Brits think they’ve finally sussed the reason pub-goers now form an orderly queue at pubs, rather than standing shoulder-to-shoulder like they did back in the day
The reason pub-goers opt to form an orderly queue at the bar, instead of standing shoulder-to-shoulder while trying to order drinks, appears to have been discovered.
A post to the r/CasualUK Reddit page had members of the public suggest the reasons for these single file queues remaining popular. The phenomenon first began when punters were left queueing in line with social distancing rules after the Covid-19 pandemic. But it appears to be a pub system which has stuck ever since it was introduced, and some are no longer willing to do it.
A person who thinks they have cracked the reason behind ongoing queues at bars has shared their theory. Though they received a mixed reception on their suggestion, it has resonated with a few frequent pub-goers.
They wrote: “The real reason behind the rise of single file queues in pubs. I’m posting this because I feel too many people argue about and bemoan this recent phenomenon as some sort of symptom of inexperienced pub-goers, when it’s not.
“The reason this queueing started is very simple, and it’s nothing to do with Covid or Gen X. It’s an entirely ancient British response to a newish (last 10 years?) bar phenomenon, namely having the till ON THE BAR ITSELF.
“These rollercoaster style queues only come about when there’s a Point of Sale ON the bar. Look around next time you encounter it, it’s so bl***y clear that touchscreen tills and chip and pin payment are the cause.
“They make it easier for the staff to put through food orders and accept payment, the staff stay by them at all times, and we pub-goers see that activity and like moths to a newly opened supermarket cashier flock into an orderly line.”
Other pub-goers are still ignoring the queues entirely, instead opting to walk up to the bar. One person shared: “I see them all the time.
“I had it recently where it looked like there was someone free at the other end of the bar, so I walked past the queue and ordered straight away.
“I gather people in the queue didn’t like it but you can’t really expect everyone working there to huddle around a 1 meter section of the bar.”
Another agreed, adding: “Do the same every time I see a queue, all the bar staff I’ve spoken to are happy to serve. Had a few times they’ve shouted at people to spread out across the bar and punters don’t listen.”
Some are willing to face the wrath of pub-goers in the orderly queue, too. A third added: “I had an old dude in a Wetherspoons up north get annoyed because I walked up to the empty bar and got served straight away.
“Do they expect the staff at the bar to shout next or something? All he had to do was take two steps forward and get served by the person who stopped doing bartender house work to serve me.”