A nice thing about a holiday is being served properly even in an
inexpensive restaurant. Why do we put up with having to queue at the bar
with our table number in the UK? I am sure that if they had a roving waiter
with one of those electronic things that transmits the order to the kitchen
they would sell more food as people would be more inclined to order extras.
Nothing worse than getting to the head of the queue at the bar and then
having to go back and ask "Is that with peas or beans?" I hate it after a
meal when grandson decides a sweet would be nice and I have to go back to
the bar and repeat the process. If there was a waiter we might all have a
sweet every time and another round of drinks.££££. (Gripe over)

On Thursday, July 9, 2015 at 2:12:28 PM UTC+1, DerbyBorn wrote:
A nice thing about a holiday is being served properly even in an
inexpensive restaurant. Why do we put up with having to queue at the bar
with our table number in the UK? I am sure that if they had a roving waiter
with one of those electronic things that transmits the order to the kitchen
they would sell more food as people would be more inclined to order extras.
Nothing worse than getting to the head of the queue at the bar and then
having to go back and ask "Is that with peas or beans?" I hate it after a
meal when grandson decides a sweet would be nice and I have to go back to
the bar and repeat the process. If there was a waiter we might all have a
sweet every time and another round of drinks.＃＃. (Gripe over)

That's what you get for eating at a pub pretending to be a restaurant, along with microwaved food more often than not. There are plenty of inexpensive restaurants with table service, there are plenty of pubs with restaurant sections with table service. Take your business elsewhere if you don't like the level of service offered. Don't forget to tip your waiter if he has done his job well.

Philip

On Thu, 9 Jul 2015 06:20:03 -0700 (PDT)
" wrote:

On Thursday, July 9, 2015 at 2:12:28 PM UTC+1, DerbyBorn wrote:
A nice thing about a holiday is being served properly even in an
inexpensive restaurant. Why do we put up with having to queue at
the bar with our table number in the UK? I am sure that if they had
a roving waiter with one of those electronic things that transmits
the order to the kitchen they would sell more food as people would
be more inclined to order extras. Nothing worse than getting to the
head of the queue at the bar and then having to go back and ask "Is
that with peas or beans?" I hate it after a meal when grandson
decides a sweet would be nice and I have to go back to the bar and
repeat the process. If there was a waiter we might all have a sweet
every time and another round of drinks.＃＃. (Gripe over)

That's what you get for eating at a pub pretending to be a
restaurant, along with microwaved food more often than not. There are
plenty of inexpensive restaurants with table service, there are
plenty of pubs with restaurant sections with table service. Take your
business elsewhere if you don't like the level of service offered.
Don't forget to tip your waiter if he has done his job well.

Philip

Yup. We have two pubs in our village, one of which has always had a
waitress-service restaurant included, the other is a spit-and-sawdust
pub, in which the owner now serves food in the evenings in the lounge.
He is often the waiter. Both places take your order at your table.
I don't even know of a place locally such as is described by DerbyBorn.
Must be a provincial, or big city, thing.

--
Davey.

In message 6,
DerbyBorn writes
A nice thing about a holiday is being served properly even in an
inexpensive restaurant. Why do we put up with having to queue at the bar
with our table number in the UK?

Is it not down to prices? There are pubs that serve food, and
restaurants. Yes, there are pubs with restaurants, but the restaurant
is not the pub.

Personally, I like pubs that serve food, and don't mind ordering at the
bar, but don't go at busy times. We tend to eat relatively early.

--
Graeme

DerbyBorn wrote:
A nice thing about a holiday is being served properly even in an
inexpensive restaurant. Why do we put up with having to queue at the bar
with our table number in the UK?

Ha! It sounds like you haven't been to one of those places in Italy
where you have to pay the cashier without the benefit of a menu or the
ability to see or point to what you want, then take the receipt to
another counter where the food is displayed so that you can place your
order and hand over the receipt. They're a nightmare for anyone without
reasonably good Italian.

