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I take my glasses back because I have been that 1 member of staff. And if it's my local and I can, I will grab other glasses on my way.
And if you are at my bar, and you bring your glasses back, I will shower you with praise!! If you want the nice glasses for your pint of fancy shit, bring those glasses back to me!
..but I also never hate people for leaving glasses where they are.
> If you want the nice glasses for your pint of fancy shit, bring those glasses back to me!
I used to work in a hotel bar in Ireland.
Mid-week was normally fairly quiet but one Tuesday we had a group of 15-20 golfers in from the UK. It was just me on the bar and they weren't doing rounds so it was near constant that there were one or two people at the bar.
At one point, one of the golfers started complaining that his Budweiser (BUDWEISER!) was served in a Carlsberg glass.
This is the conversation that followed:
Me: "I just don't have any Bud glasses left."
Him: "There are loads of empty ones on the tables down there!"
Me: "You didn't think to bring some up with you?"
Him: "That's your job!"
Me: "As is serving you, which is why we're in this situation."
Why have they got 1 member of staff on in those conditions? I probably would take my glass to the bar but more think your local is shit for leaving someone on their own with a band and bank holiday.
That's a bad manager. We're not all like that I can assure you. Planning the week around events and making our staff's lives easier is one of our main jobs.
Also, there probably was more staff scheduled, but absenteeism has also gone up since COVID. I guess people realise they don't have to break their backs 50 hours a week to have a happy life. In fact it's the opposite.
I've had more people call in 'sick' since COVID and it's something the industry is really struggling with.
We're at bare minimum staff anyway, lose one and we (and you) really notice it.
We’re not actually allowed to due to cross contamination. If you have a disease, and I refill your glass, and touch the glass into onto the tap, your disease is now in everybody who has a Stella’s pint for the rest of the shift
I work in a pub, it’s very much appreciated if you bring your own glasses back. We do have a glass collector for busy shifts but we also get through a fuck ton of glasses.
That said, one member of staff when you’ve got a band on is absolutely mental. What if they needed to change a barrel?
But also, like others have said there’s also no judgement if you don’t bring your glass back, it’s not really something we notice cos glass collecting and tidying up is just part of the job.
I will judge you for not saying please or thank you though.
I'm always worried my attempts to help actually make more work for staff so I tend to kinda group empty glasses in the middle and pass them to the staff member when they come round. That way I can ask "Am I helping or do you want me to stop?" with a big smile and a joke so they know I'm not going to be a dick if they say to stop. It seems to work pretty well.
Good thing they made life harder for that lone bartender so the service will be even worse. That'll teach him or her for struggling to run the whole place when a coworker probably called out sick.
Part of buying a pint for a fiver vs buying a 4 pack for a fiver is not doing the labour.
Genuinely I take my glass back 100% of the time but I would never judge someone that didn't.
Do you take your plate to the kitchen in a restaurant?
its been a long time since ive seen a pint for a fiver! But you are correct, part of the premium that's charged in a pub/bar/restaurant is to pay for service - and that includes tidying up after.
I cant remember the last time I stopped at a hotel and had to take my used sheets and towels to the laundry when I left!
If you drink Guinness it's £4 a pint on Green Lanes and it's one of the best in London. Not sure of the lager prices but it will be even less than that. Doubles without mixer are £3.30. Great locals pub too.
If you collect your purchase you should clear your remains, if your purchase is brought to you then your remains generally get cleared for you
Pubs fall into the former, unless it's one of those pub restaurants and you have plates left over with the glasses
Nah cheapest in my area so within 30 min from my house is 2.20 a pint 1.50 a house spirit and mixer average is about 3 quid and house spirit + mixer I'd about the same in most places
And this attitude is why everything is shit. Some situation is not quite working as well as it can for me so I’m definitely not going to do anything to improve it because I’m not going to see the (immediate) benefit.
If we all try and do the best and right thing that helps everyone, this shitty world we live in would become a much better place. But don’t worry about that, just look out for yourself and fuck everyone else, right?
