how long can you sit in a pub without a drink

[ivykaty44]

So after you've had a meal each and a drink each, how long can you sit in the pub afterwards without a drink?

The pub was busy and it was a Friday night

15 minutes, 30 minutes, or an hour?

Are you too pov to buy another drink?

I’ve had dates where we have stayed for ages in a pub - but there was noone else around. If the pub is busy you leave straight away.

If you’re not drinking you’re just pointlessly sitting at an oak table.

30 minutes tops.

Assuming they've already paid, and aren't sitting there waiting for someone (you?) to bring the bill over?

Then maybe 20 minutes max. Gives people time to use the loo and gather their stuff and go.

Any longer is straying onto CF turf.

45mins? Cheeky bastards…..

Why didn't you tell them

You just say, "we are going to need this table back now. I hope you enjoyed everything, please just fuck off move to the bar area if you want another drink or if not, enjoy the rest of your weekend"
And don't move. Just smile until they shift.

move to the bar area

they were in the bar area, it was a walk in not a booking - booking agree to 2 hr slots, though we don’t often have to ask for tables back as most people move on. Walkins are different though as they’ve not agreed to a time slot, they pay as they order in the bar - so no bill to fetch.

they did leave and immediately the table was taken by 4 people also walkins who wanted to eat

all was good but I jyst wondered if I was being unreasonable to be irritated by the length of time they sat there, seems I wasn’t

Yup - annoying. The question isn’t “can I get you any more drinks?” though.
It’s “can I get you anything else, or is it just the bill?” And if they try and have the chops to say neither, you can tell them that you have people waiting for the table. Bring the card machine and stand by the table. They’re being inconsiderate.

I would generally be up and out within 15mins. If I could see people wanted the table as quickly as possible really.
Tbh even if the place wasn't busy it would seem odd to wait longer than 15mins.

The exception might be if there were maybe 4 or people dining and one has finished first. There's generally a "Are we staying for one more?"...if not one of us might sit without foid/drink till others caught up.

I had an odd friend once. She would sometimes sit in a pub for hours without a drink and say she wasn't thirsty! In a group it was bareable but not with just us two.

Tell us what happened?

GetOffTheTableMabel They’d already paid before their food arrived, if you sit in the bar you pay as you order at the bar, you don’t get a tab

I've been on the exact opposite end of this problem, treated like dirt and moved off a table despite our party spending hundreds and hundreds on drinks at the bar. At that point we just left though and spent our money at a different pub.

For walkins OP- surely you could say politely 'just so you are aware, we allow a 2hr time slot for all tables and after that, you are more than welcome to continue your drinks in the bar'? Why couldn't something like that have been said at the start?

Why couldn't something like that have been said at the start?

because I guess we don't have many CF who stay hogging a table for 45 minutes after finishing their drinks and its not, fortunately a normal issue with 95% of customers using the bar area to eat and drink. Some people only drink and don't eat when using the bar area

I've been on the exact opposite end of this problem, treated like dirt and moved off a table despite our party spending hundreds and hundreds on drinks at the bar. At that point we just left though and spent our money at a different pub.

and thats why we wouldn't normally try and move people on as there is a balance, regardless of how much these two had spent we didn't really want to make them feel like dirt