--
Mike Barnes
Cheshire, England

On 09/07/15 14:12, DerbyBorn wrote:
A nice thing about a holiday is being served properly even in an
inexpensive restaurant. Why do we put up with having to queue at the bar
with our table number in the UK? I am sure that if they had a roving waiter
with one of those electronic things that transmits the order to the kitchen
they would sell more food as people would be more inclined to order extras.
Nothing worse than getting to the head of the queue at the bar and then
having to go back and ask "Is that with peas or beans?" I hate it after a
meal when grandson decides a sweet would be nice and I have to go back to
the bar and repeat the process. If there was a waiter we might all have a
sweet every time and another round of drinks.££££. (Gripe over)


Well - you could go to a proper pub and not some chain like the Snail
and Cabbage

One pub I know is run by super friendly folk who do table service. Great
food, good beer and civilised company (and that does not mean middle
class - it's an everyman sort of pub, but devoid of dickheads.

On 09/07/15 20:49, Mike Barnes wrote:
DerbyBorn wrote:
A nice thing about a holiday is being served properly even in an
inexpensive restaurant. Why do we put up with having to queue at the bar
with our table number in the UK?

Ha! It sounds like you haven't been to one of those places in Italy
where you have to pay the cashier without the benefit of a menu or the
ability to see or point to what you want, then take the receipt to
another counter where the food is displayed so that you can place your
order and hand over the receipt. They're a nightmare for anyone without
reasonably good Italian.


Italy? That sounds like something from the Soviet era!

In article ,
Mike Barnes wrote:
DerbyBorn wrote:
A nice thing about a holiday is being served properly even in an
inexpensive restaurant. Why do we put up with having to queue at the bar
with our table number in the UK?

Ha! It sounds like you haven't been to one of those places in Italy
where you have to pay the cashier without the benefit of a menu or the
ability to see or point to what you want, then take the receipt to
another counter where the food is displayed so that you can place your
order and hand over the receipt. They're a nightmare for anyone without
reasonably good Italian.

I first met the concept in Geneva in 1958 - and then saw it again in Italy
earlier this year.

In article , Tim Watts
wrote:
On 09/07/15 20:49, Mike Barnes wrote:
DerbyBorn wrote:
A nice thing about a holiday is being served properly even in an
inexpensive restaurant. Why do we put up with having to queue at the
bar with our table number in the UK?

Ha! It sounds like you haven't been to one of those places in Italy
where you have to pay the cashier without the benefit of a menu or the
ability to see or point to what you want, then take the receipt to
another counter where the food is displayed so that you can place your
order and hand over the receipt. They're a nightmare for anyone without
reasonably good Italian.


Italy? That sounds like something from the Soviet era!

I don't think they had one of those there. It's a good way of minimising
theft.

On Thu, 09 Jul 2015 20:57:35 +0100, Tim Watts wrote:

On 09/07/15 20:49, Mike Barnes wrote:
DerbyBorn wrote:
A nice thing about a holiday is being served properly even in an
inexpensive restaurant. Why do we put up with having to queue at the
bar with our table number in the UK?

Ha! It sounds like you haven't been to one of those places in Italy
where you have to pay the cashier without the benefit of a menu or the
ability to see or point to what you want, then take the receipt to
another counter where the food is displayed so that you can place your
order and hand over the receipt. They're a nightmare for anyone without
reasonably good Italian.


Italy? That sounds like something from the Soviet era!

Did you ever go to Foyles in Charing Cross Road up to a few years ago?
That was run in the same sort of way.

They paid their junior staff peanuts, and on one occasion they had a
meeting to discuss unionisation. They weren't allowed to have it on the
premises so they went somewhere else. Management photographed everyone
who attended. Staff never lasted more than six months.