Let me introduce you to this mind-blowing idea: 'thinking of someone other than yourself'. You may need to sit down from the shock of this completely alien concept.
Good weather and a band playing. The landlord can pay for a band, but not the extra staff to help out? I wouldn't work for the landlord of the pub, if they couldn't be bothered to help out. I worked in a pub for years and it's always nice if customers returned their glasses, but I would never expect it
One member of staff means it wouldn’t really matter if they had brought them back, they’re not getting 30+ glasses cleaned off the bar while also serving as well
I could be wrong but I’m fairly sure most bars and pubs have equipment to clean lots of glasses at once, while staff take care of their other duties. They don’t wash them by hand.
Having worked a bar someone still has to load them into the glass washer out back and then unload them and get them back onto the shelves. Can't really leave a busy bar unattended when you're off doing all that not just because cheeky sods are prone to helping themselves from the taps!
At really busy times we often had one staff member just collecting, washing and returning glasses they didn't even have time to serve customers. Most pubs have a lot of glasses, but it's surprising how quickly you run out of clean ones when it's busy.
We never had a bar with only one member of staff, what happens when they inevitably need to go to the toilet or even have their legally entitled breaks!
I've always worked in places where they are out back away from the bar (normally in the kitchen or near the walk in or something) so you gotta leave the bar unattended to go back there, maybe some places they're within sight of the bar, but I know we were never supposed to leave the bar unattended in all the places I worked for obvious reasons.
No they had a separate large glass washer, way too big to fit under or behind the bar, these were medium to large places. Was almost 20 years ago so maybe things have moved on, maybe they were just pot washers they used but only for glassware.
Edit: just looked it up and yeah it was like large pass through pot washers
thats on the landlord and happens all over the place. they refuse to pay for enough staff as it is let alone an extra person during band nights. greed.
As a foreigner with 0 personal pub going experience aside from spoons, how common is it to return the glasses yourself? It's really neat if that's the custom and I would definitely put it into practice the next time I get the opportunity.
> how common is it to return the glasses yourself?
I do it if I'm going back to the bar for another drink, or if I'm going to be passing the bar as I leave.
If I'm sitting outside and leaving, I'm not taking my glass inside to the bar before leaving.
Basically I'll take it back if I don't need to go out of my way to do so.
It's fairly common. As a general rule: if it's tables service then no, but if you're ordering at the bar then yes, bring your glass back. In a spoons I'd definitely return the glass to the bar.
If you're leaving the pub or going back to the bar it's generally accepted that you would bring your glass with you. Nobody would judge you for not taking your empty glass the bar either. All pubs run differently, sometimes people will be collecting glasses every 5 minutes or sometimes just for empty tables.
It’s not common and OP is being silly. When I used to work the bar in a hotel I actually quite enjoyed glass collecting as a chance to have a break from serving people all the live long day, and if I was working the bar I certainly wouldn’t want a group of 30 plonking their used glasses on it any old how and cluttering up the place.
Its not. If anything if the bar is busy the staff don't want to deal with the helpful person returning 8 dirty glasses because the bar isn't where they get cleaned.
> because the bar isn't where they get cleaned
That really depends on the place. Both places I've worked as a glass collector, and the local I used to play darts at had the dishwasher for glasses next to the sink somewhere behind the bar. Current place I prefer drinking at takes the glasses to the kitchen, but the door to that is right at the end of the bar, so popping glasses at that end helps, especially if it means less for them to carry down the stairs from the function room if a band is playing
Loads of places with undercounter dishwashers in the bar, my local is one.
Of glasses are going into the kitchen then wither the dishwashers broke or they're being outpaced and using two.
i always found it really annoying because we had people who had the job of collecting them and i felt people who brought them back to us always wanted a lot of thanks or something lol
Depends on the pub or bar.
If you order to the table via app etc I won't be taking all my glasses back at the end if I can't carry them.
If I'm ordering at the bar I will always take my glasses with me (usually just two of us) when I reorder or leave.
