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**metallifan**

filbert wrote:I haven't seen anything like them in any other countries I have been too and I have travelled a lot in my time.

You haven't been here then. "The Pump" is an excellent model of a countryside old-world pub/coaching house.

Though it was far better back when it was "Alexander's". Actually, if you've seen the film "Cadence" (Charlie Sheen), the pub featured in the film was that very one.

**Ketara**

Maybe Wetherspoons should branch out? It could be our equivalent of our Mcdonalds.

**Albatross**

Please no - THAT place is the gak hole of gak holes.

I walked past a Weatherspoon's today that had something called a 'Dirty Dog Meal', which came served in a dog-bowl.

A fething DOG-BOWL.

This is the country that gave the world Shakespeare, Darwin, Newton, Churchill, Brunel, Lennon & McCartney...

Has it really come to this?

**Ketara**

Really? I've always rather liked the chain, they do cheap drinks, and the food is passable. Some of them do excellent breakfasts as well. They use proper sausages, and free range eggs.

**Albatross**

On second thoughts... it may have been a Varsity. Now they ARE the gaks!

**FITZZ**

Albatross wrote:On second thoughts... it may have been a Varsity. Now they ARE the gaks!

Are those connected in any way to the Varsity founded here in Georgia?
The one in Atlanta is a "gaint" hot dog stand with the worst food I have ever eaten...absolute over rated swill.

**Albatross**

FITZZ wrote:
Albatross wrote:On second thoughts... it may have been a Varsity. Now they ARE the gaks!

Are those connected in any way to the Varsity founded here in Georgia?
The one in Atlanta is a "gaint" hot dog stand with the worst food I have ever eaten...absolute over rated swill.

Nah, they're a chain of 'fun-pubs'. Utterly soul-destroying glass and steel monstrosities that sell two-for-one alcopops and Thai Green Curry.

**dogma**

filbert wrote:
usernamesareannoying wrote:
filbert wrote:I don't think you really have pubs in the US - even the Irish pubs are really bars. The concept of a pub is uniquely a UK thing really. I haven't seen anything like them in any other countries I have been too and I have travelled a lot in my time.
agreed and it truly is a shame...

It's not for want of trying - I have seen plenty of bars try to capture that 'feel', the sad thing is, it is very difficult to distill the atmosphere and centuries of history and tradition that makes up a pub and transplant it elsewhere.

That being said, if someone were to open a proper British pub in America, I'm sure you guys would love it!

Well, speaking from my experience in the US and the UK, there are pubs in the America; just not very many of them. There are a few in Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles that I've been to. I imagine there are others elsewhere, but most likely only in the more cosmopolitan cities, places like: Austin, San Francisco, Boston (especially Boston), etc. Most often these will be referred to as sports bars, as 'pub' is commonly attached only to bars that brand themselves as Irish or English.

Its also worth noting that the term 'bar', in America, captures a really wide variety of establishments; ranging from dive bars that are essentially really crappy pubs by dearth of little success, to trend establishments that are essentially clubs that serve food by day.

We also have clubs, which will generally be open later than bars, won't serve food, and have more expensive drinks; generally aimed more at women, with a few exceptions (grunge clubs, metal clubs, etc.).

Most bars here serve food, partially the result of tradition left over from prohibition in which many establishments that were bars converted into restaurants after alcohol became illegal, but also because it proved to be successful business model. So the general rule of thumb is that, if an establishment derives at least 40% of its revenue from alcohol sales, its a bar, less and its restaurant.

**CadianXV**

Albatross wrote:
FITZZ wrote:
Albatross wrote:On second thoughts... it may have been a Varsity. Now they ARE the gaks!

Are those connected in any way to the Varsity founded here in Georgia?
The one in Atlanta is a "gaint" hot dog stand with the worst food I have ever eaten...absolute over rated swill.

Nah, they're a chain of 'fun-pubs'. Utterly soul-destroying glass and steel monstrosities that sell two-for-one alcopops and Thai Green Curry.

I actually quite liked it.....

Mediocre food at low prices. Works well on a limited budget.

**agnosto**

They have pubs in Japan. I have to say if the pubs in the U.K. are anything like those, I'd like to visit them.

