The Marquis, Covent Garden

I spent (at 14.00 today) ten minutes waiting at the bar with my fiver in my hand. There were three other people there drinking - I was the only one waiting to be served. The young lady behind the bar ignored me - she was busy pumping clear water from the London Pride tap. When she got around to asking me what I wanted, I commented on my new-found invisibility and she poured me the drink. That gave her time to think of a defence, so, instead of saying sorry for the unnecessary delay in serving me, she said, 'Oh, I thought you were there waiting there for someone to join you.' So it may not be in contravention of the Licensing Act to be alone in a pub, but it certainly appears to be contrary to the norms of the Marquis. She didn't need to be objectionable; a simple, sincere apology would have sufficed. I regard the lady's behaviour as an insult and I won't be returning to the Marquis.

3 Feb 2012 17:27