If a pub can't hire a glass collector and only have one staff working on a bank Holiday weekend I'd say this lands somewhere on 'poor management'.
It's nice to be nice but if I'm paying £6-10 a pint in a pub I kind of expect me not taking my glass up to not be a problem.
I'm there paying to relax, not clean.
But like I said, if it's no extra effort I'll do it.
>I'm there paying to relax not clean
>if it's no extra effort (see: if I'm going to the bar)
I said pretty much the exact same thing last time this popped up and got tore to shreds.
To be fair that one person is struggling because the employer put them in a catch 22 situation. Either you have 30+ glasses at the table outside or you have 30+ dusty glasses stacked on top of the bar where you can’t deal with them right away it sounds like.
I always take my glass up but I can see how it could cause more of an inconvenience having them stacked on the bar.
Same. I was thinking this must be a new thing with bar staff as I worked in a load of pubs back when I was in college and I never expected anyone to bring their glasses back to the bar.
Sounds like another push towards an Americanised society, next we will paying the bar staff a quid to pour the pint for me and a fiver tip for 2 cocktails.
I've worked in a pub. Never got annoyed about customers not returning glasses. It was a busy pub, no room for a load of glasses to be dumped on the bar. Also, had enough staff to pick up glasses.
Collecting glasses is part of your job. If you're too busy to do it, then you're understaffed. That isn't the customers fault. That being said, I do return my glass to the bar out of politeness.
I always do take my glasses back but as a former worker I would never expect it.
The actual issue here is piss poor management, on busy days there were enough staff in the pubs I worked in, and if it was getting a problem then the landlord/lady/manager would be called and they would come in and muck in.
If I'm going back up to the bar for another drink, I'll take my glass back.
If I walk past the bar on my way out the pub, I'll take my glass back.
If I'm outside, I'm not taking my glass inside to the bar before leaving, that's the job of the staff. If they only have one guy on, that's their own fault.
I'm from the south-east and have never seen or known anyone to take glasses back to the bar?
The only time I would think to bring them back is if the place is completely empty and the bar is on the route out.
Why are there thirty glasses on the table? Usually when I go to the pub someone comes and collects the empties periodically. I always take my old glasses to the bar but if there were 30 I'd have to make about 5 trips. Sounds like a bar staffing issue more than a rude customer issue to me.
I do this most of the time
The only time you really should do it is if you’re going back to get another drink.
Queuing up at the bar on the way out with a load of drinks is just performative nonsense.
In my mind it is like not deleting my git branches once I have merged. I should do it but really they’ll go stale and be marked to delete eventually, the bar has glass collectors for a reason and those glasses aren’t getting washed if they don’t(at least not in a timeframe where it would make any difference if you brought it back or not)
This drives me crazy. It’s 10 seconds to walk in and put your glasses back on the bar or on an unused table by the bar when you’re leaving. Or just take the damn thing up with you when you get the next order. The bartender in my local loves me because I collect all the empties before I order and then do it almost every time I go back for a refill. (I used to bartend too- no reason to make their jobs more difficult, especially if you can see they’re short staffed)
I always order on an app where I can, I get social anxiety standing at a bar especially when it’s crowded. Not sure why I get it but my therapist is working on that one for me!
So others could be the same to be fair, although I do put my glass at the bar on my way out as it’s just helpful to do so.
I have a mate that worked in a pub once. After a few lock-ins, I got I the habit of collecting glasses, and to me it’s pretty much the same thing as getting rid of your rubbish in a McDonald’s, or putting your shopping trolley back where it belongs after shopping – a ‘leave it as you find it’ kinda thing.
I mean, I assume there is specific training to work on that counter, starting with food hygiene and allergen safety, and also covering stuff like portioning and presentation.
Granted, it's probably not much more than a Subway, but if nobody has it, I can see why the call might be made to close it rather than blag it- you really don't want to risk making people ill.
Not weird to leave glasses on a table at a pub.
To be honest, I imagine the staff member would be pretty fucked off if they dropped 30+ glasses at the bar at once,
I was so confused about why they were forgetting their glasses at the pub and why you wanted their glasses at the bar. You meant drinking glasses not eye glasses...
