[Archived] Uncle Jacks

[Ozz]

Simon that pint in the Navvy is superb most days in my opinion.

[tonygreenbank]

For many years now about 15 of us have a pre-season meal where we do our predictions for the coming season and award the prizes for winner and wooden spoon from the previous year. We have been going to an Italian restaurant on the haslingden road but your place seems an deal spot to go to. Will you be doing any catering for the saturday night clientel? Or have you a pie and sandwich cuisine?Would be interested to know.

[dannydisco]

It's a pretty good spot for getting away from after the match. Straight up stopes brow and your on the M65 or over to Ossy. No waiting.

A good idea for matchdays would be to do a deal with those factories on branch road, near the pub, to open up their car parks. It's another revenue steam for both parties and i'm sure some sort of offer eg: Parking and a pint for a fiver would get people through the doors.

Other ideas, which i've put forward for the concourse at Ewood previously are regarding bar design and pricing;

A simple scientific way to improve the speed of service would look at the amount of footsteps a barman needs to talk in order to complete an order. If they need to walk to one end to get a bottle of coke, down the other to get a packet of crisps, back to the other for a kit kat then to the middle to get a glass, over to the pumps to pull a pint. Once this is done its a few more steps back to the till to add it all up, then more steps back to the customer to collect payment, then more steps back to the till to issue change and finally back to the customer to give change. A way to resolve this would be to improve they layout of the whole bar by using speed rails and dump fridges below the counter. Everthing a barman needs is within arms length or at worst one pivot step away. The barman works more like a statinary octopus rather than a headless chicken.

Round off the prices to either whole pounds of 50's. the most efficient price would be £2.50 per item. not only does this make it much easier for the staff to work the tally up in their heads, it dramatically cuts the time taken faffing around with small change, by both staff and customers.

[trueblue]

Round off the prices to either whole pounds of 50's. the most efficient price would be £2.50 per item.

You should have a job at the treasurey mate! or a place at the chancellors breakfast table!! as if beer prices weren't affected enough every budget... you want to go and increase it to make it easy for the flaming bar staff!

[b12_simon]

Simon that pint in the Navvy is superb most days in my opinion.

It's the best I've found in Blackburn but I'd love to find somewhere with guest ales, Black Sheep, Tribute, Adnams, etc.

DamnitI'mthirstynow

[Mattyblue]

Just ensure you serve a decent pint of lager such as Carling cold and a decent bitter such as Bodds and you wont go wrong.

A proper Rovers pub like the Brown Cow with a decent decor.

Carling, pint, decent DO NOT go together, EVER!

[dannydisco]

You should have a job at the treasurey mate! or a place at the chancellors breakfast table!! as if beer prices weren't affected enough every budget... you want to go and increase it to make it easy for the flaming bar staff!

I'd rather pay and extra 8p or whatever and be served within a minute than be stood there waiting to be served for half an hour, while the staff faff around with the tills counting small change.

[John Howarth]

The main problem with Uncle Jacks over the past 12 months (before it closed) was the clientelle. The pub allowed any old riff-raff into the pub, not just on match days but during the week. If going in with your Wife or girlfriend, it is not very nice to hear foul mouthed individuals coming out with quite disgusting language. The pub used to be quite a good local, prior to the latest landlord/lady, but who let it be run down. A total refurbishment would certainly help, if nothing else to ease your feet sticking to the carpet

[Jammy]

Closest decent pint I found was the Thwaites's Original in the Navigation (Mill Hill) - not the best pint in the world but at least it was from a hand pump.

I'd dearly love to find somewhere else nearby doing a proper pint.

Used to frequent on Match days a few years back, sort of remembered about it a couple of months ago and checked it out. The Thwaites Original was acceptable, Mild was not available. Was a let down really. The search continues........

[Hasta]

Carling, pint, decent DO NOT go together, EVER!

You beat me to it. Carling is barreled straight from the urine of Satan.

Becks Vier would be good on draught (you don't see it often enough) but being a Thwaites pub the best you can hope for is maybe Kaltenberg Hell.

As for the pub it should have great potential but never seems to come off. I don't go in often enough so don't know why. However there's only the 2 pubs in Lower Darwen so it has plenty of local traffic. It also has great potential on match days.

