The latest trend I’ve spotted in quite a number of pubs is, instead of spreading beermats out on the table, to make a little stack of them in the centre where once there would have been an ashtray. Perhaps this saves a minute amount of work for the staff, but it means you have to grab one to put under your pint. Given that it’s not an isolated instance, you have to wonder whether there’s a magazine column somewhere on “pointless things to do to make your pub look a bit different”.
You're lucky to see beer mats these days. My locals have removed them because youngsters tend to shred them, leaving piles of cardboard on the floor.
ReplyDeleteSpoons don't have mats, but pretty much all the more traditional pubs do. I always thought getting rid of mats was a misguided attempt to appear "modern".
ReplyDeleteIf barstaff wiped tables when they cleared glasses, as they do on the continent it would be less of an issue.
ReplyDeleteOne of the nice things about a service culture isn't just getting table service, but a clean table.
UK punters appear grateful for piss poor service. Some even take their own glasses back to the bar! FFS.
I quite like having to reach for my beermat, in the same way I liked those crisps where you had to open the little bag of salt and shake it over the crisps yourself.
ReplyDeleteIt's not a bad thing as such (unlike completely dispensing with mats) but I'm just curious as to where these ideas come from and how they spread.
ReplyDeleteBeermats are essential for folding up and sticking under wonky tables.
ReplyDeleteI saw this on one of those "improvement" shows, so perhaps some publicans did as well?
ReplyDeleteI still see a lot of pubs using beer mats in the US. And they more personalized beer mats. Some beer bran would sponsor them like Beer Lite.
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