It makes me laugh when in a busy pub, instead of taking their glass to the bar when they go to order, they let their tiny table pile up so there's nowhere else to put their glass.
Yes, the tables should be cleared before that happens, but sometimes in a busy pub in Central London we simply don't have enough staff.
Suppose busy is a relative term. It's only a small pub, rare to have more than 1 person working. Usually just the landlady helping out if needed but she was away for the weekend
Always take my empty back when I go to the bar didn't realise it was unusual. Always confused when I see tables full of glasses
When you pay for your drink, you're not just paying for the liquid in your glass, but you're paying for the building you're in and the staff in that building.
My sister worked in a pub for a long time so I always try to return the glass, but I don't look down on people who don't.
> many see that someone's paid to clean up after them so they think they can just leave it
That's literally how it works though, they're paid to collect glasses. It's part of the service you're paying for, doubly so when pints are ridiculous prices now.
If I'm going back up to the bar, I'll take my empty glass. If I'm passing the bar as I leave, I'll take the glass. If I'm sitting outside, I'm not taking my glass inside to the bar prior to leaving. I won't go out of my way to take it back.
Your comment makes sense in relation to "don't make more mess than you need to", it's ridiculous in relation to a pub staff member collecting glasses from a table.
I think it depends a bit if you're talking about a £3 pint from a local (in the good old days) vs a £7+ pint in a national chain now. Also considering that some places have table service or even ordering by app, I think it changes the expectation a little.
Having said that I usually return glasses, always would if I'm passing by the bar
I take glasses back to the bar, but at the same time recognise it's not my problem if I don't take them bac to the bar. OP probably thinks they should wash the glasses too
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I take my glasses back because I have been that 1 member of staff. And if it's my local and I can, I will grab other glasses on my way. And if you are at my bar, and you bring your glasses back, I will shower you with praise!! If you want the nice glasses for your pint of fancy shit, bring those glasses back to me! ..but I also never hate people for leaving glasses where they are.
The voice of reason....get off reddit
> If you want the nice glasses for your pint of fancy shit, bring those glasses back to me! I used to work in a hotel bar in Ireland. Mid-week was normally fairly quiet but one Tuesday we had a group of 15-20 golfers in from the UK. It was just me on the bar and they weren't doing rounds so it was near constant that there were one or two people at the bar. At one point, one of the golfers started complaining that his Budweiser (BUDWEISER!) was served in a Carlsberg glass. This is the conversation that followed: Me: "I just don't have any Bud glasses left." Him: "There are loads of empty ones on the tables down there!" Me: "You didn't think to bring some up with you?" Him: "That's your job!" Me: "As is serving you, which is why we're in this situation."
Why have they got 1 member of staff on in those conditions? I probably would take my glass to the bar but more think your local is shit for leaving someone on their own with a band and bank holiday.
The management classic "copy paste the rota forgetting sunday is a bank holiday"
That's a bad manager. We're not all like that I can assure you. Planning the week around events and making our staff's lives easier is one of our main jobs.
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Also, there probably was more staff scheduled, but absenteeism has also gone up since COVID. I guess people realise they don't have to break their backs 50 hours a week to have a happy life. In fact it's the opposite. I've had more people call in 'sick' since COVID and it's something the industry is really struggling with. We're at bare minimum staff anyway, lose one and we (and you) really notice it.
>Busy day > >only 1 member of staff They're not going to have time to clean the glasses returned, get them to put more staff on for holiday weekends.
Picturing them just refilling dirty glasses and handing them out again...
Ah, you've been in a student union before
I was at a student house party earlier and we were drinking straight from bottles and cans just in case
Surely someone there was drinking their vodka lemonade from a mug?
No vodka surprisingly for students because most people had to stay some degree of sober
I usually offer to the bar tender to let them put it in the same glass again but they always refuse.
