April 2024. St. Albans.
An evening in St. Albans, Social Club, trad pub, Wetherspoons.
The Spoons was packed.
The Waterend Barn is one of the JDW joys, a, er, barn of a place that draws in all human life.
An Amy Winehouse tribute had just finished at the theatre next door, and I had to wait nearly two minutes for service at the bar as young ladies shouting their shots orders wrestled for attention.
The young barman, who’d missed me standing patiently with CAMRA 50p voucher in outstretched palm, was mortified.
“So sorry, mate. Missed you in the carnage”. Young people are great.
So is Mrs RM, dutifully ignoring me as I turned up with my pint of Old Empire (3.5).
I ordered her a third glass of Shiraz and pudding with my late tea,
and she suddenly noticed me.
You can say a lot against Spoons, but you won’t get curry and a pint at 11pm many places in the Home Counties, I wager
Or a can of craft (I really didn’t need) under £4 either.
Elsewhere, the beer of mature choice seemed to be Bud Light.
And that’s OK. In fact, it’s what’s pubs are all about.
They could still do with some help collecting glasses, mind.
retiredmartin 
we had breakfast in there once – full of pensioners drinking coffee to the extent that they ran out of mugs- I even scoured the tables to find a used one to wash in the loos . I failed. My breakfast spoiled- was a meal deal too. Pauline
LikeLiked by 1 person
Didn’t Tim promote that Great Scheme for sending all his staff “home”, Pauline?
Seems to have worked, doesn’t it?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sir Timbo’s profits were up by 31 million smackeroos last year.
He employs 43,000 people.
Many were previously ‘not in employment, education or training’ who end up working for the company for years.
He has no trouble finding staff.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, Anon, he just says things like this for a laugh eh?
“…Wetherspoons boss Tim Martin has called for more EU migration to help tackle the shortage of bar staff working in the UK.
The pro-Brexit multimillionaire urged Boris Johnson to introduce a “reasonably liberal immigration system” controlled by Britain rather than the European Union.
He recommended the prime minister adopt a visa scheme for workers from the bloc to help the country’s pubs and restaurants hire more staff as they recover from the coronavirus pandemic.”…”
LikeLike
You lost Brexit. He won.
And he’s still filthy rich.
Get over it Hiroo Onoda. It’s never going to be reversed.
Mwah,ha,ha.
LikeLike
Everyone of any culture, enlightened outlook, and general goodwill towards humanity lost, First Anon. Yes, the “lads” who wasted their education smoking behind the bike sheds got their once-in-a-lifetime chance to take a jab at those who didn’t, and whom they imagine stopped them from wolf-whistling women from their scaffolding.
Get over it. It will never be reversed.
LikeLike
My niece works in our local Spoons. Every morning an old guy comes in, sits upstairs at the back and orders coffee via the app, meaning she has to take an empty mug all the way up to him, which he then has to bring all the way down to fill at the machine on the bar before going back up. Progress.
Marston’s Old Empire always a good choice in Spoons. Stronger ales always more popular.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Keeps your niece fit though.
LikeLike
AP,
Of the three dozen or so beers on Tim’s national guest beer list at the end of last year Marstons Old Empire was the one I’d go for given the choice.
The Bridge in Brewood is the only pub I know with it on permanently.
LikeLike
Conwy Golden Gate? Wasn’t that Nethergate Golden Gate?
LikeLike
Nethergate Golden Gate is a 4.5% premium bitter, brewed in Suffolk.
Conwy Golden Gate is a 5.5% “quad hopped American IPA”, brewed in north Wales.
Short answer: no 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person