Because of all this, they never trusted the staff. So, to buy a book:

1) Browse shelves and choose book. In the technical aisles this wasn't
always easy due to the Byzantine 'organisation'.
2) Take book to assistant.
3) Assistant writes out a 'chit' stating the amount due.
4) Take chit to cashier at other end of the floor, and pay (cashiers were
scarce but presumably a bit more trusted).
5) Take stamped chit back to assistant and collect book.

On 09/07/2015 21:54, Bob Eager wrote:
....
Did you ever go to Foyles in Charing Cross Road up to a few years ago?
That was run in the same sort of way.

They paid their junior staff peanuts, and on one occasion they had a
meeting to discuss unionisation. They weren't allowed to have it on the
premises so they went somewhere else. Management photographed everyone
who attended. Staff never lasted more than six months.

Because of all this, they never trusted the staff. So, to buy a book:

1) Browse shelves and choose book. In the technical aisles this wasn't
always easy due to the Byzantine 'organisation'.

It did, however, sometimes result in finding a fascinating book that you
would never have actually looked for.

2) Take book to assistant.
3) Assistant writes out a 'chit' stating the amount due.
4) Take chit to cashier at other end of the floor, and pay (cashiers were
scarce but presumably a bit more trusted).

They were probably locked inside the cubicle.

5) Take stamped chit back to assistant and collect book.


--
Colin Bignell

On Thu, 09 Jul 2015 21:01:22 +0000, Huge wrote:

On 2015-07-09, Bob Eager wrote:

[27 lines snipped]

1) Browse shelves and choose book. In the technical aisles this wasn't
always easy due to the Byzantine 'organisation'.

Stuff used to be "organised" by publisher, IIRC, rather than topic.

That was it...I'd forgotten.

I haven't been there for a few years, since I (i) don't work in London
any more & (ii) as a result my dentist isn't opposite Foyles any longer.

I don't go as often as I used to. I believe it has now 'modernised' a
bit. But I used to go in Blackwells instead, where I happened upon the
reprint of the famous 'Lions' book (which then went out of print again).

On Thursday, 9 July 2015 14:12:28 UTC+1, DerbyBorn wrote:
A nice thing about a holiday is being served properly even in an
inexpensive restaurant. Why do we put up with having to queue at the bar
with our table number in the UK?

Even worse is holding on to your ticket and listening for the barperson to shout "number 42" then going up to the pass to surrender your ticket and collect your order.

Then find someone's pinched your table and you have to eat your pizza standing up.

But that was student life ...

Owain

In article ,
Huge wrote:
On 2015-07-09, Bob Eager wrote:

[27 lines snipped]

1) Browse shelves and choose book. In the technical aisles this wasn't
always easy due to the Byzantine 'organisation'.

Stuff used to be "organised" by publisher, IIRC, rather than topic.
I haven't been there for a few years, since I (i) don't work in London
any more & (ii) as a result my dentist isn't opposite Foyles any longer.

and Foyles itself has moved down the road into modern premises.

On Fri, 10 Jul 2015 00:19:14 +0100, Jonno wrote:

Bob Eager scribbled


On Thu, 09 Jul 2015 20:57:35 +0100, Tim Watts wrote:

On 09/07/15 20:49, Mike Barnes wrote:
DerbyBorn wrote:
A nice thing about a holiday is being served properly even in an
inexpensive restaurant. Why do we put up with having to queue at
the bar with our table number in the UK?

Ha! It sounds like you haven't been to one of those places in Italy
where you have to pay the cashier without the benefit of a menu or
the ability to see or point to what you want, then take the receipt
to another counter where the food is displayed so that you can place
your order and hand over the receipt. They're a nightmare for anyone
without reasonably good Italian.


Italy? That sounds like something from the Soviet era!

Did you ever go to Foyles in Charing Cross Road up to a few years ago?
That was run in the same sort of way.