**Vargtass**

hcordes wrote:Me and my buddy went to a show at a local small venue/bar. I am the kind of person that loves to give a good tip, but i don't tip till the end of the night, i like to see if my service stays the same through out. So we order a beer, and didn't tip the bartender. He mutters under his breath something I didn't hear.
So now we are $60 dollars into the tickets plus $12 for TWO beers.
After the first bands set, we went and got another beer. Once again... no tip, this time my buddy paid, and I watched as when my buddies back was turned the bartender flipped him the bird. and clearly said "THanks for the tip a**hole."
So another $12 down..... on garbage beer, and a bartender who likes to flip people off.
After that, I walked up to him and asked if he had a problem?
He said "no of course not sir!" in his best, "polite" voice.
Then I told him, you are full of gak, i saw you flip off my buddy, so heres the deal. I never tip till the end of the night, so you want a tip you EARN it. Don't think that getting me a cr*ppy beer outta your fridge is worthy of a tip, my wife does that at home for me for free. Now the tip you WOULD have gotten (i pulled out a twenty) is going to go to the other bartender, and not you.
I then precessed to walk down to the other end of the bar, and give it to the rather charming young bartender gal. And I told her I liked her smile and she looks like she really enjoyed her job, and I thanked her.
I then talked to the Bar manager about mister birdie.
The next night (yeah, the band was playing two nights!) I noticed that everyone of the employees was there except for a certain bartender.

You tip the bartenders? Only time I ever even seen people tip the barmonkey is at the student-union's bars around the country, since most student bartenders work for free. As for restaurants, yes, that's a tipper, taxis, maybe, depends on the ride, people from Gothenburg... man, they are so nice I find my bank making crying calls at night asking me to stop.

As for worst service, I must say the local games shop, sadly. They are so stuck up their holes they can lick their teeth twice. Stupid stuck up jacks... they all play Ultrasmurfs too... =p

**Fateweaver**

I always tip the bartender. They might get paid fairly good wages (better than flipping burgers) but it's not exactly a glamour job (well, maybe if you worked at a strip club).

We have one Irish pub in the city I'm currently in. The owner is 100% Irish, about 5'5" but has the ferocity and temper of a man twice his size. He doesn't have his own bouncers. He is there 7 nights/week and he does his own bouncing. Never seen any man yet able to take him out (and a few have tried when they get unruly and he has to step in).

No "clubs" per say in my town, just bars. Generally, the bars here have better food. They get their beef and pork from the local butchers, whereas most restaurants we have here (the chain ones anyway) get their meats from large suppliers, trucked in frozen and probably weeks old when they arrive. The best burgers I ever had came from the bars.

**Frazzled**

Vargtass wrote:
hcordes wrote:Me and my buddy went to a show at a local small venue/bar. I am the kind of person that loves to give a good tip, but i don't tip till the end of the night, i like to see if my service stays the same through out. So we order a beer, and didn't tip the bartender. He mutters under his breath something I didn't hear.
So now we are $60 dollars into the tickets plus $12 for TWO beers.
After the first bands set, we went and got another beer. Once again... no tip, this time my buddy paid, and I watched as when my buddies back was turned the bartender flipped him the bird. and clearly said "THanks for the tip a**hole."
So another $12 down..... on garbage beer, and a bartender who likes to flip people off.
After that, I walked up to him and asked if he had a problem?
He said "no of course not sir!" in his best, "polite" voice.
Then I told him, you are full of gak, i saw you flip off my buddy, so heres the deal. I never tip till the end of the night, so you want a tip you EARN it. Don't think that getting me a cr*ppy beer outta your fridge is worthy of a tip, my wife does that at home for me for free. Now the tip you WOULD have gotten (i pulled out a twenty) is going to go to the other bartender, and not you.
I then precessed to walk down to the other end of the bar, and give it to the rather charming young bartender gal. And I told her I liked her smile and she looks like she really enjoyed her job, and I thanked her.
I then talked to the Bar manager about mister birdie.
The next night (yeah, the band was playing two nights!) I noticed that everyone of the employees was there except for a certain bartender.

You tip the bartenders? Only time I ever even seen people tip the barmonkey is at the student-union's bars around the country, since most student bartenders work for free. As for restaurants, yes, that's a tipper, taxis, maybe, depends on the ride, people from Gothenburg... man, they are so nice I find my bank making crying calls at night asking me to stop.

As for worst service, I must say the local games shop, sadly. They are so stuck up their holes they can lick their teeth twice. Stupid stuck up jacks... they all play Ultrasmurfs too... =p

Different culture. In the US you are supposed to tip bartenders, like waiters.

**J.Black**

Albatross wrote:On second thoughts... it may have been a Varsity. Now they ARE the gaks!

/Agree

Unless the beer is fantastically expensive, or the service particularly gakky, I'll always tip the barman/barpixie if i stay for a few drinks, I'll always offer to buy them a drink.

**Mick A**

I remember going into one of the upper market superstores when I had my long hair (also wearing army boots,trousers and long coat). The security person latched on to me straight away following me up and down the aisles so I decided to have a bit of fun...

I lengthened the gap between us to the point where, as I went round the corner of the next aisle, I had time to run to the end and back into the previous one as the security bod rounded the end. I then quickly went up to the end and round and started following the bod as they looked for me, I let them go all the way up the next aisle and start checking left and right before I got directly behind them and coughed loudly, the bod, jumped and went off with a very red face and left me alone after that...

