Regardless of where you live in the world, the Covid-19 pandemic left an indelible mark and, like a bad hangover, many of its effects are still visible today. One of the effects that we are still seeing in Canada is the increased division between people in public spaces. Even though most public health orders have been relaxed back to pre-pandemic levels, we have not seen a return to the relaxed, intermingled atmosphere that was such a key feature of our most beloved drinking establishments! The Perspex dividers might be gone, and our ‘bubbles’ can now be whatever size we choose them to be, but the legacy of division and separation remains.
Just last week I was visiting a local brewery with a small group of friends for a drink. We entered and rather than simply ordering from the bar, we were directed to a table on the far side of the brewery. We proceeded over to the proffered table and then waited…
and waited…
and waited…
Eventually, we gave up on a server ever coming to take our order and returned to the bar. We were frustrated, thirsty, and no closer to having a pint in our hands. I for one would like to say to our local breweries: ditch the table service! I’m perfectly happy with ordering and paying for my drinks at the bar and you can run a far more efficient and lean operation at the same time.
There are many reasons why table service makes no sense at a local brewery. For one, it slows everything down in what should be a very simple process. I spent my early drinking life in the United Kingdom, a country renowned for its cosy pubs and bars. People travel across the world to experience these places and they have perfected the process. In a British pub, you show up, buy a beer at the bar and then go and find somewhere to stand or sit. If it’s busy you line up and the bartender gets to you when it’s your turn. Maybe you could even strike up a conversation with the person next to you? Pubs are meant to be places where people can mingle; where you can have a chat with a random stranger; where you can watch the game and share in the camaraderie of a shared experience.
Bar service makes things so much simpler for the breweries too! One or two staff members can now attend to the whole place. Prices across the board are shooting up, and you’d think it would be a no brainer for breweries to make more efficient use of their staff. The beer is at the bar, the menu is behind the bar, the payment terminal is at the bar. Why not make patrons come to you, rather than expend the extra staff, time and resources to take everything to them?
Breweries are facing increasing struggles in North America as fewer people choose to go out and costs continue to skyrocket, but it is poor experiences like the one above that make people choose to have that cheaper beer at home rather than pay to sit at someone else’s table.
Simply Beer 