Slatterys Bar,Dublin 4 - issues with barstaff?

jennifer.t

Has anyone had any issues with the curly haired, headband-wearing barman in Slatterys pub on Grand Canal Street in Dublin 4?

I was in there watching the Leinster match on Saturday and he managed to upset a number of punters around him.

Ive mentioned this to a few friends and it seems everyone has their own story to tell. Im currently compiling a letter for the owner and would appreciate anyones input good or bad.

jkmanc1974

jennifer.t wrote: »

Has anyone had any issues with the curly haired, headband-wearing barman in Slatterys pub on Grand Canal Street in Dublin 4?

I was in there watching the Leinster match on Saturday and he managed to upset a number of punters around him.

Ive mentioned this to a few friends and it seems everyone has their own story to tell. Im currently compiling a letter for the owner and would appreciate anyones input good or bad.

What age is he roughly?

Brgds
Johnny

jennifer.t

He's probably early 30s.Think his name is Alex

Ham'nd'egger

jennifer.t wrote: »

Has anyone had any issues with the curly haired, headband-wearing barman in Slatterys pub on Grand Canal Street in Dublin 4?

I was in there watching the Leinster match on Saturday and he managed to upset a number of punters around him.

Ive mentioned this to a few friends and it seems everyone has their own story to tell. Im currently compiling a letter for the owner and would appreciate anyones input good or bad.

Whatever about the merits of mentioning this barman and his alleged conduct on a thread, is it sensible to add ad hoc, unchecked and anonymous second hand stories to a potential complaint to his employer? If his conduct is out of order, you should go with what you know; that way you deal with the bare facts you can trust and stand over; adding unreliable hear say won't do your case any favours IMO

Brockagh

If he wears a headband, I don't think you need any more evidence against him.

the beer revolu

Brockagh wrote: »

If he wears a headband, I don't think you need any more evidence against him.

:D:D

slatterysd4

Hi,

I'm delighted to have the opportunity to defend myself with regard to the experience of this person at Slattery's on the wonderful day that Leinster won the Heineken Cup.

1st of all while I was definitely rude in my dealings with this group, I have the video and photographic evidenc to show that the way these people decided to position themselves for teh match was making it significanlty more difficult for others to enjoy the day.

The situation was as follows. Two relatively petite girls where sitting on stool downstairs quite a distance from the very good HD and quite highly positioned 50". 30 mins before the game started I told the girls that I wanted them to move forward as there was lots of space in front of them that due to their size no one is going move in there, thereby reducing a number of other's experience of the game. By the way I do this with everyone - in fact most people would have experience of me asking them to move here or there and sometimes they get pissed off but by the end of the game they understand that my objective is to give everybody as good a view of the event as possible. I am thinking of the bigger picture, of everybody's experience.

After the game had started I saw that the girls had not moved and there was 2 metres of dead space in front of them, in a great location beside the bar too. I mean this would ordinarily be reserved for Leinster VIP groups on HC away games. I went over and asked the girls to moved forward and they would not. They became abusive and at this stage I could not really do anything. However there was also a very tall gentleman standing to their right who I asked to move forward to the empty space where he would not be in the way. He was also not going to be in the way of the girls, a WIN WIN situation. The TV is high so as you get closer tall people are not impeding the views of others. There was in fact a group of smaller girls behind him. He said he checked with them and they said it was fine. I know from experience people don't like confrontation and will never really let you know. So I asked him to move forward where he would be closer to the bar, to the screen and not be in any ones way. He decided to move to the back, I was not asking him to move to the back but had he not moved I would have asked him to leave.

I cannot please all the people all the time. The team and Slattery's and myself put in an enormous amount of time into these big event days. The technology alone would blow your mind. The amount of people in the pub is incredible. Our aim is to give people a safe and comfortable environment where they can see the match perfectly... ok is not good enough.

I accept that my people skills are not the greatest. When under pressure and also nervous about the Leinster performance it is quicker to be aggressive then long winded but that is no excuse. So for being rude I apologise. But I will never apologise for striving to provide the very best experience for every single person, tall, small, red or blue.

I often question myself - I ask should I have done this or that, how could I have handled it better. Certainly, there are fewer experiences such as the above mainly because our customers know the score, they know why there are so few seats and why if they sit on them they have to sit in designated positions. Your group where the only people to have an issue with us that day, it was your first time in Slatterys for a match. Many people thanked the staff and myself for a great day and I can tell you that nothing feels nicer then a thank you from the customer.

