Pump Up The Volume

Would you go into a club, bar or pub and demand they change the volume of their music? I wouldn’t.

As a manager in the leisure industry I often visit other ‘venues’ and notice things that others wouldn’t. I’m fascinated by quirks of the industry. Orders that have come form above that have to be obeyed. Orders in place to control a venues atmosphere ensuring customers have a similar experience on return visits and the continuity of a venues image is maintained. (I’m also on the look out for good ideas we can pinch…)

One such policy is the music volume. You visit Wetherspoons knowing there will be no music. You go to a Lloyds anticipating louder, livelier music. In Hereford the same applies. The Litten Tree & JDs offer a high-volume pre-club experience and you accept that.

At my venue we’re strictly aimed at the family. Our customers range from 8 to 80 and we are most certainly not a ‘pre-club’ venue. Thus the music policy is that it’s loud enough to hear and entertain but quiet enough to enjoy a meal and audible conversation.

Last night one man disagreed. He asked for the music to be turned up. I refused, apologised, but told him it’s at our ‘set level.’ The normal person would accept that this must be company policy and get over it. Unfortunately this man was a moron and for the next 2 hours asked at least a further 3 times. At one point he told me I was speaking bullshit. (Bullshit? He thinks he knows more about the venue I’ve been working at for 10 years than I do, that makes sense…) It resulted in him wishing to lodge a formal complaint.

It really does leave me questioning the mentality Why did this bloke feel that he was far more important that anyone else in the venue?

Of course, when he left I did get a perverse satisfaction out of increasing the volume… just a touch…