9 Red Flags That Indicate A Bad Pub

There's nothing quite like a cold pint or a crisp glass of rosé at a well-run pub. These places are more than just watering holes –– unlike a bar, which has a heavier focus on high-end drinks and sleek, lifestyle-oriented venues, a pub is a community hub. Sure, you can order a bottle of wine in both places, but a pub is where old friends catch up and strangers become regulars. A good pub should feel like a second home ­­–– welcoming, relaxed, but with a better stocked fridge. And a pub usually serves food, whereas many bars focus purely on drinks. But what happens when a once-great pub takes a turn for the worse? And more importantly, how can you tell a pub's gone bad before you've already ordered your drink? If there are visible signs of neglect or uncleanliness, then have no doubt that if you scratch the surface, the reality will be worse in the areas not accessible to the public. 

If a management team is struggling, this will impact every element of their business. A lack of cash flow often accounts for neglect, but it may also indicate outdated stock, inadequate security, and insufficient wages for staff, all of which can contribute to an unwelcome atmosphere and a bad food and drink experience for you.

To help us pinpoint what red flags to look out for when choosing a pub, we asked Lindsay Shelton, general manager at Montauk, in California, for some insight. We questioned whether cheap food and drink are ever good, whether long waiting times are always bad, and what indicates a poorly run staff.

If your server or bar staff appear uninformed, this could be a sign of bad management. Neglect in pubs extends beyond depleted stock and dirty glasses; staff, arguably the most important element of your pub experience, can also be neglected. Neglect can manifest as inadequate staff training, overworked team members, poor compensation, and a lack of overall care. Lindsay Shelton explains that there is considerable pressure on staff working in pubs and restaurants. If you see a member of staff who doesn't want to make eye contact or approach you, it could be that they haven't received proper training.

Staff responsibilities extend beyond the basics — while core duties include greeting customers, serving food and drinks, handling payments, and maintaining a clean environment, a truly exceptional pub experience requires more. Staff should have in-depth knowledge of the products they serve. Training should ensure they are familiar with the wine, beer, and cocktail menus, confident in making recommendations, and skilled in preparing cocktails. 

Shelton warns against judging a book by its cover, immediately reminding us that a staff member could be new. She says, "Drink lists can be challenging, especially if they rotate multiple items on a regular basis. The hope is always that a team is comfortable and confident in all of their offerings, but an extensive list or daily rotation may make that difficult at times."

Staff training should also cover the food menu; bar staff should be familiar with what's on offer, have an understanding of allergens, and be able to make basic recommendations on food pairings. Shelton advises that the best approach is to communicate with staff to ensure you get what you are looking for. However, if all staff members are uninformed, this may be your sign to walk away.

No one wants to eat or drink in a grubby pub, Think about it, the appearance of a pub is a marketing tool for business owners, a pub's décor and style should entice customers in and make them want to stay, if the landlord can't be bothered to keep public spaces clean what does this mean for the kitchen area where hygiene is of the utmost importance?

There are some obvious signs of uncleanliness: tables that haven't been cleared, sticky floors, dirty glasses, but it's important to look below the surface. Are tables wiped? Are salt and pepper shakers filled? Do the menus have food stains on them? At the bar area, look out for finger marks on beer taps, and unclean beer mats. Are the supplies of guest-facing products, like napkins and stirrers, well-stocked and tidy? Take a look at the bottle behind the bar. Lindsay Shelton tells us, "The most common sign of properly rotated and fresh stock is cleanliness. Dusty bottles, old or outdated labels, are a pretty big sign that product hasn't been moved recently. Most professionals in the industry rotate, clean, and manage inventory and product daily."

The toilets are one of the surest indicators of cleanliness in a pub; bathrooms should be spotless. A responsible pub will have a cleaning schedule that includes hourly checks — this includes ensuring toilets are flushed, floors are mopped, sinks are cleaned, and that sanitary items are restocked. If you are curious about the hygiene standards of a pub, chef David Chang advises checking behind the toilets, arguing that attention to detail should be consistent throughout all areas of the pub.

