Isomatic UK Weblog

For the last few years we have been eating, drinking and enjoying jazz at The Cricketers in Horsell Birch almost every Monday evening. We spend about 2000-2500 pounds per year and we attract others to join us at our table, two of whom now eat there regularly. Yesterday evening was ruined by an excessively large party making the inevitable deafening noise, with no care for other customers or for the musicians. We cancelled the table for next week because it is clear the same will happen again and that its regulars are not the priority customers for this pub.

The pub manager's business plan (if there is one) is deeply flawed. He can fill the side area every Monday with jazz fans so it is counter-productive to put large one-off parties there. He has the front area and the snug empty on Mondays so that is where the extra customers should be seated. If he has to split them between tables then that is all to the good, as the two end groups on a long table cannot communicate and it is very difficult for the middle back customers to get up to relieve themselves.

The band was the 'Famous Four' comprising Chris Lowe (trombone), Richard White (bass sax), Martin Wheatley (acoustic guitar) and, new to us, young Ben Cummings (trumpet, vocal). We would have liked to hear Ben from our table as he sounded good when we danced close to the band.

Labels: Grumpy, Jazz