Bristol pub closes reservations after waiting list hits four years

A Bristol pub with a four-year wait for its Sunday roasts has had to stop taking new bookings to clear the backlog caused by the pandemic.

The Bank Tavern in John Street has gained a huge reputation for its Sunday lunches in recent years, but landlord Sam Gregory says they've "created a massive rod for [their] back" because of its popularity.

It's led to them having to switch off the pub’s online reservations system for now, to honour all the tables booked since the start of Covid and the subsequent lockdowns and restrictions.

Sam says: “It had got to a four-year waiting list until the pandemic but because we had a huge backlog of bookings for people who couldn’t eat here due to Covid or lockdowns, we made the decision to honour every booking.

“We’ve actually closed off the booking system so you can’t book online and if we get any cancellations, we are simply back-filling with people in the diary from two years ago.

"We are up to January 2020 now so it’s going to take a while to get through all the bookings.

"A lot of the tables of two have been easy to rebook but it’s the larger tables of eight or ten which are taking a bit harder to fit in.”

To speed up the re-bookings, the pub has also started running an extra fourth sitting on Sundays, from 5pm to 7pm.

But despite people waiting years for a table, the pub is still occasionally suffering from ‘no shows’ - diners not turning up despite reminder emails and phone calls.

It’s because of these no-shows that Sam recommends people still check with the pub on Sundays just in case a table becomes available at the last minute.

“We always say to people if you are in town, stick your head around the door because sometimes tables come up if we get no-shows," he said. "It’s always worth checking just in case.”

Since the restrictions were lifted, business has picked up at The Bank Tavern but Sam says despite more students moving into the area, the pub is still missing the office trade.

“We’ve had a bit of a slump because of the lack of office trade but the people who do come in for lunch seem to staying longer.

"Rather than rushing in for a quick half an hour pint and burger, people are engaging more but we do need the office trade back - I miss the panic on a Friday lunchtime!

“The student market is quite fickle and there are a lot of places catering for students better than we would or could.

"For me, it’s more about building a brand and establishing customers who will come back - we’d rather have a longer relationship with our regulars as students move on quickly.”

As for the continuing success of the pub’s Sunday roasts, Sam puts it down to ‘consistency’ and the attention to detail on everything on the plate - from the homemade gravy to the Yorkshire puddings.

“We stick to the same meats all year round but add seasonal alternatives like lamb and venison, but our starters and desserts change every week.

"A lot of places doing Sunday roasts only release bookings for three-month slots and if we knew we were going to be this popular, we would have done that but it’s a nice problem to have!”