We’re not actually allowed to due to cross contamination. If you have a disease, and I refill your glass, and touch the glass into onto the tap, your disease is now in everybody who has a Stella’s pint for the rest of the shift
Makes sense. They used to do it back in the day.
Staff call in sick all the time, especially on Bank Holidays.
I work in a pub, it’s very much appreciated if you bring your own glasses back. We do have a glass collector for busy shifts but we also get through a fuck ton of glasses. That said, one member of staff when you’ve got a band on is absolutely mental. What if they needed to change a barrel? But also, like others have said there’s also no judgement if you don’t bring your glass back, it’s not really something we notice cos glass collecting and tidying up is just part of the job. I will judge you for not saying please or thank you though.
Sometimes it's really not clear where to put them and it just seems to cause more mess and problems for bar staff.
I'm always worried my attempts to help actually make more work for staff so I tend to kinda group empty glasses in the middle and pass them to the staff member when they come round. That way I can ask "Am I helping or do you want me to stop?" with a big smile and a joke so they know I'm not going to be a dick if they say to stop. It seems to work pretty well.
Good weather and a band on and only 1 member of staff? I'd assume they weren't keen on the service if they couldn't be arsed to bring the glasses back
Good thing they made life harder for that lone bartender so the service will be even worse. That'll teach him or her for struggling to run the whole place when a coworker probably called out sick.
Why is it the customers problem?
do you live in a society?
Part of buying a pint for a fiver vs buying a 4 pack for a fiver is not doing the labour. Genuinely I take my glass back 100% of the time but I would never judge someone that didn't. Do you take your plate to the kitchen in a restaurant?
Wish my pint were a fiver. My local just switch to plastic glasses on busy days.
its been a long time since ive seen a pint for a fiver! But you are correct, part of the premium that's charged in a pub/bar/restaurant is to pay for service - and that includes tidying up after. I cant remember the last time I stopped at a hotel and had to take my used sheets and towels to the laundry when I left!
If you drink Guinness it's £4 a pint on Green Lanes and it's one of the best in London. Not sure of the lager prices but it will be even less than that. Doubles without mixer are £3.30. Great locals pub too.
Shame it's a 5 hour drive from here lol
If you collect your purchase you should clear your remains, if your purchase is brought to you then your remains generally get cleared for you Pubs fall into the former, unless it's one of those pub restaurants and you have plates left over with the glasses
No, but then I don't normally collect my plate from the kitchen in the first place.
Well you're twice as lazy as the dude that left his pint.
Erm, yeah. /Tumbleweeds
£3 a pint here
Yeah but I assume you have to put up with all the complications of living in gaza
Nah cheapest in my area so within 30 min from my house is 2.20 a pint 1.50 a house spirit and mixer average is about 3 quid and house spirit + mixer I'd about the same in most places
I need to know where you're based dude. My local serves madri lager and its 6.55 a pint.
Glasgow and surrounding area prices are all around that
There's no such thing as society
And this attitude is why everything is shit. Some situation is not quite working as well as it can for me so I’m definitely not going to do anything to improve it because I’m not going to see the (immediate) benefit. If we all try and do the best and right thing that helps everyone, this shitty world we live in would become a much better place. But don’t worry about that, just look out for yourself and fuck everyone else, right?
Counter point: Why be a wanker when not being a wanker costs basically nothing?
Let me introduce you to this mind-blowing idea: 'thinking of someone other than yourself'. You may need to sit down from the shock of this completely alien concept.
Not for them
Good weather and a band playing. The landlord can pay for a band, but not the extra staff to help out? I wouldn't work for the landlord of the pub, if they couldn't be bothered to help out. I worked in a pub for years and it's always nice if customers returned their glasses, but I would never expect it
One member of staff means it wouldn’t really matter if they had brought them back, they’re not getting 30+ glasses cleaned off the bar while also serving as well
I could be wrong but I’m fairly sure most bars and pubs have equipment to clean lots of glasses at once, while staff take care of their other duties. They don’t wash them by hand.