The issue behind plastic glasses in pubs is multi-layered — using plastic glasses could indicate a lack of funds to purchase new glasses. It also might signal a high turnover of glasses, perhaps due to violent or drunken behavior. On top of this, any publican worth his weight knows this, so not investing in decent glassware shows that they don't care about making a good impression on potential clientele.

The same applies to many disposable items that are used in lieu of reusable alternatives. You have to ask yourself why wooden cutlery and plastic plates are used –– there is currently no federal ban on using plastic items in pubs or restaurants, however, it is heavily frowned upon for environmental reasons. The only reason a pub would still use plastic is to save money on replacing dishes or washing up, or because the items are frequently stolen or used in violent fights. None of these things points to a pub you want to spend time in.

Lindsay Shelton has another reason you may want to swerve a pub with plastic glasses or plates. "Plastic can be effective and efficient in a large volume environment ... it does matter very much what is actually put in those glasses," she says. "Plastic can alter the flavor of items. High-value product should not be put in a plastic vessel, if at all possible."

Pubs should be convivial, warm, and welcoming –– pubs were created as a place to stop and rest on long journeys and to gather with friends and share stories. The best pubs are social hubs, designed to welcome all –– think roaring fires, home-cooked food, and intimate seating, vs the informality of a bar-style venue. Landlords have centuries of tricks up their sleeves to make customers feel welcome and encourage them to stay, if they haven't put thought into the ambience of a pub, it's a red flag. 

Some things to look out for are strip lighting rather than warm wall lights or lamps, uncomfortable furniture like hard plastic chairs, the best pubs encourage you to linger with padded booths, squishy couches, and romantic snugs. Be cautious of TVs at full volume with no one watching, or loud music playing in an empty room. There are times when it's appropriate to have the TV on –– during a big game, or when there's a room full of people looking to dance at midnight, but outside of these occasions it's inappropriate.

Sometimes what affects the atmosphere of a pub is almost intangible –– have you ever walked into a pub and instantly felt you're not welcome? Perhaps you appear visibly different than the clientele, too young, too old, too provincial? Or possibly it's more subtle than that –– a frostiness in the air, a person glancing your way, or perhaps there are no people at all. If the pub isn't functioning well and local people have abandoned it for another venue, this is a red flag.

Good things can happen to bad people –– sadly, there are times when, despite the best efforts of good management, a pub can become a gathering place for less savory types. Lindsay Shelton advises that good management should always take steps to mitigate unwelcome behavior, such as ensuring that entrances and exit areas are well-lit, that there are visible cameras throughout the venue, and that bathrooms are easily accessible. 

Despite these necessary precautions, a pub can still have a bad reputation and dodgy clientele. If you walk in and everyone is extremely drunk or well on their way there, it may not be the best place to relax (unless that's what you are looking for, of course). Games of beer pong, rounds of shots, and large hen or stag groups indicate a party pub, not a comforting retreat.

Vigilant landlords should look out for signs of drug use; according to the BPPA, this includes torn beer mats, powder on tables or in the bathroom surfaces, payment in rolled up bills, and they should work to evict customers who look under the influence. If you notice these signs and behaviors, remember that drug use often leads to violence, and it may be time to leave.

It is possible to gauge the quality of a pub before you even walk in the door. If the building has obvious signs of neglect, it can indicate a lack of funds for repairs or a lack of care, both of which are red flags when choosing a pub.

When arriving at your pub of choice, look out for a general unkempt appearance to the exterior. These can include broken signage, boarded-up windows, damaged fencing, peeling paint, graffiti, or simply an unloved garden — such as unattended flower beds, overflowing garbage cans, and weeds in the parking lot. If the pub landlords don't care about the curb appeal of their establishment, it's a sure sign they aren't going to give a high level of care to the appearance inside the pub either.  Once inside, look for broken or missing furniture. If there aren't enough tables, chairs, or barstools, it could be because the owners can't afford to replace them– this is also true of flickering light bulbs, a lack of glasses, and unstocked fridges.

