Pub: The Hoxton

Tonight, I had booked with Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS) - same organiser as Tuesday - to see Shipwreck, at the Almeida. But from the terrible reviews I've heard, it sounds a lot less attractive to me than before. Sod it, the company social is tonight as well, and I agreed to join the folks at work. So I cancelled the play. 

The social was moved from The Draft House - just downstairs from the office - to The Hoxton, at the last minute. So, off we schlepped in the rain. Several had gone before us. The entrance has that stupid grass growing on the outside that some places use, to seem trendy, or hip, or vegan, or whatever. Inside is spacious and lined in brick. Really, it looks more like an eatery than a drinking den anyway.

We had to queue forever - the barman was making cocktails, for Happy Hour I think. When we finally got to the bar, the co-worker who'd gotten there before us asked about the tab. "Was it set up behind the bar?" she was asked. "You can't be served from the bar if it wasn't set up behind the bar." So she went to check with the people who were there first, who were in the enclosed, central section. One of us went with her, neither came back. So another from our group went to find out what the story was. Apparently, the tab had been set up for table service only. Ah, thanks for telling us, guys!

So we went to join the others at the large table inside the enclosed area. Where there weren't enough seats. A "reserved" sign on the table - for 10 minutes hence - had a name on it that no-one recognised. Well, one of us asked about more seats - only to be told that wasn't our table at all, everyone would have to move in 10 minutes! I looked around. A lot of the other tables seemed to be reserved, and none was big enough to house all of us! Good organising, Sales (it was their turn this month).. you'd have to wonder whether it was a deliberate cost-cutting tactic, as the tab only worked if you had a table. Sod that - I left them all to it, and to listen to the loud-mouthed guy who'd "organised" it mouth off, and watch him gesticulate at the other end of the table he hadn't reserved. Dork.

I'm back to Ireland for the weekend, tomorrow. And on Monday, back with Up in the Cheap Seats for Blood Knot at the Orange Tree. Assuming I make it, given that I cancelled the last one I'd booked here, as well..!