The owner of a popular Belfast bar who went viral after a picture of their 'No half pints' sign was posted online has shared the real message behind the "lighthearted" poster.
John Bittles, proprietor of Bittle's Bar in the city centre, is known far and wide for serving a good pint of the black stuff.
After an image was shared online of a sign inside his bar reading "Due to Brexit & the Northern Ireland Protocol, we are no longer able to sell 1/2 pints of Gunness(sic)", people were left scratching their heads wondering if this was in fact true or a joke.
While John confirmed to Belfast Live that the sign is "a bit of craic", he also explained that half-pint orders are a frustration when facing the pressures of operating a small yet busy bar.
Read more: Two Belfast restaurants ranked in UK's Burger Bucket List
John said: "It is all a bit of craic to a certain degree - it's not true but we are a small place and a lot of work goes into serving Guinness. We are small and we try to keep it ticking over and there is an art form in pouring a good pint of Guinness but half-pints aren't the way to do it.
"There are too many people, a lot coming off the ships, that are looking for half-pints. We are all about the pints and we sell hundreds and hundreds a day and you just don't get the same effect drinking a half-pint as you would from a pint.
"So I put it up and most people and most people do get it. We can't afford to have people sitting at the bar only drinking a half-pint of Guinness. While we are always so glad to have people coming in, from tourists and in general, but we cannot have everyone just drinking half-pints."
John believes that for Guinness to be enjoyed as it was intended, it needs to be served up in a pint to be drank in its full glory and "nothing looks as well as a nice pint of Guinness" in the hands of a customer.
As the sign began to grab attention online, people were quick to point out a major spelling mistake on the poster. John explained that the missing 'I' in Guinness was down to his regular sign maker having dyslexia and that the blooper only adds to the 'tongue-in-cheek' nature of the message.
"Every time he does me a sign, even though we write it out and give it to him, it's always full of spelling mistakes," he said. "He's a wee local sign writer that we always use but I guess that is just part of it all the craic - the man who did the sign couldn't spell Guinness.
"He doesn't drink himself, but he's forever making spelling mistakes," John laughed.
READ NEXT:
- The best bottomless brunches and happy hours in Belfast
- Owners of popular Belfast business announce plans to move on
- Northern Ireland hospitality businesses that have closed due to rising prices
- Details on saving money on summer childcare in NI
For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here. To sign up to our FREE newsletters, see here.
