Disappointment about the Britannia

Don't normally complain on here but was disappointed about the Britannia pub and service received on Saturday night. There were one table with a few people sitting around in there playing very loud off putting music in an otherwise deserted pub from their lap top. We sat outside but when asked to come inside due to their fair rule of not having people sitting outside until clsoing we decided to go elsewhere as there was no way I was sitting in a pub with loud music coming from 2 customers own personal PC. The bar staff wouldn't do anything and there wasn't any management around.
Disappointing as I really like the pub and it would be a shame to feel alientated there.

Can you get away with playing loud music from personal PC in a pub?

If it's the one in Kipling Street I was in there a few weeks back and heard a regular complaining to the apparently new manager about recent staff turnover, some lasting only a matter of weeks. He was assured that would change.

Or by your experience, perhaps not.

Still, mileages vary. An excerpt from the most recent review on www.beerintheevening.com , just a month ago:

A real gem of a pub! Highly reccomend making a trip to visit this pub. It has a huge range of Scottish Single Malt whisky's. The food is decent for a pub and is reasonably priced. However the huge range of Whisky is the real attraction. I went along with a couple of friends and the Barman was simply outstanding, very friendly and chatty and hugely impressive in his knowledge and service.

Boroman - my experiences of the pub in the past have tended towards your reviewer's. However, I was there in MrsR's group on Saturday (a group of SE1ers who, while not being regulars do go there a few times a year) and confirm that the tosser with the PC was putting off not just us, but other customers. The music he was playing to impress his 'friends' varied from the sexually explicit to Simple Minds.

The other people inside the pub when we left ended up in the same place as us and were joined by a further group of friends. I hope the staff (who were pleasant, friendly and largely ineffectual) have told the management about the impact this had on their business.

Rambling Phil wrote:

I hope the staff (who were pleasant, friendly and largely ineffectual) have told the management about the impact this had on their business.

I visit the Brit less regularly now, mainly because, although the place has been partially redecorated, the management and staff have changed for the worse, imo. The food was (maybe still is) good and reasonable value, but on several occasions the 'tosser' with the laptop / disco (either on his own or when joined by his shrill friends) imposed his arrogant self and his music on other customers.

I was also in the party on Saturday evening and if we had not been able to sit outside, I doubt we would have stayed as long as we did. I did query with the bar staff why they tolerated the guy because it must have been obvious he was clearing the place for them - one responded with 'well, it's a public place'.

Well, it may be a more regularly empty place soon - the two nearest competitors, Simon the Tanner and the Old School Yard were both very busy that evening.

Has anyone tried The Marigold recently?

I'm happy to say that I was there last Thursday and we had a lovely lunch! The staff seemed very competent and friendly whilst we were there... In fact we were saying how we should go there more often, as we often seem to forget it's there.

Maybe we were lucky, but I'd certainly recommend it. It's lovely to be able to sit outside on sunny days too!

why did noone think to politely suggest the guy turn off his music?

the staff were not interested and from this posting there were enough annoyed customers to ounumber the unsociable petty dj. so why did noone tackle this creep?

If I went for a night out with mates and some spanner was playing his laptop loud, I would expect the bar staff to step in.

I would not want to get into any hassle with a loud muppet - and I would do exactly what they did, vote with my feet.

Boss St Bloke wrote:

If I went for a night out with mates and some spanner was playing his laptop loud, I would expect the bar staff to step in.
I would not want to get into any hassle with a loud muppet - and I would do exactly what they did, vote with my feet.

Couldn't have put it better myself.

We chose to engage with the bar staff / 'management' that night because we arrived after the 'spanner' and 'the management' are the ones who should intervene - so it's their call. We chose to stay outside until asked to move inside - then we voted with our feet.

I suspect if we had arrived and sat inside before that guy turned up, we may well have requested he turn off the 'music'.

One of the staff must have been Duty Manager/Supervisor and therefore should have acted responsibly.

Has anyone spoken to the new manager, since this event? Not only about the noisy customer but the unwillingness of the staff to intervene.

I too was disappointed by the new decor, very bland and badly lit, our usual book club corner has lost all it's charm IMHO.