Thanks Guineveretoo - Didn't think you dislike the pub - I read your comment and thought it worth bringing up what you did and so referred to you. I don't know how to do a smile there. :) is that it!

My reputation for being unreasonable whenever any one criticises my pub. Well I guess that some people just don't like being offered the chance for a pub, bar, restaurant to make amends when they go off pop on public blogs telling everyone a place is shit - I've been in hospitality for more than thirty years and, believe me, I've seen it all.

My take on it is this: I assume they had a terrible time. Why else would they go out of their way to smear about it? I try to get to the bottom of what happened - go back to the staff concerned, get their side - and sometimes it really IS a catalogue of complete stupidity on their part which I take responsibility for, even if I was on the other side of the world when it happened - and then generally offer the disgruntled punter free food, drink and what ever they would like, if they can bear to come back and give the place another chance. Very often they accept. Sometimes they tell me I'm a wanker and well, that's their problem not mine.

I suggest that anyone you know who feels they were met the brunt of my approbrium for coming back at them when they complained on a forum instead of to me or at the time to the staff who were messing up - that it's their difficulty in not being up front enough when they should have been - or in not kicking up a holy fuss with me directly. I'm not exactly hard to get hold of. Even now I'm homeless... And SOME of these people actually say they KNOW ME - but are anonymous when they post their muck. How do you think that makes me feel?

Yep - It's THEIR problem

Thanks for taking the time to post X

Have a look at this thread to see what I mean:

http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?20,632369,page=1