Imagine a job where the only days you could get off were when it rained, or in the middle of winter. Imagine you could never get away from your job when the weather was nice, because that's when your job was busy. Imagine all those you are working for are out in the sun, laughing and jolly, while you're inside sweating your proverbials off. Imagine the frustration when you get asked, several times everyday "Do you get out on the fells much yourself?" and have to answer "No" and still remain cheerful.
Imagine you got to meet some of the most interesting people, everyday, and facilitate their enjoyment to such obvious pleasure that you feel on top of the world with their gratitude. Imagine some of your best customers become your best friends and come back, time and time and time again.
Imagine you have to deal with some of the worst and most inconsiderate people everyday of your life. They come into your home, treat you like a second class citizen, cost you more than they spend, vandalise your property and claim it was an accident, and then wonder why you ask them to leave. Imagine you have people verbally assault you and then wonder why your customer focus looses its calibration.
Imagine you get to brew beer that gets drunk more than other people's beer next to it. Imagine that you get to experiment with new brews and they still sell, imagine the satisfaction in that.
Imagine you like to do something different with food, to experiment and design new dishes and ideas that impress your best customers. Imagine this is written about nearly everyday in the visitor's book of your hotel. Imagine that you are always being told by the people who keep coming back how much you've improved the place.
Imagine, despite everything you do, or have ever done, you cannot seem to make much difference to the money you earn. Imagine every year that you work out you've earned significantly less than the minimum wage and broken the working time directive for yourself several times over. Imagine you can never relax in your own home.
Imagine that your ideas of how a pub should be run are shattered, into a million pieces, and you rebuild them, piece by piece by piece.
Imagine the people, the friends, the enemies, the achievements, the tragedies, the hard work, the satisfaction and frustration all rolled into one. Imagine you'd love to start again and do it all differently.
Imagine, despite it all, you'd do it all over again.
19 comments:
This was a very nice read, especially after reading and replying to Avery's emotional rebuttal to the track I recorded.
I wish you continued success in the arts. Maybe play with some different yeast? Safale US-05?
Dave, this is brilliant, wonderfully put. I was worried that it was heading towards a sad ending but you lifted it up and left me with a smile - nice one :D
Love the passion, love the honesty.
Hard old game the pub game. I've always said it and you put it so well. The ups and the downs.
Thanks for sharing. Hope to be able to visit some time!
US-05 is good but dosn't settle as quickly as S-04.
Great post Dave Cheers
Great post Dave, inspiring and thought provoking stuff!
As a consumer rather than a producer here, this was a fascinating read. Thought provoking and sympathetic. I always like to learn about the other side of relationships and this was very clear. Next time I go to a cafe, pub, or restaurant it will be with a different mentality.
Very nice, Dave. And despite all that, I'm feeling jealous :)
Big hugs, big man.
Thanks everybody. Guess what? It's raining today, but your appricication more than makes up for that.
Sentimental claptrap, and very un-English. For goodness sake man, keep it buttoned up. Build some down-time for yourself into your business plan. You're an asset - you need to budget for maintenance. Otherwise you'll go all Shining on us.
Un-English to be sentimental? It seems it's very British to be compassionate. We have the NHS, which, despite it's many problems, most of us believe is fundamentally and undeniably right.
We have just released a tragic pawn of a massive international diplomatic process to enable him to go home and receive the greatest sentence fate can deliver, that of death.
Sentimental = compassionate in my view.
I'm proud to be British.
Down time = pub shut. Pubs aren't allowed to be shut, do I really need more bad publicity?
I was joking. It's a nice piece. And always worth taking time to remind us that there are ways of measuring success (even in business) other than the bottom line.
Keep it up Mr Woolpack.
I thought you were joking, but wasn't sure. It gave me a chance to comment on today's news, which I think is interesting.
Very good.
Although I must admit I don't work very hard. I've done very little this week ... I used to feel the need to be behind the bar all the time, but I'm over that now. There are a few old grumblers who expect a landlord to suffer for his art, and be there everytime they turn up for a pint, but I don't worry about them.
I imaged. Now look what I got myself into.
Very nicely put.
A good read Dave. As I have said before, at least you are passionate about what you do. Keep it up.
Tim
Thats Almost a Poem, a good one at that!
I worked in a bar in a city center so I can understand some of the crap idiots can put you through. But if your own home? I couldnt hack it.
Hopefully its a bit better out in the country side and people are nicer.
There is a special kind of satisfaction from working in a bar that you can only get that way. I miss it but dont miss the Agro from drunks.
Well done for staying open and enjoying the good stuff so we can too.
Cheers!
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