They paid their junior staff peanuts, and on one occasion they had a
meeting to discuss unionisation. They weren't allowed to have it on the
premises so they went somewhere else. Management photographed everyone
who attended. Staff never lasted more than six months.

Because of all this, they never trusted the staff. So, to buy a book:

1) Browse shelves and choose book. In the technical aisles this wasn't
always easy due to the Byzantine 'organisation'.
2) Take book to assistant.
3) Assistant writes out a 'chit' stating the amount due.
4) Take chit to cashier at other end of the floor, and pay (cashiers
were scarce but presumably a bit more trusted).
5) Take stamped chit back to assistant and collect book.


It was owned by a woman...

Hardly fair. She was just rather nasty and autocratic. Apparently it's
quite nice working at Body Shop HQ (my family live in the same town), and
that was Anita Roddick (more or less until she died).

In message , Charles Hope
writes
In article , Tim Watts
wrote:
On 09/07/15 20:49, Mike Barnes wrote:
DerbyBorn wrote:
A nice thing about a holiday is being served properly even in an
inexpensive restaurant. Why do we put up with having to queue at the
bar with our table number in the UK?

Ha! It sounds like you haven't been to one of those places in Italy
where you have to pay the cashier without the benefit of a menu or the
ability to see or point to what you want, then take the receipt to
another counter where the food is displayed so that you can place your
order and hand over the receipt. They're a nightmare for anyone without
reasonably good Italian.


Italy? That sounds like something from the Soviet era!

I don't think they had one of those there. It's a good way of minimising
theft.

It was a common way for the shops to be organised in Russia in those
days.

rather awkward if you don't know what you want is called. standing one
side of a bakers at the cashier trying to pint to the loaf across the
other side you want. Then going and getting it and waiting to find out
wht it was that you actually bought.

--
Chris French

On 10/07/2015 08:40, Jethro_uk wrote:
On Thu, 09 Jul 2015 13:12:25 +0000, DerbyBorn wrote:
....
Nothing worse than getting to the head of the queue at the bar and then
having to go back and ask "Is that with peas or beans?"

What smartphones were invented for. Along with taking a photo of the
specials board so you can decide at your table...

I would most likely be the only person in the group with their mobile
switched on.

--
Colin Bignell

On 10/07/2015 09:34, Nightjar "cpb"@ wrote:
On 10/07/2015 08:40, Jethro_uk wrote:
On Thu, 09 Jul 2015 13:12:25 +0000, DerbyBorn wrote:
...
Nothing worse than getting to the head of the queue at the bar and then
having to go back and ask "Is that with peas or beans?"

What smartphones were invented for. Along with taking a photo of the
specials board so you can decide at your table...

I would most likely be the only person in the group with their mobile
switched on.

WE spent a day out in Wales earlier this week, at Ruthin. To say there
is a dearth of pubs serving food is true. The only one in Ruthin was a
Weatherspoon but we were looking for something a bit better. We then
drove to Corwen where there were 6 or so pubs, but they were either
closed or did not sell food. We were getting desperate. Happily on the
way down the A5 we spotted a pub off to the side, it was delightful. So
just be glad that you had a choice!

On 09/07/15 20:49, Mike Barnes wrote:
DerbyBorn wrote:
A nice thing about a holiday is being served properly even in an
inexpensive restaurant. Why do we put up with having to queue at the bar
with our table number in the UK?

Ha! It sounds like you haven't been to one of those places in Italy
where you have to pay the cashier without the benefit of a menu or the
ability to see or point to what you want, then take the receipt to
another counter where the food is displayed so that you can place your
order and hand over the receipt. They're a nightmare for anyone without
reasonably good Italian.

Ah yes, I am Italy at the moment. I feel a rant coming on...

