To hope that this "new" way of queuing at pubs just becomes the norm

Oh this brings back memories OP I don’t go to pubs much anymore. Back in the day I was an expert at politely getting into a gap at the bar and always got served relatively quickly for some reason. It was a skill that impressed several boyfriends I had. I still have no idea how I managed it.I also worked in bars and I was a quick and efficient server. I took no shit from the ‘pusher ins’ or those shouty types that thought they would get served first. Also @Munter thanks for the laugh ‘winkle man’ I had forgotten all about him and his basket of seafood 😂.

So sorry, I'll just take myself and my hearing loss back indoors where I so clearly belong so I don't sully your experience.

The staff say who’s next and the customers have the good grace to tell the truth.
THIS!!!
Fuck me. I blame Covid. Or something. But my God, if you are grown up enough to go to a pub then grow up enough to practice speaking, non verbal communication and learning the rules of general etiquette.
Or stay at home, and order some cans . On an app. 🙄

In the 1980s my Uni implemented a new queue system to make it "fair" in the Student Uni - using an airport security, roped zig-zag system. It was a disaster with waiting times of about an hour to get a drink. In the end most people decamped to other pubs and bars,

When they looked into it they found that the number of drinks served dramatically declined as with everyone waiting "nicely" in the queue the staff took their time and were serving fewer drinks. With profits down the toilet they reverted to the traditional system the following year.

NO!!!!!!!

Some people do this in our local Wetherspoons and you can see the bar staff rolling their eyes when there are spaces all along the bar. It's bloody ridiculous. We've been sat near the bar with people queuing next to us, I don't want someone's arse at face level while they wait for their Worthingtons.

I just hope you don't end up with what happens in many self-service cafes and some shops where people never know whether it's one queue per till or one queue for everyone.

I ordered from a surprisingly empty bar last week, despite the tables being rammed. Quite a trendy city venue. No issues. As I sat and observed proceedings I realised there was an orderly queue that I had bypassed. I think the other customers, mostly under 26, decided to humour a middle aged woman.

Love this system. And also love that you can buy someone a drink when they are there and you are miles away

See I’m the opposite, I prefer to wait at a busy bar and have to find a gap and get served. I hate this queuing system.

I always found that the best way not to lose your place when the bartender is struggling is to correctly point out the person next in the queue. They're grateful, and the bartender is also often grateful enough that you go next.

And this is why tits on the bar works regardless of your sexualities.

Tits out, looking at the bar person on to a winner

Yes exactly this! The current system means everyone has a chance to see what's on tap, look at a wine list (if they're so inclined) and be ready to order as soon as the bartender makes eye contact. And as a PP has said you can get the guinesses on the go. It's so much more efficient.

If you want to order from a QR code or stand in a single line queue then a pub is not for you. Don't ruin it for everyone else.

I've noticed people queueing in pubs now, the front of the queue is at the till which is now more often in the bar. The queue is still along the front of the bar.

Some people pretend not to know.

Me too. They had a sort of barrier running parallel to the bar to make it clear.

Me too, and I've worked in pubs too (although a while ago).

What I always hated was when I'd know in my head who was next, I'd look towards them but they'd be looking down at their phone, or turning away asking their mates what they wanted. Usually someone else who was actually paying attention would quickly make eye contact and call out their order, so I'd start dealing with them instead. The original person would turn get arsey but bad luck, you snooze you lose.

So with the current system there's a bit of pressure on people not to fanny about. That would be lost with a proper queuing system. People would get to the front and because they then feel it's their "right" to be served next, they'd take their time, start looking at the taps, deciding what they want, asking their friends etc. So each turn would take longer on average and everyone would end up waiting longer.

And Greene King!
Which is how I know they do an alcoholic slush puppy,

I noticed this the last time I was in a (quite posh and not cheap) village pub. People were waltzing to the bar and loudly placing their order without consideration for those already standing there waiting to be served. I don’t go to pubs often, but I’ve seen better manners in the Wetherspoons next to my student halls a decade ago. In fact, everyone there was very friendly and obliging as far as I can remember.

It's awful. I hate it.

If I see a queue in a pub, I will walk straight past it and go directly to the bar. The bar staff thank me for doing so.

This Twitter account is actively campaigning against it.

"A campaign to end the recent phenomenon of queuing single file in pubs. We queue for the bus, or for the checkout not at bars."

x.com/QueuesPub

I like the Wetherspoons pub where everyone stands at a bar that's 50' long and no one gets served. There's normally one bloke unloading a dishwasher, another one changing a bottle of Bells, someone coming out of the kitchen with a plate of nachos and a fat manageress type with an elastic till key fob looking busy but not actually serving anyone.

Ooh, don't like that, sorry! They must be looming over everyone sitting down, and tbh I quite like the bar jostle. It's such a extremely British tradition, while at the same time being so non-British - the one time we let our hair down and don't form an orderly queue! I used to work in pubs and part of the job was knowing who was next. Maybe it's a skill that's being lost?

Don't use pubs often - but I really did like pubs coming out of lockdown, where you could order with a QR code and have drinks brought to the table - for more civilised.

But what should I do with my cloak of invisibly that I seem to put on even when I get to an empty bar?

No no no the scrum queue is a staple of pub etiquette !!!
hiw would a “normal” queue work in a small pub ? You’d end up with someone’s arse in your face while you’re eating your scampi in a basket 😲

If a pub was so busy that theywere queuing out of the door I wouldn't go in.

The staff say who’s next and the customers have the good grace to tell the truth.