Old Duke, Bristol

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(2 reviews)

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FancyaPint?'s review...

The Old Duke is an extremely irritating pub - it should be great, but it isn't. It almost has it all, there's a great range of beer and cider on the hand pumps, frequent live jazz sessions, a shabby cool interior, friendly locals and a good location, but the people who work here could learn a thing or two about service. Despite it being a quiet night and only a punter or two ahead of us it took us ten minutes to get served (we timed it). Why? Because whilst one member of staff struggled manfully to pour pints and take cash, his two colleagues spent the entire time we were waiting messing with the sound system, subjecting us to piercing fragments of fake Ska (you know the 1980's stuff - Specials, Bad Manners etc) and excruciating mains hum, before they were finally satisfied. Even then, they didn't return to serve the queues that had built up, one disappeared upstairs and the other returned to the end of the bar to resume her conversation with her pal. A quick lesson in business - when you have customers waiting to pay you money, you deal with them, it's what pays your wages. And it seems we're not the only ones to suffer this "service". Needless to say, the Old Duke's lost two pints off the rating as a consequence and won't be getting them back until we find things have improved.

Reviewed by pubdog 10 Mar 2009 Helpful? yes/no

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jimatgp
Reviews (3)

15 Jul 2010

Seems to have been a marked improvement in service, at least based on my two visits this week. Moderately efficient, at times close to friendly, bar staff, plus usual excellent choice of beers, decent music, and eccentric clientele. The place is scruffier - and smellier -than ever but always worth a visit.

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