Italian motorway services are the worst. Autogrill, the very name
invites despair. (They are all 'Autogrill' in my experiance, even the
ones with a different name on the sign are so indistinguishable that
they must be just a cunning branding plan to make it look like there is
a competitor.) When I have spent several hours in a hot buzzing tin box,
I like to take a break, I don't want to be channelled through a
turnstile with no way out without going right round the shop. I would
like to sit down somewhere quiet away from the traffic noise, not queue
to pay (for some [IT] values of queue), queue to order, and find a perch
amid some buzzing horde. If there is more than a cafe I expect it to be
open when I want, not filled to bursting for two hours around noon and
closed for the rest of the day.

On 09/07/15 20:57, Tim Watts wrote:
On 09/07/15 20:49, Mike Barnes wrote:
DerbyBorn wrote:
A nice thing about a holiday is being served properly even in an
inexpensive restaurant. Why do we put up with having to queue at the bar
with our table number in the UK?

Ha! It sounds like you haven't been to one of those places in Italy
where you have to pay the cashier without the benefit of a menu or the
ability to see or point to what you want, then take the receipt to
another counter where the food is displayed so that you can place your
order and hand over the receipt. They're a nightmare for anyone without
reasonably good Italian.


Italy? That sounds like something from the Soviet era!

Foyles bookshop used to be organised like that.

On 09/07/15 21:54, Bob Eager wrote:
On Thu, 09 Jul 2015 20:57:35 +0100, Tim Watts wrote:

On 09/07/15 20:49, Mike Barnes wrote:
DerbyBorn wrote:
A nice thing about a holiday is being served properly even in an
inexpensive restaurant. Why do we put up with having to queue at the
bar with our table number in the UK?

Ha! It sounds like you haven't been to one of those places in Italy
where you have to pay the cashier without the benefit of a menu or the
ability to see or point to what you want, then take the receipt to
another counter where the food is displayed so that you can place your
order and hand over the receipt. They're a nightmare for anyone without
reasonably good Italian.


Italy? That sounds like something from the Soviet era!

Did you ever go to Foyles in Charing Cross Road up to a few years ago?
That was run in the same sort of way.

They paid their junior staff peanuts, and on one occasion they had a
meeting to discuss unionisation. They weren't allowed to have it on the
premises so they went somewhere else. Management photographed everyone
who attended. Staff never lasted more than six months.

Because it avoided anyone being there long enough to qualify for any
statutory security of employment. Also most staff were foreign for much
the same reason.



Because of all this, they never trusted the staff. So, to buy a book:

1) Browse shelves and choose book. In the technical aisles this wasn't
always easy due to the Byzantine 'organisation'.

Because they relied on the publishers' reps to do the organising and
maintain the stock levels.



2) Take book to assistant.
3) Assistant writes out a 'chit' stating the amount due.
4) Take chit to cashier at other end of the floor, and pay (cashiers were
scarce but presumably a bit more trusted).
5) Take stamped chit back to assistant and collect book.

On 09/07/15 22:03, Nightjar "cpb"@ wrote:
On 09/07/2015 21:54, Bob Eager wrote:
....
Did you ever go to Foyles in Charing Cross Road up to a few years ago?
That was run in the same sort of way.

They paid their junior staff peanuts, and on one occasion they had a
meeting to discuss unionisation. They weren't allowed to have it on the
premises so they went somewhere else. Management photographed everyone
who attended. Staff never lasted more than six months.

Because of all this, they never trusted the staff. So, to buy a book:

1) Browse shelves and choose book. In the technical aisles this wasn't
always easy due to the Byzantine 'organisation'.

It did, however, sometimes result in finding a fascinating book that you
would never have actually looked for.

When I worked at the Economists' Bookshop in the 70s if a customer asked
for a book that was out of print we would suggest they try Foyles, there
was a good chance that there would be a copy there unsold for years






2) Take book to assistant.
3) Assistant writes out a 'chit' stating the amount due.
4) Take chit to cashier at other end of the floor, and pay (cashiers were
scarce but presumably a bit more trusted).

They were probably locked inside the cubicle.