Mick

**Cheesecat**

metallifan wrote:
filbert wrote:I haven't seen anything like them in any other countries I have been too and I have travelled a lot in my time.

You haven't been here then. "The Pump" is an excellent model of a countryside old-world pub/coaching house.

Though it was far better back when it was "Alexander's". Actually, if you've seen the film "Cadence" (Charlie Sheen), the pub featured in the film was that very one.

Does Canada have more Pubs than USA?

**Stormrider**

Worst service Hmmm

Probably when my family and I went to a restaurant, got seated and got our drinks and then the gal waiting on us disappeared. We were really patient after waiting for 45 minutes! Finally some other waitress asked us if we had ordered anything. She went to the back and found our waitress, asleep in a breakroom.

We left and proceeded to a fine italian dining restaurant. They were infinitely better. The first restaurant is now a church.

My worst no food realted service was at a pool supply store, my Dad and I were standing in there for about 30 minutes and weren't even acknowleged.

As for the Percentages concerning Liquor sales and classifying a bar or restaurant. If a Restaurant has liquor sales above 30% but below 75% they are still considered a restaurant, but they have to get liquor coverage 75% and up they are a full fledged bar. I work in Property and Casualty insurance when I am not in school.

**metallifan**

Cheesecat wrote:
metallifan wrote:
filbert wrote:I haven't seen anything like them in any other countries I have been too and I have travelled a lot in my time.

You haven't been here then. "The Pump" is an excellent model of a countryside old-world pub/coaching house.

Though it was far better back when it was "Alexander's". Actually, if you've seen the film "Cadence" (Charlie Sheen), the pub featured in the film was that very one.

Does Canada have more Pubs than USA?

It depends where you go I think. You'll definately find more of them in the East than the west I'm betting.

**ShivanAngel**

Frazzled wrote:I don't know. Bars aren't a big Texas thing. The closest we have is Oasis, but its the 3rd largest restaurant in the US.

Actually there are a lot of bars on 6xth street. But 1) they play live music; 2) you take kids into a bar on 6xth street and CPS may come a knocking.

ARe you talking about the Oasis on the side of that cliff outside Austin overlooking the lake...

Place is crazy amazing. My dads wedding reception was there on the top floor, you could see for miles.

**Frazzled**

Yep. Thats the place. Go big or Go home.

**poipo32**

Cheesecat wrote:
metallifan wrote:
filbert wrote:I haven't seen anything like them in any other countries I have been too and I have travelled a lot in my time.

You haven't been here then. "The Pump" is an excellent model of a countryside old-world pub/coaching house.

Though it was far better back when it was "Alexander's". Actually, if you've seen the film "Cadence" (Charlie Sheen), the pub featured in the film was that very one.

Does Canada have more Pubs than USA?

Well, I live in eastern Canada and pubs are very common. I'd say it's 1:1 pub:bar.

**warpcrafter**

Once, I filled my tank with gas at a little mom-an-pop (Who must have also been siblings...) station in the middle of pig-feth-istan central Missouri. I asked the kid behind the counter if I could have the restroom key. He was 5' 3" and about 120lbs, and I was 6" 250lbs, in much better shape than I am now. Unfortunately, I was also wearing a leather jacket and a Slayer tour t-shirt, and had long hair and a few piercings in my ears and one in my nose. He had the nerve to smirk at me and ask if I would be going to the boys room or the girls room. I just smiled back, went to the back of the building and pissed on the bathroom doors. I managed to get back in my car and get out of there before they noticed, and was able to get back to KC without incident. That's one of the incidents that soured me on traveling.

**Valkyrie**

My cousin had an incident before where he was returning a suitcase he had bought for his holiday, which had broken. Instead of helping him, the store clerk simply ignored him while gossiping on his mobile, so my cousin simply took his phone and dropped it into his coffee, then walked out swiping the stuff off the shelves. He never got his money back but he said it was worth it!

Valk

**metallifan**

poipo32 wrote:
Cheesecat wrote:
metallifan wrote:
filbert wrote:I haven't seen anything like them in any other countries I have been too and I have travelled a lot in my time.

You haven't been here then. "The Pump" is an excellent model of a countryside old-world pub/coaching house.

Though it was far better back when it was "Alexander's". Actually, if you've seen the film "Cadence" (Charlie Sheen), the pub featured in the film was that very one.

Does Canada have more Pubs than USA?

Well, I live in eastern Canada and pubs are very common. I'd say it's 1:1 pub:bar.

That's what I thought. It really all comes down to how old the part of the country you're in is. A friend of mine that I used to work with once lived in Newfoundland, and he said St. Johns had more pubs than he could hope to visit and still have a working liver.

On the other hand, I've been to the Vancouver bar scene. It's pretty... meh. Sports bars there are good, especially during Canucks or BC Lions games. But otherwise, it does tend to cater more to the douchebag scale.