Always remember, neglect is like an iceberg; if the areas visible to customers are neglected, the places you can't see will be a lot worse.Neglect can run to unclean beer lines, which at best can make your drink taste bad, but could also run a risk of contamination, which can make you seriously ill. It can mean that the drink stock isn't properly rotated, and you may be given wines or cocktails that have expired. Neglect may mean that hygiene isn't maintained in cooking areas, and you are given dirty or contaminated food.

We asked Lindsay Shelton if a long wait for food and drink is ever a good thing. After all, long waits could mean high demand, which is good, right? "Although some items take longer to prepare than others, most professionals in the industry ... try to build that awareness into the efficiency and technical requirements," she replied. "There is such a thing as waiting too long."

Any patient diner can agree that while a short wait may be expected in a bustling pub, there is a fine line between an anticipatory holding and a frustrating experience. There's no agreed-upon set waiting time for drinks; it's reasonable to expect a server to visit your table or a glass of wine to arrive within a few minutes at a quiet bar on a Monday night. At a packed bar in NYC on a Saturday night, you know it's going to be considerably longer. It also depends on what drink you have ordered; a beer takes seconds to pour, whereas some cocktails take ages to make (the Ramos Gin Fizz is reputedly the longest). 

It's a judgment call. Still, if your server hasn't come to your table within the first five minutes — or you've ordered, and the bar staff seem to clearly be ignoring you in favor of regulars, other guests, or pure unwillingness to work, then it's time to high tail it out of there.

Unlike a bar, pubs typically serve food alongside their drinks. Most pubs aren't aiming for a high-end Michelin star standard, but they do focus on serving high-quality, home-cooked food, and the standard of their food offering is a significant indicator of the pub's quality. It's possible to have an idea of the food you can expect just by looking at the menu –– if you are presented with a ten-page menu, it's a red flag –– no chef can prep or cook for such an extensive menu, which means a lot of it will be frozen or prepared in advance, and possibly even microwaved. If the menu is laminated, it can be a red flag, as it may mean that the pub doesn't frequently update its menu. A printed paper menu implies that they respond to the needs of their customers and consider the dishes, perhaps adapting the menu seasonally. Do they have a specials board? A list of daily specials suggests that the food is prepared from scratch, possibly using local ingredients. At Tasting Table, we've identified 11 reasons you should send your food back, which include burnt or raw food, finding a foreign object, being served something you didn't order, or food being served on dirty plates or with dirty glasses.

A visit to the pub should be an enjoyable experience, and a proper drink and decent food are essential to making this happen. Proper storage and rotation of drinks, whether they be beer, wine, cocktails, or shooters, is essential. A good publican will ensure that stock is rotated, fresh ingredients are stored correctly, fridges and containers are kept clean. When it comes to draught beers, lines should be cleaned at least every two weeks.

A decent pub should have confidence in their product, and with this in mind they shouldn't scrimp on prices. Firstly, if a pub is operating correctly, it should have confidence in its pricing. Secondly, if the food is priced extremely cheaply, you just know they are cutting corners somewhere.

Cheaply priced items in a pub are usually too good to be true; restaurants will need to reduce costs elsewhere, which could include the quality of the food or drinks they purchase, staff wages, or reduced adherence to hygiene standards. If you want to enjoy a night at your local pub, then pay enough to have confidence that you are drinking name-brand spirits, in-date cocktails, and unfrozen chicken wings.

Overcharging is also a red flag. Sure, there are some extremely high-end pubs owned by Michelin-starred chefs where you may expect to pay extortionate prices for a meal, but unless this is the case, there is no need for pubs to price highly. Worse is when pubs try to hide their prices; if you don't see any prices at the bar, or are given a menu without prices, this could be a sign that the pub is overcharging and doesn't want you to know about it. Always ask for prices if they aren't visible — and if you think they are overcharging, then head out the door.