2y ago

‘It’s a pub not a post office!’: Brits slam new trend of ‘single file’ queues in pubs and call for return of tradition

www.lbc.co.uk ‘It’s a pub not a post office!’: Brits slam new trend of ‘single file’ queues in pubs and call for return of tradition

A ‘campaign’ has called on the British public to put an end to a ‘worrying’ new trend of forming a single file queue in pubs and instead restore the age-old tradition of queueing at the bar.

So we can stand around at the bar for twenty minutes being overlooked whilst gasping for a drink? No thanks.

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A pub I go into encourages people to not form queues, that'd be great if the staff could keep track of who is to be served next. Which they don't. So people queue and do so in a way sociopaths can't skip it.
- This makes a lot of sense. Essentially this will only happen in a bar that has bad bartenders that can't do their job very well.
  If the bars don't want it happening, they need to have better service.
- Whole good bar staff should be able to do this, there's a degree of etiquette from the punters that's always been in play too, if you know someone was up the ramp before you, you tell the bar staff if they try and serve you first.
- I wonder if designating like 8 lines would help the issue. Portland Oregon (US) has this same lining up at the bar issue.

This is the first time I've heard of this fake outrage. Literally no-one does this in any of the pubs I drink at.
- I've seen it happen occasionally—generally I'll ignore the queue and walk up to the bar anyway. Had someone kick off at me about it once
- Shit food pubs….like Marstons and Greenking. It happens in them.

Is that faint, faraway noise I hear the sound of Jon Richardson screaming?

Not British. How does this work? Do you order, and receive your order while remaining queued (Subway style)? Or do you order, leave, and get called when your order is done (Starbucks style)? Ot do you order, move to the side, and mill about till your order’s up (McDonalds)?
- Look around for openings at the bar where you can stand to order. It's customary to queue up behind the people already waiting, even if there are small gaps between groups. Don't try to squeeze into a small space or reach around people to get the barstaff's attention but do fill the full space of the bar where it isn't awkward to do so.
  People are served in the order they arrived at the bar. The barstaff keep track of who has been waiting the longest. It's polite to allow people who arrived before you to order first, even if you end up at the front of the bar. If the barstaff try to take your order before someone who arrived first, just gesture to that person and say something like "I think they were next".
  If it is busy once you have your drink step away from the bar so the next person can take your place. Cheers!
- I've personally not seen this queueing phenomenon in any pub post Covid. The traditional system is you squeeze into any gap at the bar, the bar staff should be keeping track of the order people arrive, when it comes to you, you order, they pour, you pay and take your drinks back to your table.
- Usually queue is for food that is brought out. For drinks they will make your drinks while you wait and then you take them with you

I haven't seen this anywhere recently (I've since covid) - slow news day at LBC?

I've been out a lot this last month due to birthdays, a holiday and other events. I haven't seen this happen in one pub, everyone is just up the ramp as normal.

Numbered ticket dispenser is another option allowing crowding the bar yet orderly sequencing.
- There's so many places that could benefit from one of these and I don't just mean pubs. I've seen all sorts of shit systems to do the same thing, taking people's names, giving people buzz tokens etc, all fail under high demand, many assumes the queue up to the point of order is orderly.
  Not only are queues and "pre-queues" full of sociopaths, willing to do the chat and cut and on the other side of the spectrum people trying to stop queue jumper entry by attempting to climb into your back pocket.
  The number despencer has so many advantages, you can place it ahead of your actual queue (if you have one, with the number system you don't actually need one), this way chat and cutters can't jump the queue that can still chat but they can't cut, there's no issues with pronouncing weird names or having two people with the same name, it's not trying to be your pal, you are merely a number to be efficiently processed in exchange for currency.
  It also allows for some kind of control over queue size and could help prevent situations where people are queuing for something that's about to close half way through, no more tickets means you can't join the queue, there's the possibility for DoS but can easily be solved by taking the ticket dispenser at a closer proximity to staff.
- But that's already how it's done in a post office.
- But that's already how it's done in a post office.

They should have a designated queue area, but still maintain those sitting at the bar. Alternate, one order for the seated, one for the queue. If you want to get fancy, replace the queue area with a cubby system and an app. Order from the app, pay, and get a QR code and a cubby number when your drink is ready. QR unlocked your drink cubby. The cubbies can be see through. I should invent this.
- If people don't want to form a line do you think they'll download an app? I can already hear the boomers raging on FB about it.
  
  I'm a millennial and there's 0% chance I'm downloading an app riddled with trackers and adverts just to order a drink.
  
  My response to boomers who complain:
  
  The boomers will just sit at the bar. The cubby system is really just to help protect the bartender from the line-people getting pissy whenever the bartender serves the non-cubby patrons. Puts up a barrier and saves them time having to take some of the orders.
- (Edit: should specify this is aimed at the phones and qr codes system!) That would absolutely ruin the atmosphere for me though, the character of a bar is the bustle and people standing around as well as the chatter you get sometimes.
  Removing all that and just having people tap away at their phones while the bar staff silently make drinks, then people walking to a box to grab theirs honestly sounds uninviting.
  Nice concept on paper but it'd ruin a bar for me.
  
  People tap on their phones all the time anyways. Many people don’t mind getting their drinks faster and being able to spend time with the people they actually came to to the bar to see instead of having to jockey for a drink. Having an alert tell you when your drink is ready is efficient. Paying from your phone means you’ll buy more because it’s easy. People who don’t want to use their phones can sit and order at the bar.
- So theatres do this so your drink is ready to go during intermission. Don't think you need an app to speed up the bar experience these days give how quick paying by contactless is anyway.

That has to be a Starbucks.

I've never once seen this happen 🤣

Was in a Spoons once and managed to miss the bar queue that was down the side of the bar, where there was a board separating customer and staff side, but like a metre down. Let’s not do that.

I haven't seen this myself, but yeah, would not be a fan. Totally takes the social aspect out of it.
- the youth these days, refusing to mob up. you know they are all thinking about online ordering and droid delivery solutions. how are you supposed to pickpocket or molest anyone anymore?

35 comments