HOW CAN YOU BE CLOSED ?

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It’s a mystery (like Toyah) pub tonight.  A mystery how I retained grace under pressure (little Rush reference there) having made a five hour round trip on Saturday for a half I didn’t get.

Plot spoiler – it’s a micro pub.  So you pay a Private Investigator (like the Dire Straits song) to compare evidence before setting off.

What Pub shows;

WhatPub

The Beer Guide shows the same Saturday hours, though suggesting Monday and Tuesday lunchtime scooping possibilities (WARNING: Micro pubs never open on Monday and Tuesday lunchtimes).

There’s no Website, or Twitter of course.  The Facebook photo gallery includes this helpful shot;

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Good grief.  They’re the same hours as on WhatPub.

I even found a phone number on the facebook page.  And called it, twice.  No reply.

But at least the Opening Hours are clearly visible on a sign on the door.

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It was 12.30pm on a Saturday in May. And it was closed. I gave it till 1, and slunk off.

“Probably watching a wedding“, joked a Landlord down the road.

Ha Ha.

Published by retiredmartin

Retired NHS, doing long walks around UK and the world to record the great bits. Focused on Good Beer Guide pubs and live music.

33 thoughts on “HOW CAN YOU BE CLOSED ?”

  2. “(little Rush reference there) ”

    Well done. (thumbs up)

    “having made a five hour round trip on Saturday for a half I didn’t get.”

    Ouch! 😦

    “(like the Dire Straits song)”

    Investigations but… close enough. 😉

    “No reply.”

    For something over two hours away I might be tempted to wait until they answered before setting off.

    But then, if you did that, by the time you got there they’d be closed again! (LOL)

    ““Probably watching a wedding“, joked a Landlord down the road.”

    Sad if true. But I’m guessing from the Landlord bit you still managed to have a pint? 🙂

    Cheers

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    1. Couldn’t agree more – but too many pubs think the normal rules of business don’t apply to them. At least this one displayed its hours outside, even if it didn’t adhere to them 🙄

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    1. Don’t ruin it. I have to go back there 😉. And for all I know the owner could be lying at the foot of the stairs being eaten by his cat. Failing that, a handwritten note on the door explaining it’s closure would have been courteous.

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  5. Obviously a business run by a single person who has childcare issues and a partner who works elsewhere or is a single parent. Obviously the Saturday childcare provision fell through when you visited.
    Some people will slate me for saying this, but there are some things you can’t actually do when you have children whose needs can’t be put before pub opening times!

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      1. Sadly Martin, and I have managed great numbers of people with childcare issues who are doing their hardest to juggle work and family life; they are often so thinly spread that any issues arising are often panic situations. This is compounded by the daily stress of trying to manage everything, hence only the big things get done. It’s a fact of modern life, if they didn’t work they couldn’t have the sort of life style they desire, although one wonders sometimes whether they would be better sacrificing some of the material things to enjoy life more?

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      2. I’m entirely sympathetic to the needs of childcare. Gave up fulltime Finance Director position myself to look after James. My problem is with signage. Just put a sign up ” Open as time allows” and we’ll know where we stands. Went to another one last night which had changed opening times without notice. Nowt wrong with a hobby.

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      3. But if they had only answered the phone Martin could have served himself, left the money behind the bar and ‘looked after’ the little brats for half an hour.

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    2. Of course unforeseen circumstances may happen, but if you’re running a customer-facing business, unless it’s a dire emergency, surely you can make at least some effort to let customers know. Childcare duties don’t stop you posting a quick message on Facebook, or even taking the sprog down to the bar for a few minutes to put a sign up in the window. And, at the end of the day, customers aren’t really bothered about your problems.

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      3. That’s the reality of it – if you are in business and you say you are going to be open and you’re not then you will lose every customer who turns up while you are closed. Except of course manic pub tickers who are compelled to return.

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  7. Feel for you – horrible when that happens. Is that Worthing? Accept Richard’s comments but it is a consequence of hobby/part-time publicans running such enterprises. Sure you are back in the saddle!

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  9. I love the fact that according to What Pub Camra members get a 20% discount on a Tuesday lunchtime. It was also closed when I tried to visit recently. Luckily a nearby micro that rhymes with my name was open.

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