To Say 'Please Move Away From My Table'

[itsnotmeitsu]

We were in a Wetherspoons yesterday lunchtime (not somewhere we've visited before) and that particular Wetherspoons had the previous restrictions in place, with notices explaining why. Since many restrictions were removed I've still worn a mask in the supermarket, and put one as I'm going into public toilets. Wetherspoons had the plastic screens still in place, but the table we used only had a screen on one side. Our table was in front of the bar. We used the app to order, but a lot of people were ordering at the bar (took 20 bloody minutes to sort it out, so I'm with them).

No problem until people decided to form a queue right next to us at the table as we were eating, even resting on chair-arms. Should have I said, 'please piss off, take yourself three feet away from me', or just put up with it (as we did) until we could get a table outside, which we eventually did.

No need to be less than a metre from anyone, ever, unless you're about to make love.

This is why Sweden never struggled all that bad with Covid, even without many restrictions. They stay the fuck away from each other at all times. Maybe we could learn something from them?

Wetherspoons though. No ta

YABU for going to a pub, choosing to sit by the bar and then being put out that there were people standing their queuing.

If you're concerned about Covid still don't go to a bloody pub! If you "have" to, don't sit inside. If you "have" to, don't sit by the bar where it's going to be busiest.

I have chosen not to go to a pub or restaurant precisely because I am still worried about Covid. That's my choice, what I can't do is make up rules that other customers have to abide by so that I feel comfortable going. If I could do that I'd tell Wetherspoons they have to keep the upstairs free for just my group and not allow anyone else up there, and they have to ensure that nobody is allowed within 20m of the bar when I am getting my drinks. And obviously nobody is allowed to use the toilets except me.

All those castigating me for frequenting Wetherspoons: Believe me I absolutely cannot stand Tim Martin and hate the idea of putting money in his pocket. I'd managed to reach my 50th decade without knowlngly adding to his profits.

However, we'd got a week off for a holiday and ended up spending it at home. We spent days around Yorkshire. With a chain like Wetherspoons you can put the area into your phone and find somewhere to eat and drink, without trawling around a strange place hoping to find a pub. We ended up visiting four Wetherspoons across North/West/East Yorkshire during the week, when we'd never visited one before. One was absolutely crap, two were pretty good, and one was lovely. This was all down to the staff who were working in these particular pubs.

As for those saying, 'You shouldn't sit near the bar if you don't want people standing next to you' > We'd travelled 15 miles, didn't know of other pub names in the area to Google, and that's where the tables were. The people who weren't using the pub app were waiting at the bar when we got a table, not standing right next to people as they were drinking/eating. Of course, as soon as one person does that everyone behind them follows, so you end up with idiots thinking it's okay to breathe over your food.

As it happens we ended up having a lovely afternoon because we were spending time together and ended up staying much longer than we'd planned, once we'd moved outside.

Cool. So there’s no issue then? Other than the fact you’re fine supporting scum corporations who fired their staff instead of have the government furlough them. YABU.

‘I hate Wetherspoons, but chose to fund four of them on a little holiday. Um…. Wehhh. AiBU?’
‘Yes’

‘no I’m not!’

4 Wetherspoons in one week! For this, YAdefinitelyBA.

I have a family member who works for Wetherspoons. In all honesty they are a great employer. They pay above the minimum wage and certainly in their branch they really look after their staff. Family member also is now paid bonus from share profits. The staff were all really nervous when the #neverspoons boycott happened because they didn’t know if they had jobs to go back to but it seems like they are doing ok after the restrictions were lifted.

YANBU in wanting people to keep their distance, but YABU to be annoyed when people don't, in a pub, when it's not legally required.

I'm not doing pubs in Wales atm, and that's with restrictions. I think you're trying to have your cake and eat it a bit, more's the pity because I totally agree with you.

YANBU to find it stupid that people are so close to you during a pandemic, but if you're in England or Wales your government has said it's OK, no

No, they haven't said it's OK to lean your elbows on a chair whilst you're waiting to be served when there's clearly people sitting there.
Regardless of what the "rules" are, has common sense gone completely out of the window?!
Never been OK to be up in someone's space pandemic or no pandemic.

@StripeyDeckchair

You're unreasonable to go to a Weatherspoons - the bloke who owns it was a huge brexit supporter, sacked all his staff at the start of lockdown 1 & told them to go & work at tescos. He's a total knob head & will never get a penny of my money.

This. He’s an absolute thundercunt.

If your phone has an app then it also has google maps so you can research pubs before you go somewhere, it’s not that hard to avoid Wetherspoons

Yeah, boycott Wetherspoons, never mind all the poor sods that work there!

In the future OP, maybe just type something like 'pubs to eat at in Skipton/Harrogate/etc' into google, then look and see what comes up. Trip advisors pretty good for that and ive found some absolute gems doing this in the past. That way you get to avoid Weatherspoons. Hopefully forever.

Wetherspoons in my town is not known for considerate and friendly clientele generally.

I think we are going to have to find our places and people for a while, I'm avoiding anywhere with high percentage of mask avoiders.

There's this little thing called Yell.com where you put in public houses and the area. We've managed to holiday in most of the UK without ever using a Wetherspoon's.

I'd managed to reach my 50th decade without knowlngly adding to his profits.

YANBU. If you've managed to reach your 50th decade, not only are you doing something right, you're doing everything right!

@GreenWillow

Restrictions have been legally removed.

If you aren’t ok with this, then you need to be the one to either stay at home, or move further away.

100% this

YABU to expect the typical Wetherspoons regular to be more polite than this

Loving the Wetherspoons hate on this thread!

Show your displeasure by boycotting Wetherspoons for all eternity, OP.

@SpaceshiptoMars

I'd managed to reach my 50th decade without knowlngly adding to his profits.

YANBU. If you've managed to reach your 50th decade, not only are you doing something right, you're doing everything right!

I'm tired so took me a minute to see what you meant

@AnnaSW1

I think that's a totally foreseeable consequence of sitting at a table by the bar.

It is. YABU, OP.

4 Wetherspoons in a week YABU you need to plan better and improve your google search skills. This should ensure you choose better facilities with like minded people. Wetherspoons wouldn’t think twice about putting a table near a bar, it’s your responsibility to say I’m not sitting there.

@StripeyDeckchair

You're unreasonable to go to a Weatherspoons - the bloke who owns it was a huge brexit supporter, sacked all his staff at the start of lockdown 1 & told them to go & work at tescos. He's a total knob head & will never get a penny of my money.

He didn't sack all his staff. My nephew has continued to be employed there throughout, and needs to keep his job to keep a roof over his children's heads. So OP was not at all unreasonable to go there.

You should have said something, I'm sure in a positive light hearted way. Regardless of where you were.

We ended up with Boris Johnson and all the avoidable deaths that have occurred from Covid 19 because of cheerleaders for Brexit such as Tim Martin.