Tuesday, February 21, 2006
The Swan Hotel, Aberford.
I had a lovely meal in this pub near Leeds on Saturday night with friends. It is in the village of Aberford on what was once the Great North Road before the A1 bypassed the village.
I have never been in such a busy pub before. It was heaving with customers due to it's reputation for good food with generous portions. You stand around the bar area after telling a waitress that you would like a table when one becomes available. Other customers were more than happy to wait for as long as it takes, they expect a long wait due to the popularity.
We were allocated a table and the food was good, with very generous portions. My dinner came on a large plate plus another sizzler plate for the meat. The menu is very big with plenty of choice and dishes from all around the world.
My lasting impression however is an amazement as to why with market forces being what they are, why are people so happy to stand around in a very crowded pub waiting for service like in a cattle auction? Customers positively remark that you are luckly to wait for a table, as upstairs the restaurant is bookings only, with a 3 week waiting list. It must be awful for the staff to work in such cramped conditions having to twist around customers all the time. I feel the profitability of this pub is astounding as you cannot get any more turnover from that amount of customer floor area.
This is not a relaxed romantic venue to eat out at, more a last supper before the Titanic goes down.
I had a lovely meal in this pub near Leeds on Saturday night with friends. It is in the village of Aberford on what was once the Great North Road before the A1 bypassed the village.
I have never been in such a busy pub before. It was heaving with customers due to it's reputation for good food with generous portions. You stand around the bar area after telling a waitress that you would like a table when one becomes available. Other customers were more than happy to wait for as long as it takes, they expect a long wait due to the popularity.
We were allocated a table and the food was good, with very generous portions. My dinner came on a large plate plus another sizzler plate for the meat. The menu is very big with plenty of choice and dishes from all around the world.
My lasting impression however is an amazement as to why with market forces being what they are, why are people so happy to stand around in a very crowded pub waiting for service like in a cattle auction? Customers positively remark that you are luckly to wait for a table, as upstairs the restaurant is bookings only, with a 3 week waiting list. It must be awful for the staff to work in such cramped conditions having to twist around customers all the time. I feel the profitability of this pub is astounding as you cannot get any more turnover from that amount of customer floor area.
This is not a relaxed romantic venue to eat out at, more a last supper before the Titanic goes down.
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