5) Take stamped chit back to assistant and collect book.

On 09/07/15 22:03, Nightjar "cpb"@ wrote:
On 09/07/2015 21:54, Bob Eager wrote:
....
Did you ever go to Foyles in Charing Cross Road up to a few years ago?
That was run in the same sort of way.


2) Take book to assistant.
3) Assistant writes out a 'chit' stating the amount due.
4) Take chit to cashier at other end of the floor, and pay (cashiers were
scarce but presumably a bit more trusted).

They were probably locked inside the cubicle.

With, in some departments, the overhead wire system to send little cans
of paperwork around the shop.




5) Take stamped chit back to assistant and collect book.

In article 6,
DerbyBorn wrote:
A nice thing about a holiday is being served properly even in an
inexpensive restaurant. Why do we put up with having to queue at the bar
with our table number in the UK? I am sure that if they had a roving
waiter with one of those electronic things that transmits the order to
the kitchen they would sell more food as people would be more inclined
to order extras. Nothing worse than getting to the head of the queue at
the bar and then having to go back and ask "Is that with peas or beans?"
I hate it after a meal when grandson decides a sweet would be nice and I
have to go back to the bar and repeat the process. If there was a waiter
we might all have a sweet every time and another round of drinks.££££.
(Gripe over)

As it happens, we when for a pub meal last night, with brother and SIL,
and a couple of friends.

Leather Bottle, Earlsfield, SW London. A Youngs pub.
Being Wimbledon fortnight, booked online in the afternoon. Got a nice
table in the garden - it was a balmy night. Place was packed.

Never went near the bar - everything done via table service, including
drinks from the bar.

Was surprised they demanded a credit card at the start - not had that in a
pub before.

I had a venison burger with garnishing and chips. Assorted toasted breads
as a communal side dish.

Main course was 12.50. Really quite impressed.

--
*Some people are alive only because it's illegal to kill them *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On 10/07/15 12:04, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

Was surprised they demanded a credit card at the start - not had that in a
pub before.

That's common in London. Can't trust the customers....

On Fri, 10 Jul 2015 12:13:21 +0100
Tim Watts wrote:

On 10/07/15 12:04, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

Was surprised they demanded a credit card at the start - not had
that in a pub before.

That's common in London. Can't trust the customers....


I found this common in California back in 1978! And it was always
willingly given to the waiter/waitress/barkeep, too.

--
Davey.

In article ,
Tim Watts wrote:
On 10/07/15 12:04, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

Was surprised they demanded a credit card at the start - not had that
in a pub before.

That's common in London. Can't trust the customers....

Not in the various restaurants I usually use. Or pubs, come to that. But
some of the party said they'd had it before. Seems it quite usual in other
countries and hotels etc in the UK. Wouldn't know about either these days.
;-)

--
*England has no kidney bank, but it does have a Liverpool.*

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

In article ,
Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
In article ,
Tim Watts wrote:
On 10/07/15 12:04, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

Was surprised they demanded a credit card at the start - not had that
in a pub before.

That's common in London. Can't trust the customers....

Not in the various restaurants I usually use. Or pubs, come to that. But
some of the party said they'd had it before. Seems it quite usual in other
countries and hotels etc in the UK. Wouldn't know about either these days.
;-)

In most of the pubs round here is you want to "run a tab", you leave a
credit card behind the bar. otherwise keep paying cash for each order.

In article , Tim Watts
scribeth thus
On 10/07/15 12:04, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

Was surprised they demanded a credit card at the start - not had that in a
pub before.

That's common in London. Can't trust the customers....


Its common up here in Cambridge too. Dave ought to get out more;!...
--
Tony Sayer

In article ,
Charles Hope wrote:
In most of the pubs round here is you want to "run a tab", you leave a
credit card behind the bar. otherwise keep paying cash for each order.

Yes - I've seen that. Sounds like a way of spending far more than you can
afford after a couple.

