Plenty of things can go wrong in places where beer is served. I have listed a number of them, and have larded the text with personal examples. But I am sure that plenty of readers have experienced some of them as well during their going-out. This list could serve as a list of guiding principles for current and future pub and restaurant owners on how to improve their trade.
General issues.
A typical one is not having sufficient restrooms, such that customers have to wait in line, most of the time in (heavy) discomfort. Or worse, customers going outside to urinate in the wild, to the horror of the neighbors. In Flanders (the Flemish part of Belgium) there is a rule about the number of toilets for personnel in a regular work environment, and this can serve as a guideline. Translated to horeca : ‘there must be at least 1 individual toilet per 15 male simultaneous attendees and at least 1 per 15 female simultaneous attendees. The individual toilets for the males can be replaced by urinals, provided that the number of individual toilets is at least 1 per 25 males simultaneously. For every four toilets or urinals, there must be one washbasin’.
Plenty pubs are proud to show off the number of beers they have.
Actually, this is not always wise, as too much choice does dare result in stale/old beer because not all beers will sell as smoothly.
Moreover, customers may have what is commonly known as ‘decision paralysis’. Too much of the same results in not choosing any, e.g. 10 IPA’s and the customer orders a lager (s)he knows. And it also gives the impression the bar owners do not know themselves which ones are best to serve their customers.
Another negative aspect of this is when the beer menu is not constantly updated, such that the beer list contains plenty beers that are no longer available, to the desperation of the customer. Brickskeller in Washington was famous for that (but no longer exists).
All too often, beer lines are not cleaned enough or sufficiently thoroughly. The result is off-flavors, even sour notes for which some customers possibly will blame the brewer, wrongly of course. The major principle here is that beer can only deteriorate once it has left the brewery. And all too often the bar is to blame. Furthermore, never accept personnel stating the classic line ‘it is supposed to be/taste like that’.
Overall bad hygiene, think ‘Kitchen Nightmares’ with Gordon Ramsey. Two crazy personal experiences come to my mind.
I ever saw a rat tripping over the back counter of a London brewpub, while having my beer.
In a restaurant in the heart of the Brussels tourist area, upon entering we noticed the benches were put about 15 cm from the walls and wondered why. But once it became dark we knew, … the place was infested with roaches.
Bar owners allowing beggars or ‘sales’ guys (flowers, toys, ..) into the establishment such that they can harass and embarrass customers.
Bar stools without foot rest. Some places go ‘design’ and put in bar stools without foot rest. That is so unpractical for the customer.
Extremely loud music, such that customers are not able to have a decent conversation.
Constantly ringing and beeping telephones, quite nerve wrecking for the other customers.
Smelly issues.
The kitchen is too close to the bar, with insufficient (use of) cooker hoods. Then the food smells permeate the room and distract the beer drinker from smelling his/her beer. Another possibility, which happened to me just a few days ago in an Asian restaurant, is that the cooking oil puts a light film on the glassware, if not washed very frequently, such that the consumer has a ‘fat’ smell.
Even worse, restrooms way too close to the bar, with ‘other’ smells wafting around.
Lacking or insufficient ventilation, resulting in a bad smell. Unfortunately, a typical smell upon entering a place that is just opening up is that of stale beer or powerful cleaning fluid.
I do not understand why but so many establishments have smelly/stinky soap in the restrooms. When customers wash their hands, the soap smell will haunt them for minutes, ruining the beer smell. Do know odorless soap exists.
In these covid-times, something similar happens with smelly/stinky alcohol gel.
Then, there is the personnel with heavy fragrance/deodorant, ruining the customer’s sense of smell.
And strangely enough, some even succeed in misusing the cleaning fluid in the dishwasher. It may be too smelly and/or they may be using too much of it and/or the dishwasher may be so close to the counter that the smell hits the bar counter big time, every time it is opened.
Another one is the storage and/or disposal of waste and/or garbage. I have seen that piled up at the entrance to the pub, at the side of the building next to the customer terrace, etc. Neither a pleasant sight nor smell.
Even though the establishment may be smoke-free, smokers go outside and smoke close to the front door or the open windows, such that smoke wafts into the inside.
Glassware issues.
In certain establishments, I have seen glasses and food hardware (plates, pots, …) put together in the same dishwasher. This is not done as the fattiness of the food hardware will almost certainly stain the glassware, no matter what you do.
Even if glasses are washed separately, they still may not be not completely clean, having an impact on smell, taste and head.
And, not wanting to repeat myself, too much cleaning fluid will always result in a smelly glass. Unfortunately, I have seen this occur even in some of the best pubs, and even in a beer competition or two.
Wet glasses after being poured are not put on beer mats, such that water (or worse, beer) drips onto the customer’s clothing upon drinking.
Personnel issues.
An all too frequent issue is that personnel is happy to be present but are not interested in serving the customers. They look away, look at their smartphones or at the PC, talk to one another or to their friends, … and do not see the work at hand, e.g. serving the customers, cleaning the tables, bringing out the food on time, etc. A few weeks ago, I was in a Antwerp beer pub. I was seated at the bar behind which four staff were standing. I had my order ready, but after five minutes, not one of them had looked my way and certainly had not said anything to me. So, I stood up and left the establishment, for which I will now make a lot of publicity, … bad obviously.
Insufficient cleaning, e.g. scrubbing the table. Upon close look at the table top or counter, stains stand out that have been there for ages. A few years ago in a local pub, I noticed that dried-out lemon wedges were glued to the bar top, probably left there weeks before.
Plenty of places do not train the bar staff or do not train them well. A few personal examples.
In a US brewpub, a customer asks : what is your Belgian style and the answer is ‘hefeweizen’.
Use of an incorrect glass. Belgian brewers are famous for their personalised glassware. Think chalice for Westmalle Trappist, iconic Hoegaarden goblet, Duvel tulip, etc. A beer connoisseur loves to have the correct glass for his beer, and loathes another glass, including a straight standard glass.
Another classic one is not to provide a glass upon serving the beer from the bottle, such that the customer has to ask for one. Such behavior is based on less work for staff, but kills the beer experience, even for an ordinary lager.
Bottled beer should be served with the bottle, such that customers can read the label, look at the ‘best before’ date, etc. And the bottle should be put on the table with the label facing the customer.
Bottle refermented beer is poured badly, i.e. all in one go, resulting in
Overflowing glasses
Overall cloudy beer, whereas the bottom of the bottle should be kept and served separately, etc.
Poor keg pour
A limited head is unattractive, and may lead to giving too much beer to the customer if glasses are filled to the brim
Too much head is a signal to the drinker that he does not get his beer due, and that the most important is the owner’s wallet. The customer will be unhappy
In order to fill the glass with the correct balance between foam and beer, a lot of beer may go to waste. This can be quite loss-making for the owner. An example from Rotterdam where one pub was allowed to serve Duvel on draft. It took the bartender about 5 minutes of continuous pouring and more than four full glasses thrown out to get one decent pour to me.
When you ask waiters what to drink with your meal, you do not get a good honest answer. They only tell you what they are told to sell. Leading to a sub-optimal experience for the customer. A personal example : a standard lager with a game dish with creamy sauce.
My recommendation is therefore : even if there is a high turnover in staff, always train them, including in detecting faults in the beer. It will benefit everyone.
Over the years and during my travels, I have given plenty of comments for improvement to both personnel and owners. Quite a few are happy with the input, and sometimes challenge me to comment on other things as well, pushing me more or less in the role of mystery guest. However, others do not want to listen. Anyway, whatever the situation, always support the local beer businesses, and (try to) enjoy.