I am sorry that you had a bad experience. I take responsibility for being rude and providing that poor experience. And of course you could easily have gone to any of the empty pubs around us, you didn't your group stayed for quite a long time after the match. But I know that one day the penny will drop, in another pub for another match, you will be in a poor position, someone in front of you or people annoying your enjoyment and you will wish for a barman to take control and give you the view you deserve.

Regards,

Alex
Bar Manager
& Rugby Fanatic!
Slatterys... "The Theatre of Screens"... or Screams... u decide

slatterysd4

Jennifer...

Good luck with the Letter. You called the pub and spoke directly to me and didn't voice your complaint. I gave you the address to send your letter and you put the phone down before I asked what it was about.

Im not afraid because I am follow a policy and stick to it. I have the customer at the heart of everything I do. Nice people don't get things done. Sometimes you have to get things done.

The pub was packed and properly packed yet only one group had a problem with me... and it was that group's firts time. I would admit that a lot of people have a tough first experience in Slatterys coz they dont understand that in minutes the place is jammed - its like telling people to put their safety belts on before the turbulence happens.

The post you put on another site commented on the mazing screens and sound etc... well thats me ... that's 3 years of hard work, of growing the business so that we could invest in the very best AV equipment. I put everything together and I test retest everything so that everyone can enjoy it.

So.. when people are in positions that impede others from seeing the game as well as they deserve to see it, and get abused for asking them to move 30 min before then 15 min before and they dont move. I get pissed off.

Im not perfect. But in that post where you compalined about me... you also gave me and the pub a massive compliment - because I am so proud of the screens and the HD and the sound... no one ever really put that on paper before - so thanks - i felt really good when you said that. The other sutff the bad stuff... I'm kinda used to that.

Regards,

Alex

boodlesdoodles

Reading over your posts Alex it seems you go through a lot of hoop-jumping for people watching matches. Surely, its someone's tough luck if they don't move and let others sit in front of them if they want to, in fact that's what you should be encouraging other punters to do. Where I go, you sit where you sit and if the biggest, widest guy in Ireland sits in front of you, you lean over to watch the game. Just my two cents.

mayordenis

No offence to either party here but I would never expect people to move so I can see something when I turn up early I make sure to get a seat where regardless of the crowd that turns up I'll still have a good spot - if I turn up late then tough **** on me.

slatterysd4

the seats - only about 8 of them are in specific positions so as to encourage customers to sit only in those areas, the rest is standing. This ensures that dead space is used up and others can move right up behind them.

The two girls moved their seats killing a huge amount of space in front of them. Imagine going to a restaurant and two small girls using a table for 10, and you come in with 5 mates and are told yoou have to wait for them to finish.

Alex

the beer revolu

And your defence for the headband, Alex?;)

rediguana

I think a lot of customers aren't aware enough of others during a game, and a firm and proactive bar manager is to be applauded. The fact that the girls didn't just move with good grace says a lot about them (dumb Leinster tramps).

I never subscribed to the mantra that "the customer is always right". In my experience, they are frequently wrong.

Tinwhistle*

I have to say, I'm right there with Alex. I'd have him managing my pub, no problem.

He'd have to lose the headband though!

rubadub

slatterysd4 wrote: »

Two relatively petite girls where sitting on stool downstairs quite a distance from the very good HD and quite highly positioned 50". 30 mins before the game started I told the girls that I wanted them to move forward as there was lots of space in front of them that due to their size no one is going move in there,

Not sure I fully understand, they were seated and there was standing room in front but you thought nobody would stand there as it would block the girls view? Rather than ask/ordering them to move, I would have gently warned/advised them, like "just to warn you girls there will be plenty of people coming in later and will probably block your view so you might want to move up if you want to see the match, up to yourselves, don't say I didn't warn you though".

slatterysd4

I had my leinster jersey on and I have black very curly long hair.

I was doing an Isa Nacewa impression.:)

Cicero

slatterysd4 wrote: »

I am sorry that you had a bad experience. I take responsibility for being rude and providing that poor experience. Alex

this is pretty much an apology...well done slatterysd4..
like the pub BTW

JIZZLORD

ibtl!

great to see someone defend them self with all the valid answers!

Brockagh

I suggest that Leinster get to the final and win again next year so this Slattery's scenario is replicated, but more satisfactorilly the next time for all concerned.

Mr Magnolia

OP, you should have addressed your comments to the managment directly. Looks like this is all done.

Feel free to PM me if there's anything further to add.

Closed.