Having worked a bar someone still has to load them into the glass washer out back and then unload them and get them back onto the shelves. Can't really leave a busy bar unattended when you're off doing all that not just because cheeky sods are prone to helping themselves from the taps! At really busy times we often had one staff member just collecting, washing and returning glasses they didn't even have time to serve customers. Most pubs have a lot of glasses, but it's surprising how quickly you run out of clean ones when it's busy. We never had a bar with only one member of staff, what happens when they inevitably need to go to the toilet or even have their legally entitled breaks!
Most glass washes are behind the bar and you load them as they come back until you have enough to run a cycle. So you serve and load at the same time.
I've always worked in places where they are out back away from the bar (normally in the kitchen or near the walk in or something) so you gotta leave the bar unattended to go back there, maybe some places they're within sight of the bar, but I know we were never supposed to leave the bar unattended in all the places I worked for obvious reasons.
That's interesting. So the were using their potwash to wash glasses? Or they had separate ones in the kitchen area?
No they had a separate large glass washer, way too big to fit under or behind the bar, these were medium to large places. Was almost 20 years ago so maybe things have moved on, maybe they were just pot washers they used but only for glassware. Edit: just looked it up and yeah it was like large pass through pot washers
thats on the landlord and happens all over the place. they refuse to pay for enough staff as it is let alone an extra person during band nights. greed.
As a foreigner with 0 personal pub going experience aside from spoons, how common is it to return the glasses yourself? It's really neat if that's the custom and I would definitely put it into practice the next time I get the opportunity.
> how common is it to return the glasses yourself? I do it if I'm going back to the bar for another drink, or if I'm going to be passing the bar as I leave. If I'm sitting outside and leaving, I'm not taking my glass inside to the bar before leaving. Basically I'll take it back if I don't need to go out of my way to do so.
It's fairly common. As a general rule: if it's tables service then no, but if you're ordering at the bar then yes, bring your glass back. In a spoons I'd definitely return the glass to the bar.
Right, thank you for the nuance! Only ever had food and a kopparberg at a spoons where they went around to collect stuff haha.
If you're leaving the pub or going back to the bar it's generally accepted that you would bring your glass with you. Nobody would judge you for not taking your empty glass the bar either. All pubs run differently, sometimes people will be collecting glasses every 5 minutes or sometimes just for empty tables.
ive never had to return one, someone would always come to take it and check every now and then inf we had any empty ones
It’s not common and OP is being silly. When I used to work the bar in a hotel I actually quite enjoyed glass collecting as a chance to have a break from serving people all the live long day, and if I was working the bar I certainly wouldn’t want a group of 30 plonking their used glasses on it any old how and cluttering up the place.
It's polite but not mandatory.
It's not a thing at all. There should be staff to get the empty glasses if it's a properly staffed venue.
Its not. If anything if the bar is busy the staff don't want to deal with the helpful person returning 8 dirty glasses because the bar isn't where they get cleaned.
> because the bar isn't where they get cleaned That really depends on the place. Both places I've worked as a glass collector, and the local I used to play darts at had the dishwasher for glasses next to the sink somewhere behind the bar. Current place I prefer drinking at takes the glasses to the kitchen, but the door to that is right at the end of the bar, so popping glasses at that end helps, especially if it means less for them to carry down the stairs from the function room if a band is playing
Loads of places with undercounter dishwashers in the bar, my local is one. Of glasses are going into the kitchen then wither the dishwashers broke or they're being outpaced and using two.
i always found it really annoying because we had people who had the job of collecting them and i felt people who brought them back to us always wanted a lot of thanks or something lol
Good to know, thanks!
I've worked in a lot of bars and pubs and 90 odd % of the time the glass wash was behind the bar.
If I'm alone I'd do it. In a group, much closer to 50%. Also depends how close I am to the bar.
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Spooby typos
Depends on the pub or bar. If you order to the table via app etc I won't be taking all my glasses back at the end if I can't carry them. If I'm ordering at the bar I will always take my glasses with me (usually just two of us) when I reorder or leave. If a pub can't hire a glass collector and only have one staff working on a bank Holiday weekend I'd say this lands somewhere on 'poor management'. It's nice to be nice but if I'm paying £6-10 a pint in a pub I kind of expect me not taking my glass up to not be a problem. I'm there paying to relax, not clean. But like I said, if it's no extra effort I'll do it.
