Scottish working men’s pubs of old were for one thing and one thing only – hard drinking for men . As a result the bar counter was usually long and straight and there were no chairs or tables. The idea was to cram them in and pour drink down their throats and there was no intention to make them comfortable by seating them. Besides, tables and chairs took up space. Some pubs kept a ready supply of filled pint glasses on the counter ready to drink, or else a bevy (excuse pun) of barmen to keep up with demand. There was no food, not even crisps or peanuts and no soft drinks. I remember a so-called modern pub in Rose Street, Edinburgh about 1979 and I ordered a soft drink as I still didn’t feel well from my last drinking session. The barman said “If you want a soft drink, go to a café”.
This paragraph pretty much describes many of the immigrant saloons that dotted America's major urban areas in the late 19th and early 20th century as well.

T.