There is a new trend that has taken over pubs in the UK since the pandemic and it’s got pub-goers and workers alike divided – with some calling it “obscene”
Brits are scratching their heads over a post-pandemic trend sweeping the nation’s pubs – single file queues at the bar.
The traditional scramble and shoulder-rubbing at the counter seem to have been replaced by orderly lines stretching back to pub doors, splitting venues in two – a strange sight for anyone pining for the good old chaotic camaraderie of pre-Covid times.According to some, this new practice is a leftover from social distancing days. However, many argue it kills the buzz that comes with mingling at the bar.
“I miss the days of gathering around the bar in terms of access for other customers, keeping the atmosphere inside alive. It never happened pre-Covid but once things started opening up after lockdown and we were made to keep 1m away from each other, the single file queue has stuck. I have worked in my pub since 2019 and that is the only explanation for it, no one used to do it before Covid,” a spokesperson for the Waterloo Tap, a pub in London, told BirminghamLive.
“I can also appreciate that from a customer point of view, it’s easier to keep track of whose turn it is. It has definitely caught on, they’ve been doing it for years and they do it everywhere”, reports the Manchester Evening News. The trend has sparked a heated debate among pub-goers, with many expressing their frustration. One individual shared: “Been in this situation before, instead I walked straight to the bar and got served in 30 seconds. Was glorious hearing the tutting queue.”
Another commenter chimed in: “Good god, it is an epidemic.” A third person simply stated: “I just don’t get this.” Meanwhile, one punter declared: “This is obscene.” Rod Truan, the founder of the Twitter account @QueuesPub, which documents the phenomenon, told the Guardian that he believed the trend began during the Covid pandemic. “It’s like a hundred years of tradition have been swept away overnight,” he lamented. “It’s unique to British pub culture, that when you go to the bar, you meet new people, you have conversations, you have banter, it’s about public spirit, and that makes it worthwhile.”