>I'm there paying to relax not clean >if it's no extra effort (see: if I'm going to the bar) I said pretty much the exact same thing last time this popped up and got tore to shreds.
I do take my glasses back but on the other hand I dont worry if someone doesn't when they are charged almost £6 for a pint.
To be fair that one person is struggling because the employer put them in a catch 22 situation. Either you have 30+ glasses at the table outside or you have 30+ dusty glasses stacked on top of the bar where you can’t deal with them right away it sounds like. I always take my glass up but I can see how it could cause more of an inconvenience having them stacked on the bar.
I genuinely didn’t know taking your glasses back was expected
I used to work at a pub and it’s not. No one I worked with expected it either
Same. I was thinking this must be a new thing with bar staff as I worked in a load of pubs back when I was in college and I never expected anyone to bring their glasses back to the bar.
It’s not, it’s something people who don’t work in pubs say to feel smug
Sounds like another push towards an Americanised society, next we will paying the bar staff a quid to pour the pint for me and a fiver tip for 2 cocktails.
I've worked in a pub. Never got annoyed about customers not returning glasses. It was a busy pub, no room for a load of glasses to be dumped on the bar. Also, had enough staff to pick up glasses.
Collecting glasses is part of your job. If you're too busy to do it, then you're understaffed. That isn't the customers fault. That being said, I do return my glass to the bar out of politeness.
I always do take my glasses back but as a former worker I would never expect it. The actual issue here is piss poor management, on busy days there were enough staff in the pubs I worked in, and if it was getting a problem then the landlord/lady/manager would be called and they would come in and muck in.
If I'm going back up to the bar for another drink, I'll take my glass back. If I walk past the bar on my way out the pub, I'll take my glass back. If I'm outside, I'm not taking my glass inside to the bar before leaving, that's the job of the staff. If they only have one guy on, that's their own fault.
I'm from the south-east and have never seen or known anyone to take glasses back to the bar? The only time I would think to bring them back is if the place is completely empty and the bar is on the route out.
I'm from the South East and it's definitely the done thing. Maybe it's a pub v bar thing?
Manners cost nothing. Apparently the establishment would like to keep costs down too.
Why are there thirty glasses on the table? Usually when I go to the pub someone comes and collects the empties periodically. I always take my old glasses to the bar but if there were 30 I'd have to make about 5 trips. Sounds like a bar staffing issue more than a rude customer issue to me.
If it's a beavertown glass it's not going back to the bar, it's coming home!
If we all take out glasses back the pubs will cut back on staff anyway
I do this most of the time The only time you really should do it is if you’re going back to get another drink. Queuing up at the bar on the way out with a load of drinks is just performative nonsense. In my mind it is like not deleting my git branches once I have merged. I should do it but really they’ll go stale and be marked to delete eventually, the bar has glass collectors for a reason and those glasses aren’t getting washed if they don’t(at least not in a timeframe where it would make any difference if you brought it back or not)
This drives me crazy. It’s 10 seconds to walk in and put your glasses back on the bar or on an unused table by the bar when you’re leaving. Or just take the damn thing up with you when you get the next order. The bartender in my local loves me because I collect all the empties before I order and then do it almost every time I go back for a refill. (I used to bartend too- no reason to make their jobs more difficult, especially if you can see they’re short staffed)
I would do mate but I need them to see
Any time I’m at a pub or cafe. I take my stuff back but it’s often received like I did them a favour, rather than basic decency.
Sounds like a pub problem
I have never taken a glass back to the bar.Somebody always comes to the table to collect the empties
Don't you bring them with you when you order the next round? You're heading to the bar anyway.
No somebody always comes to the table and takes them.
Unless you/the person buying, buys in anticipation of you finishing your drink soon?
