Recently I came across a blog entry which made me stop and think. It contained quite derogatory reference to pub landladies and seemed to be subscribing to the view that all landladies are gossips and liars. Got me thinking about the stereotypes that are applied thoughtlessly to all areas of life. As a sometime/ part-time landlady I have of course been aware of unreasonable prejudices for some time. There have been occasions over the past 20 years when neighbours (only a couple of people who have since moved on) have made all sorts of assumptions based purely on the way people look. They have asked us not to serve people with dreadlocks or doc martins or have intimated that those in suits who drink in our pub are acceptable but everyone else is permanently drunk, stoned or somehow sub human. They have asked for CCTV in the garden to monitor our customers despite the fact that we have never had any trouble or aggressive behaviour which would seem to me to be a blatant disregard for Human Rights?? These are neighbours who have never drunk in the pub and have never met the people who they are attacking.
I am glad to say we have always had the same policy at the Crompton – it isn’t about what people look like it’s about how they behave. Perry has always said that the Crompton is his front room and he expects people to behave as they would if they were in his home (although we don't dance on the table very often at home...), providing people subscribe to that who cares what they wear? Anyway if we had a dress code Perry and I wouldn’t be allowed in our own pub…… J
