hold."
- Anthony Bourdain"
Agree 100%! Resilence is a big one |
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"This appeared on my fb feed just by coincidence this morning
"You can always tell when a person has worked in a restaurant. There's an empathy that can only be cultivated by those who've stood between a hungry mouth and a $28 pork chop, a special understanding of the way a bunch of motley misfits can be a family. Service industry work develops the "soft skills" recruiters talk about on LinkedIn — discipline, promptness, the ability to absorb criticism, and most important, how to read people like a book. The work is thankless and fun and messy, and the world would be a kinder place if more people tried it. With all due respect to my former professors, I've long believed I gained more knowledge in kitchens, bars, and dining rooms than any college could even hold."
- Anthony Bourdain
Agree 100%! Resilence is a big one "
Totally agree with this too 
Having worked in the hospitality industry brings understanding and empathy but it also brings an expectation of at least a smile from your server. There's no guarantee if even that these days |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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Having worked, briefly, behind a bar during my student days, I'll never take hospitality (or retail) staff for granted. It was probably the hardest job I ever had - having to deal with d*unk, often obnoxious people after 12 midnight was an absolute nightmare.
I'm not surprised the industry is experiencing staff shortages tbh, awful work for awful pay  |
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"I drink almost exclusively in Fibber Magees in Dublin and staff and regular customers are like a big family. Wonderful staff and management who really make you feel at home. "
We nearly always end up in fibbers when we are in Dublin. Couldn't agree more. They are really friendly and good craic. The one and only time we managed to get a non-fab girl back to our hotel for a theesome was in there so happy memories  |
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"I drink almost exclusively in Fibber Magees in Dublin and staff and regular customers are like a big family. Wonderful staff and management who really make you feel at home.
We nearly always end up in fibbers when we are in Dublin. Couldn't agree more. They are really friendly and good craic. The one and only time we managed to get a non-fab girl back to our hotel for a theesome was in there so happy memories "
Oh I'd say we've definitely crossed paths then haha
Hahaha fair play. They're an unusual bunch in fibbers so I'm not surprised to hear you had luck there |
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