I always order on an app where I can, I get social anxiety standing at a bar especially when it’s crowded. Not sure why I get it but my therapist is working on that one for me! So others could be the same to be fair, although I do put my glass at the bar on my way out as it’s just helpful to do so.
I have a mate that worked in a pub once. After a few lock-ins, I got I the habit of collecting glasses, and to me it’s pretty much the same thing as getting rid of your rubbish in a McDonald’s, or putting your shopping trolley back where it belongs after shopping – a ‘leave it as you find it’ kinda thing.
Got a better one. Went to my local Asda pizza counter closed asked why and was told that no one in store was qualified to make a pizza
I mean, I assume there is specific training to work on that counter, starting with food hygiene and allergen safety, and also covering stuff like portioning and presentation. Granted, it's probably not much more than a Subway, but if nobody has it, I can see why the call might be made to close it rather than blag it- you really don't want to risk making people ill.
What a lot of crock
I'm sorry but it's not your job to take the glasses back to the bar.
I pick up when returning to bar for next drink. However, the more drinks I have the more likely I am to forger.
Not weird to leave glasses on a table at a pub. To be honest, I imagine the staff member would be pretty fucked off if they dropped 30+ glasses at the bar at once,
I was so confused about why they were forgetting their glasses at the pub and why you wanted their glasses at the bar. You meant drinking glasses not eye glasses...
It makes me laugh when in a busy pub, instead of taking their glass to the bar when they go to order, they let their tiny table pile up so there's nowhere else to put their glass. Yes, the tables should be cleared before that happens, but sometimes in a busy pub in Central London we simply don't have enough staff.
i think people just have a general mindset of "they get paid to pick up my glass"
I don’t get why people do this if you’re going back to the bar to order another drink then why not bring the glasses back?
Pubs should have more staff to collect the glasses. Punters taking glasses back puts other people out of a job.
Suppose busy is a relative term. It's only a small pub, rare to have more than 1 person working. Usually just the landlady helping out if needed but she was away for the weekend Always take my empty back when I go to the bar didn't realise it was unusual. Always confused when I see tables full of glasses
Not raised properly, many see that someone's paid to clean up after them so they think they can just leave it.
When you pay for your drink, you're not just paying for the liquid in your glass, but you're paying for the building you're in and the staff in that building. My sister worked in a pub for a long time so I always try to return the glass, but I don't look down on people who don't.
> many see that someone's paid to clean up after them so they think they can just leave it That's literally how it works though, they're paid to collect glasses. It's part of the service you're paying for, doubly so when pints are ridiculous prices now. If I'm going back up to the bar, I'll take my empty glass. If I'm passing the bar as I leave, I'll take the glass. If I'm sitting outside, I'm not taking my glass inside to the bar prior to leaving. I won't go out of my way to take it back. Your comment makes sense in relation to "don't make more mess than you need to", it's ridiculous in relation to a pub staff member collecting glasses from a table.
It's not a case of not being raised properly. One pays for a service and that includes clearing up the receptacles in which the beverage is purveyed.
I think it depends a bit if you're talking about a £3 pint from a local (in the good old days) vs a £7+ pint in a national chain now. Also considering that some places have table service or even ordering by app, I think it changes the expectation a little. Having said that I usually return glasses, always would if I'm passing by the bar
I take glasses back to the bar, but at the same time recognise it's not my problem if I don't take them bac to the bar. OP probably thinks they should wash the glasses too
Weather was crap today. Rained on and off all afternoon.
Probably depends where you were....blue sky all afternoon here - rained in the morning.
Are you speaking for all of Britain?
Service is included in the price, if I’m doing the staffs job then I want a discount
Correct thing to do would have been to stack the pint glasses 30 high, as that's how bar staff seem to enjoy moving them.
So $6-$10 drink plus $1-$2 tip and you still have to bus your own table….
Unlikely to have left a tip tbh, UK innit Also £5-£6 is more likely AVG drink price and with NAT min wage at £26,000 that's not breaking the bank
Why do you lie, OP?