I'll watch with interest and pop down pre-game once it's open to have a look.

[Wiggy]

Carling, pint, decent DO NOT go together, EVER!

And decent, bitter and Bodds is pushing things a bit far as well!

[cletus]

It's the best I've found in Blackburn but I'd love to find somewhere with guest ales, Black Sheep, Tribute, Adnams, etc.

DamnitI'mthirstynow

it`s not quite Ewood area, but try the Fieldens (at opposite end of Livesey Branch Road) they`ve got about 6 different lagers on draught & up to 8 constantly changing real ales

[LDRover]

The main problem with Uncle Jacks over the past 12 months (before it closed) was the clientelle. The pub allowed any old riff-raff into the pub, not just on match days but during the week. If going in with your Wife or girlfriend, it is not very nice to hear foul mouthed individuals coming out with quite disgusting language. The pub used to be quite a good local, prior to the latest landlord/lady, but who let it be run down. A total refurbishment would certainly help, if nothing else to ease your feet sticking to the carpet

Well said John and bang on the money. Now the Blackamoor - there's a pub...

[LeChuck]

How about a pub weekly quiz on Rovers history? My local offers free food - just a big plate of chips, sausages and bread in a 'help yourself' style - to all entrants and it seems to go down well, can't cost more than a tenner for the cheapest stuff bought in bulk but it definitely makes everyone drink more. Another thing you can do is offer the prize in beer tokens at the pub (quite a few pubs do that where I've played quizzes at). That way, if the winning team receive 20 tokens, they'll think they've won £50 ish worth of prizes, but the cost to you will be less as it will only be the cost price. Plus, you get them more in the habit of drinking at your pub. Makes more sense than a straight cash prize (which will probably end up being 'beer tokens' in the end anyway).

If there aren't enough questions purely on Rovers then you could make it the history of north west/Lancastrian football.

Edit: Sorry that turned in to a bit of a ramble, I initially only wanted to post one sentence about having a Rovers related quiz. You can probably ignore everything in between the first and last sentences, no doubt you have more than a fair idea of how to run a pub quiz.

[vintageadidas]

I was just about to mention the Fieldens. I do not drink "Real Ales" as i am under 30 years of age. They have regular ales from varying breweries all around the country. The three bees always have their own pump though.

I sometimes drink in there before the game and if i get a taxi at 2.40 - i am in the ground minutes before kick-off. I stay away from town and ewood for most games due to the poor service.

[OscarRaven]

We left Uncle Jacks a while before it closed becuase the bitter and lager was awful - never had a decent pint in there in 3 years.

[LeftWinger]

We left Uncle Jacks a while before it closed becuase the bitter and lager was awful - never had a decent pint in there in 3 years.

Yet you gave it three years before deciding to try somewhere else?

[b12_simon]

it`s not quite Ewood area, but try the Fieldens (at opposite end of Livesey Branch Road) they`ve got about 6 different lagers on draught & up to 8 constantly changing real ales

Good call. Not sure I could talk my lager-worshipping associate into a trek so far from the ground though

[SD4E]

Thanks for the feedback so far gents:

Tony- in the coming weeks i am sure the food side/menus will be confirmed, so i will pass your request for info on.

Thanks

[OscarRaven]

Yet you gave it three years before deciding to try somewhere else?

Free parking and was the local of a mate, three season's (70 odd games) - not one to grumble like!!!

[Jammy]

it`s not quite Ewood area, but try the Fieldens (at opposite end of Livesey Branch Road) they`ve got about 6 different lagers on draught & up to 8 constantly changing real ales

A mighty fine establishment, used to call in there many times on the way back east before the motorway was built, just out the way a bit now.

[Brfcrule1]

hi all,

yeah sounds good I remember staying there on one of my trips to ewood was wondering whether they would have the same rooms on a B&B basis would def. book up the next time am up at ewood as I enjoyed my last stay there some years ago

Laters all.

[T4E]

[SD4E]

all- just to let you know i am away from today for 2 weeks so will not be able to reply etc, but please keep any ideas/thoughts coming-

as i said before some useful ideas have cropped up and any input you can have will help us make it the best possible pub for both matchday and the rest of normal week.

cheers

[ABBEY]

aw reeet for sum