Poor hospitality
We arrived on a busy Saturday lunchtime—this was the first pub we visited that day and our first drinks order. We are all in our 50s and simply wanted to enjoy a beer and catch up. While waiting at the bar, which didn’t take long, one of my friends overheard a member of the bar team refer to us as “dickheads.”
My friend challenged the comment calmly, giving the staff member an opportunity to clarify or correct what she had said. Instead, she repeated the remark without any explanation. We were surprised and assumed she must have mistaken us for someone else.
The staff member then spoke to who appeared to be the bar manager—a tall Irish man. He approached us immediately in an intimidating and hostile manner. Rather than attempting to de-escalate the situation, his attitude escalated it further. We tried to explain that there must have been a misunderstanding, but he was unwilling to listen, and the atmosphere became increasingly uncomfortable. Ultimately, it was left to us to calm the situation and step back.
This is not the standard of behaviour I would expect in a family-friendly establishment. A manager should demonstrate strong hospitality skills and set an example for the team. Based on this experience, it appears further customer-service training may be needed to ensure guests are treated with respect.
Unfortunately, I will not be returning until improvements are made.