Grumbling oldies in search of Nirvana

In search of an acceptable, welcoming local bar in Auckland’s CBD, enthusiasts found too much noise, indifferent staff and a pervading attitude that the patronage of blokes over 35 is not encouraged.

After extensive field research and consultation with like-minded souls, the bitter conclusion is that despite moaning about needing more “punters”, most inner-city bars don’t want mature patrons.

Some actively discourage older drinkers who – given the right conducive conditions – would adopt and frequent a good bar on a regular basis, maybe even every day.

Part of the problem is that most bars are no longer run by their owners. Staff appear to be hired for the short term and have little interest in whether a customer comes in, stays, comes back or not.

One of the most annoying things an older customer has to do is ask bar staff – often more than once – to turn down music that is too loud and over which folk can't be heard.

On one such occasion not so long ago a young Vulcan Lane barman reckoned “the boss” wanted the music loud to drawn in customers. The place was empty.

Customer research shows the best noise in any bar is unadulterated happy conversation.

Much is made by those in Auckland’s hospitality trade of the need for more spending patrons.

A concentrated man-at-the-bar survey of ten Auckland CBD bars – based on more than 45 years hands-on experience – reveals few are doing anything to attract long-term mature customers.

CBD bars – are they worth it?
The Corner Bar on the edge of Shortland and High Sts – which has been highly rated previously – should have been up there but since the departure of bar manager Mercedes Allgood a couple of months back standards slipped.

Service was slow and the music too loud. Repeated requests to turn the noise down so that customers could hear themselves talk were met with sarcasm, which is not good enough in a bar so well-placed and potentially appealing to mature patrons.

Down the road at The Crown, on the corner of Customs and Gore Sts, it wasn’t much different.

More recently called the Brewery Britomart and before that the old Rose & Crown, The Crown should be one of the best places around for mature drinkers.

For starters, it has a huge catchment from surrounding high-rise professional office blocks packed with well-heeled folk who like a few quiet drinks after work.

But it’s not. The music is too loud. Maybe it’s the acoustics, maybe the music is there to entertain staff, but whatever it is some patrons chose to sit outside to make themselves heard.

If it was doing a good job this pub would be packed after work, but it is not. It is cosy, the staff are friendly enough and the bar food is good but it doesn’t work.

Across the road at the Britomart Country Club in Galway St it’s worse.

The blaring music noise from this place, coupled with the shrieking of out-to-get-pissed young patrons, repelled an attempt to enter. It was 4.30pm.

Biggest garden bar
Billed as Auckland’s biggest garden bar, it might be better off running soundtracks of motor mowers.

Still in the Britomart “precinct” is the Tyler St Garage, another place plagued by bad acoustics and the need for customers to shout at one another – always a bad sign in any bar.

An odd pub in Commerce St is Havana, which, while it has undergone a name change, a general spruce up and has the makings of a good watering hole, appears to struggle.

It may be a hangover from a few years back when it was open all hours, attracted legions of ne’r do wells and required regular visits from nearby police to scrape drunks and scrappers from the footpath.

But the potential is there.

Out on Queen St the prince of pubs is the QF Tavern, in the ground floor of the former 26-storey BNZ Tower building.

While this pub has fond memories, is well-patronised during the day and after work by a solid core of regulars and run by a most genial welcoming host, it too suffers from overly-loud music syndrome.

Which is surprising since many of its patrons are older. That’s loyalty for you.

At the bottom end of Vulcan Lane is the Belgian Beer Café, a kind of franchise outfit which serves beer “they way the do in Belgium”.

That means don’t ask for your glass to be topped up “like we do in New Zealand” and the place is frequented by label-flouting “Stella Men.” Enough said.

Further up Vulcan Lane is O’Carroll’s, a shabby Irish bar which once poured an excellent Guinness, and is joined at the hip to the Queens Ferry next door.

Both of these pubs should have what it takes to welcome regular mature drinkers. A few years ago they would have been packed. But again, there’s a music-too-loud-to-talk-over problem.

Granted, a near 18-month boycott by a group of regular patrons (recently lifted) has resulted in some welcome changes at the Queens Ferry and there are high hopes it can pull itself together and do better.

Keeping the Best till Last
Easily rising head and shoulders above the rest is the Right Track Sports Bar in Fort St.

At first glance this might not be seen as all that inviting – Fort St still being a magnet for various forms of undesirable human detritus.

Inside, this no-frills pub is warm, cosy, welcoming and safe. Staff are friendly and after a few regular visits remember your order.

It’s a TAB and sports bar and festooned with TV screens. But the volume is turned down, customers can talk without shouting and on Tuesday there’s a bar meal special and handle of beer for $12.50.

There are leaners and sun umbrellas outside for the warmer days and this bar rocks for old and young alike on Melbourne Cup day.

The icing on this cake is the welcome absence of infuriatingly self-centred shandy-drinkers who insist on inflicting their small children on irritated patrons.

Number One: Right Track Sports Bar, Fort St
Footnote: Material for this survey was gathered leisurely over a few weeks, usually between 2pm and 6.30pm – times when a good inner city pub should be filling up. Assessments are based on what was experienced on the day and time of visits, along with broad background knowledge. Surveyors ranged in age from 55 to 72.

janderson@nbr.co.nz