--
*No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver,purple

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

"Tim Streater" wrote in message
.. .
In article ,
" wrote:

On Thursday, July 9, 2015 at 2:12:28 PM UTC+1, DerbyBorn wrote:
A nice thing about a holiday is being served properly even in an
inexpensive restaurant. Why do we put up with having to queue at the bar
with our table number in the UK? I am sure that if they had a roving
waiter with one of those electronic things that transmits the order to
the kitchen they would sell more food as people would be more inclined
to order extras. Nothing worse than getting to the head of the queue at
the bar and then having to go back and ask "Is that with peas or beans?"
I hate it after a meal when grandson decides a sweet would be nice and I
have to go back to the bar and repeat the process. If there was a waiter
we might all have a sweet every time and another round of drinks.??.
(Gripe over)

That's what you get for eating at a pub pretending to be a restaurant,
along
with microwaved food more often than not. There are plenty of inexpensive
restaurants with table service, there are plenty of pubs with restaurant
sections with table service. Take your business elsewhere if you don't
like
the level of service offered. Don't forget to tip your waiter if he has
done
his job well.

Trouble with the restaurants with table service is that too many of
them aren't cheap (especially the puds), and they substitute tasty food
with presentation. Whereas within some limits I doan, in fact, give a
**** how its presented.

Oh you philistine.

Didn't you know "you eat with your eyes"

(no, I don't buy it either)

tim

"Chris French" wrote in message
...
In message , Charles Hope
writes
In article , Tim Watts
wrote:
On 09/07/15 20:49, Mike Barnes wrote:
DerbyBorn wrote:
A nice thing about a holiday is being served properly even in an
inexpensive restaurant. Why do we put up with having to queue at the
bar with our table number in the UK?

Ha! It sounds like you haven't been to one of those places in Italy
where you have to pay the cashier without the benefit of a menu or the
ability to see or point to what you want, then take the receipt to
another counter where the food is displayed so that you can place your
order and hand over the receipt. They're a nightmare for anyone
without
reasonably good Italian.


Italy? That sounds like something from the Soviet era!

I don't think they had one of those there. It's a good way of minimising
theft.

It was a common way for the shops to be organised in Russia in those days.

It used to be the way that it worked in many shops in the UK up until the
50s

staff just weren't trusted with money and only the guy locked in the cash
kiosk could touch it

tim

Tim Watts wrote:
On 10/07/15 12:04, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

Was surprised they demanded a credit card at the start - not had that in a
pub before.

That's common in London.

Not uncommon elsewhere. It seems very sensible to me. Organised places
(I'm thinking of continental Europe here) put the card in locker and
hand you the key.

--
Mike Barnes
Cheshire, England

In article ,
tony sayer wrote:
In article , Tim Watts
scribeth thus
On 10/07/15 12:04, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

Was surprised they demanded a credit card at the start - not had that in a
pub before.

That's common in London. Can't trust the customers....


Its common up here in Cambridge too. Dave ought to get out more;!...

I obviously only go to restaurants who trust me.

Even Chez Bruce seems to do that. ;-)

--
*Is there another word for synonym?

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On Fri, 10 Jul 2015 17:16:52 +0100, tim..... wrote:

"Chris French" wrote in message
...
In message , Charles Hope
writes
In article , Tim Watts
wrote:
On 09/07/15 20:49, Mike Barnes wrote:
DerbyBorn wrote:
A nice thing about a holiday is being served properly even in an
inexpensive restaurant. Why do we put up with having to queue at
the bar with our table number in the UK?

Ha! It sounds like you haven't been to one of those places in Italy
where you have to pay the cashier without the benefit of a menu or
the ability to see or point to what you want, then take the receipt
to another counter where the food is displayed so that you can
place your order and hand over the receipt. They're a nightmare for
anyone without reasonably good Italian.


Italy? That sounds like something from the Soviet era!

