To be fed up that table service will end.

[Thewinterofdiscontent]

One of the silver clouds of lockdown was the lovely table service. No more queuing in the crush at the bar or hunt for a table. Drinks and payment bought to you.
It will be a right pain going back to shouting orders across a soggy bar and juggling the drinks back.

As a wheelchair/scooter user its been a game changer!

I have only been to 1 pub but it was magic ordering through an app and my drink appearing a few minutes later!

If an app and table service is so bad for business, why was Wetherspoons doing it before Covid? They don't usually get these things wrong, I assumed it was because it's good for them too? More efficient than having people dithering over the menu at the bar and (if my experience is anything to go by ) you drink more too because it's easy.

How do bars cope in other countries where table service is the norm, if pubs in this country say they wouldn’t survive.

I hate jostling at the bar to order a drink, I am that person who just gets ignored every time

I think most will keep it. Dp works in hospitality and says a lot of places have loved it. There's nothing wrong with keeping table service and having people at the bar!

What I love with the apps/online ordering is the fact that I don't have to wait ages to try and catch someone's eye and pay! It's all very efficient and I definitely drink and eat more because you can order at your convenience.

I'm loving the table service and want it to stay! However I appreciate its increased costs and I'll be back at the bar soon.

That, or only go to places that always did table service.

They have different business models, different cultures, different clientele.
Most (not all, obviously) places over here don’t have the business model for table service.
Well, that’s what all my friends in the hospitality industry whose profits are greatly reduced due to it are telling me, and I tend to believe them.

I like the buzz in bars, having an impromptu chat with someone whilst waiting. I’ve missed that. Though I do acknowledge that the speed and convenience has been nice.

Pub prices have gone up a lot it seems because of this. I don't want them to go up any more or pubs and restaurants to close down.

Providing table service can be provided for those with disabilities I am OK with the change back.

I miss sitting at the bar, chatting with the bar staff and other customers

@TheCrowening

I am a fan of table service, it’s how many pubs and inns operate in other countries. It does require adequate staffing though.

I much prefer table service as someone who cannot stand for long periods or carry trays of drinks reliably.

Table service can be really helpful for accessibility. I hope it becomes as commonplace as in other countries and yes I'm prepared to pay a percentage on the drinks for that service.

Love table service! I’ve lived in 6 countries outside of the UK and visited loads more and table service seems to be the norm in most places.

Hate standing at a crowded bar.

I love the table service and ordering via the app. It’s a much more relaxed and pleasant experience. I hope they keep it.

@ineedaholidaynow

How do bars cope in other countries where table service is the norm, if pubs in this country say they wouldn’t survive.

I hate jostling at the bar to order a drink, I am that person who just gets ignored every time

Because it's an entirely different set-up - the whole way the industry works is very different to how it works here in my experience.

Prices would also need to go up to cover the increasing numbers of staff.

All my friends working in hospitality right now are seriously struggling - I feel so sorry for them as they're understaffed, badly paid and working all hours at the moment.

it must be very hard working in such situations. and hard to leave a tip when they are rushing around

I love table service!I tend to be invisible at bars.

@MarcelineMissouri

Yabu, sorry. It might be more convenient for us but it is yet another thing hammering profits for a struggling industry.

It's the norm in some other countries so must be possible to do it profitably.

Couldn't there be a mixture. So you order on the App but then go and collect the drinks yourself. That would be the ideal for me: less hanging around because you collect the drinks when ready, and you don't have the ridiculous thing of trying to get noticed by the bar staff.

I love table service. Can’t to be doing with getting up every time for drinks. You’re right about the soggy bar.

It's the norm in some other countries so must be possible to do it profitably.

Yes - but the way the systems work in other countries will be different, and it will mean hiring more staff (in an industry that's currently struggling to keep anyone) and probably increasing prices a fair bit too.

Hospitality is on its knees - they probably can't afford to keep table service running unless they're very fortunate to be able to hire new people.

Several pubs/ restaurants in Cornwall are keeping table service. And masks. And sanitiser. So in effect, government can lift the rules but we keep them!

In Turkey if you have a table you get table service but there are staff who’s job it is to just serve those tables. If you don’t have a table you go to the bar. Service levels are very high though. You are treated as a guest generally so you never have to wait and it’s very smooth - I really cannot remember a time when I’ve ever been served by a surly, stressed or frazzled member of staff, I’m sure it has happened but I can’t remember it. It’s not that British staff don’t want to provide a good service, just that we haven’t set hospitality up in quite the same way so as others have said don’t have enough staff to cover the demand etc. Tables etc also tend to be a bit closer together than UK norms which facilitates vibe and chatting if you are so inclined.

The Apps are quite good for no faffing with bill splitting too.

Our local pub is keeping table service only to protect their staff. I hope others do too. All this "personal choice" malarkey is rubbish for anyone who works with the public all day.

Sometimes it's ok, but I tend to frequent traditional wet pubs more and the atmosphere just isn't the same. On a quiet week night, there's often just one or two members of staff on. Permanent table service just isn't viable.

Yanbu, I am short and always get overlooked at bars