Although a lot do, not all pubs serve food, but a lot of those that don't, do still stay open. For many in UK running their own pub, a day off just doesn't happen. Why they ever want to do it, or run a bar in Spain is beyond me. We have a country pub near me, plain crisps and nuts are the only food on offer, no machines, no muzzak, beer decanted into a jug and then into a pint glass, it's like going back a century. It's probably the most popular pub for miles, both the locals and the visitors love it. It was last updated in 1890!

Many of the bars in my town are closed on Sundays, and they tend to close on one day during the week as well - almost as if they have a kind of rota where some will be closed on Mondays, some Tuesdays and so on. Some, even in the centre, close on a Friday or Saturday.

Spanish cities are not the only ones where practically everything shuts down in August (or did). I once made the mistake of going to Paris for a few days in August and it was like a ghost town with the majority of shops, bars and restaurants closed.

My ex-husband used to run his family's pub (a free house, so they could choose when to open). They didn't open at lunchtime except on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, and not before 8.00 pm in the evenings. On Christmas Day they opened only between 12.00 noon and 2.00 pm. I didn't work behind the bar very often, but usually got roped in for New Year's Eve, and I hated it. People were waiting outside for the doors to open at 8.00 pm and they would all rush in shouting to be served at once, it was like the first day of the Harrod's sale or something!

There aren't many things I miss about living in England, but going to the pub on New Years Eve is one of them. Kissing complete strangers and singing Auld Lang Syne ... Eating 12 grapes with your in-laws is nowhere near as much fun!

Yes, you definitely appear to be living back in the dark ages.

I don't know of a single pub in my neck of the woods,and there's quite a few, that does not serve food.
Food tends to be almost the main attraction these days rather than beer.

Nor do I know of a single pub that is a one man outfit.
Quite a few family run pubs,but no shortage of family members or trusted friends to help out if needs be.

I don't know of a single one that closes Christmas Day.
Apart from Christmas lunch, afternoon at the pub is long standing tradition for most guys around here.

Ah, but if you were working there, for every prince you had to kiss an awful lot of frogs! And it wasn't much fun when you were sober and they were all absolutely rat-arsed!

Food does seem to be the main attraction, but I feel sorry for you if you can't relax in a traditional pub, without music, machines, food smells etc, enjoying a pint of real ale instead of the pressurised p1ss that most serve. Most of my eating is done in a restaurant, if I want a drink, a pub that's not a restaurant.

Of course I can, the bar areas are usually for sad old buggers like me to enjoy a decent pint in peace or put the world to rights.
Most around here are without noisy music and machinery, some don't even have TV or else may have TV with text and no sound.

The dining rooms are usually separate and a match for most restaurants,though with a much nicer atmosphere.
Many have their own specialities priding themselves on quality food and get a mention in good pub grub guides or others are more up market.
Bar meals are often available for those only wanting a quick snack.
I despise the formality of most posh restaurants with poncy waiters strutting around like prize penguins.
Better a nice atmosphere and then a nice cosy bar with a coal fire to follow up on the meal with a pint of the best.

Pubs can be whatever the punters want them to be and often branch out into other useful social functions on occasional nights depending on local requirements.
It has been the way forward in difficult times for those who have continued to succeed where many others have fallen by the wayside.

This seems to sum it up!



Hours of work:

We open when we arrive
We close when we leave
If you come and we aren't here
It's because we've missed each other

My late BIL ran a pub just outside Slough
Christmas Day he opened at lunchtime until abt 2pm then the family members along with one or two friends sat down to a roast dinner. Never opened that evening.

I knew a bar out in a very remote spot in Tenerife which was always open,but it was rare to ever see the Landlord.
It was usually afternoon so I presume he must have been having his siesta, but no matter how much noise we made to attract his attention apparently he wasnt to be disturbed.
If no one had turned up within ten minutes or so we simply helped ourselves to a few bottles and if no one had turned up an hour or so later we simply left the money on the counter and went on our way.
The odd local or two we ever saw in there did pretty much the same thing so it seemed to be accepted practice.

Another world ...

There's a bar where my grandparents live in Ireland that has a notice in the window, "Closed on Sundays - please use rear entrance".

twasnt a bar, just a cafe, down in Looe (sorry Jacky its about the UK so you can switch off now)
I was introduced to the owners by my geography teacher, seems although I was from Hertfordshire he was exceedingly well known down there, a councillor, and well respected
anyway, I called in one afternoon out of season expecting someone to be there to find a guy I had never met, he said hi, you must be and I'm. Tea or coffee. turned out the door was never locked, friends and relatives called in, if no one there made themselves a cup of tea, had a biscuit or two and left a note to say they had called.

oh how times have changed.

Such places do still exist,though few and far between.

A couple of years back a couple who ran a village shop in the N.Pennines decided they were long overdue for a day off so they simply priced everything up and left a bucket on the counter for the takings.
On checking it later,as far as they could tell everything had been paid for and possibly a bit extra besides, so they said they wouldn't be afraid to repeat the same experiment again.
Wether they did or not I've no idea, though I imagine if word got out about it outside their village then the risk would increase a thousand fold.

ah but the intelligence network in those villages is something the CIA/KGB wish they could get their hands on.

and now battering a burglar is getting Govt Approval I am eager to get my hands on one.

Think if must depend on area and whether it is family only or they hire staff. Round our way (up in the mountains) all family only bars shut for one day a week (2 do Monday, 1 does Tuesday, 1 Wednesday and 1 Thursday) so there is always a few open. Our nearest large bar/restaurant hires staff and they boast that they only shut for Xmas Eve - although they did shut for a family funeral for 1 day. In that bar one of the two brothers, plus relevant wife, is always on duty and they also have another member of staff always on duty (these latter staff split the week between them). For big functions they bring in extra staff as required. Even when one of the daughters got married they still had the bar and main restaurant open.