I don't think they had one of those there. It's a good way of
minimising theft.

It was a common way for the shops to be organised in Russia in those
days.

It used to be the way that it worked in many shops in the UK up until
the 50s

staff just weren't trusted with money and only the guy locked in the
cash kiosk could touch it

True...but some of those were butchers, etc. where it was done for
hygiene purposes.

OTOH, my mum worked in the Co-Op from the age of 14. At 16 she was
trusted as a cashier (ca. 1944) and worked at the end of one of those
vacuum tube setups (and, on bad days, in the 'overhead wireway' booth in
the basement where theer presumably wasn't enough 'suck' to get stuff to
the cashiers' office on the top floor). That may have been mistrust of
the shop floor staff, or simply security.

Of course, she *had* to laeve when she had a child (me).

On Friday, 10 July 2015 18:33:41 UTC+1, Bob Eager wrote:
staff just weren't trusted with money and only the guy locked in the
cash kiosk could touch it
True...but some of those were butchers, etc. where it was done for
hygiene purposes.

also a lot of people would have shopped daily (because of lack of refrigeration at home) but had a weekly or monthly account, so the cashier wouldn't just be handling cash but would also be writing up each customer's ledger.

Owain

In article ,
Bob Eager wrote:
On Fri, 10 Jul 2015 17:16:52 +0100, tim..... wrote:

"Chris French" wrote in message
...
In message , Charles Hope
writes
In article , Tim Watts
wrote:
On 09/07/15 20:49, Mike Barnes wrote:
DerbyBorn wrote:
A nice thing about a holiday is being served properly even in an
inexpensive restaurant. Why do we put up with having to queue at
the bar with our table number in the UK?

Ha! It sounds like you haven't been to one of those places in Italy
where you have to pay the cashier without the benefit of a menu or
the ability to see or point to what you want, then take the receipt
to another counter where the food is displayed so that you can
place your order and hand over the receipt. They're a nightmare for
anyone without reasonably good Italian.


Italy? That sounds like something from the Soviet era!

I don't think they had one of those there. It's a good way of
minimising theft.

It was a common way for the shops to be organised in Russia in those
days.

It used to be the way that it worked in many shops in the UK up until
the 50s

staff just weren't trusted with money and only the guy locked in the
cash kiosk could touch it

True...but some of those were butchers, etc. where it was done for
hygiene purposes.

are. Our village butcher still has mini office wheer the cashier takes
your money. Mind you, you get the meat first.

DerbyBorn posted
A nice thing about a holiday is being served properly even in an
inexpensive restaurant. Why do we put up with having to queue at the bar
with our table number in the UK?

Because it's much quicker than the traditional continental system of:
1. You sit at a table and wait for the waiter to bring the menus;
2. You wait for the waiter to come and take your orders;
3. You wait for the waiter to bring your food;
4. You wait for the waiter to clear away your plates;
5. You wait for the waiter to bring your bill;
6. You wait for the waiter to come and collect your payment;
7. You wait for the waiter to bring your change.

I am sure that if they had a roving waiter
with one of those electronic things that transmits the order to the kitchen
they would sell more food as people would be more inclined to order extras.
Nothing worse than getting to the head of the queue at the bar and then
having to go back and ask "Is that with peas or beans?" I hate it after a
meal when grandson decides a sweet would be nice and I have to go back to
the bar and repeat the process. If there was a waiter we might all have a
sweet every time and another round of drinks.££££. (Gripe over)

As others have said, there are plenty of pubs and restaurants that have
waiter service, if you want it. Personally I avoid it if at all
possible.

--
Les

/Dave Plowman (News)


*Is there another word for synonym?
/Q

Er... Equivalent??

Jim K

In article , JimK
writes
/Dave Plowman (News)


*Is there another word for synonym?
/Q

Er... Equivalent??

Jim K
Look it up in a Thesaurus.
--
bert