Wait until next year

Pub websites should be brilliant. They are a (reasonably) quick, easy and cheap way for pubs to market themselves, keep in touch with regulars and generally articulate what they are all about. At a bare minimum they are a good way to let people know when you are open. Beyond that you can list what beer is on, what food is available, what events you’re holding. Are you dog friendly, kid friendly, wheelchair accessible? Do you take cash, cards or both?

And yet, so many pubs barely bother. If I’m heading somewhere new I’ll often have a quick Google to try to get a sense of a pub. Sometimes the website is sparse, often it is out of date, inaccurate. On other occasions it is not there at all, its only remnant being an expiry notice from a hosting provider. There might be a Facebook page, which can work well, but needs updating, needs some thought. A neglected page says just as much as an active one.

Pubs cannot survive on regulars alone. The internet, for all its failings, provides an incredible opportunity for pubs to attract new drinkers. To convince wary locals that it is worth giving that place a try. To inspire others to travel from further afield. To keep in touch with those regulars, remind them that they are part of a wider pub community. It is a space to show the character of a place, the kind of pub you are and the kind of pub you’re not.

Which brings me to the Rusty Bucket at Bexley (there’s one in Eltham too, maybe another blog post for another day), and its website. The opening hours are up to date. It has a full list of drinks available. But beyond that, and far more importantly, it has some kind of mission statement on the welcome page of the site. After the more usual information, it finishes with:

“We welcome everyone except Bellends. If you’re racist, sexist, transphobic, etc please don’t come, this is not the pub for you”

Fundamentally, this is a policy I’d like all pubs to follow. However, I know that will never happen. But for a pub to come out and say it upfront – to be open that bigotry and discrimination is not welcome – is massively refreshing. It is not enough to welcome everyone, you also need to be clear that anyone without that outlook, who is going to cause trouble, isn’t welcome. I feel like this is allyship with teeth.

It also means a lot in an area that is deeply small-c conservative and increasingly capital-R Reform. As much as Bexley Village is an idyllic place in many ways, there can also be an unpleasant undercurrent if you step in the wrong place and your face doesn’t fit. The statement means much more because of the location.

I guess none of this would matter if the pub was rubbish, but it is not, it is great. It is friendly and welcoming to all, genuinely. There’s a really nice buzz about the place, and a good mix of people drinking there from all manner of backgrounds as far as I can tell. And I haven’t encountered a bellend yet.

I popped in the other day, there was a big mixed group celebrating a landmark birthday, an old couple enjoying a drink, a group of friends catching up, and a few people just enjoying a pint on their own.

There’s also a really thoughtful beerlist, especially for the area – a lot of modern keg, a beer fridge full of unusual craft and continental stuff, and a limited cask offering which is absolutely beautifully kept. The range of snacks are excellent too, which always earns a lot of bonus points from me.

At first glance it could appear to be just yet another craft beer bar – under a railway arch, minimal but tasteful decor, a wooden board behind the bar with beers listed in san serif font, something you would have once called trendy. But for where it is, it is so much more. The area has plenty of good micropubs, but not many places that bring in interesting keg beer. There aren’t that many “craft bars” that feel like a good place for a proper night out but still offer something decent to drink (I think a few places cosplay the craft bar vibe but then just stick on Neck Oil and hope for the best).

And most importantly, it is somewhere that is openly and proudly here for the whole community, not just who fits or who drinks there already. 

And the website isn’t bad either.