Queue jumping in cafés

[JoanThursday1972]

I was in a queue buying coffee to take out today. It was practically full and in front of me was a man by himself buying a sandwich and tea to stay in, and one available table only.

Two women came in behind me, one swanned off and took the only spare table whilst her friend bought the drinks.

Basically they'd pushed in. I think it's extremely rude. I didn't see what happened as I got my takeaway coffee and left. I do hope he challenged them though.

So absolutely nothing on your person can be removed and placed on the table or chair?
No coat, no jumper, no hat, no gloves, no bag, no notebook, absolutely nothing comes off?

As I've said before if the weather is warm I won't have coat, jumper, hat or gloves. I don't have a notebook and I'm not leaving my handbag to save the table. Next time I am in a, cafe in warm weather I might try my umbrella and a pack of tissues and see if people realise that means the table is saved, or they just assume someone had forgotten their stuff.

You're making very hard work of hypothetically saving a table.

@ImustLearn2Cook

Summed it up perfectly! 100% bang on.

'I think when you order food or beverages at a cafe you are simply waiting for your turn to be served. You are not waiting for your rightful place at a table.'

I also thought it was the norm and had no idea I probably had a seething queue of people eyeballing me as I walk into a cafe and sit my Nan down while I go up and order. I think this must be one of those only on Mumsnet things as I have never experienced it in reality.

I don't think it's pushing in. When I'm with someone one of us cues, the other takes a table. But we always agree if it's full and someone wants to sit with us or asks if a chair can be taken over to another table.

I have left a coat on a table before, and someone came up and moved it. They then claimed my table. Table was numbered, and you gave the table number at the counter when you ordered food. So very awkward.
They now have 'this table is reserved' signs that you can pick up and place their yourself.

But anyway, it is not queue jumping. You are queuing for food/drink, not a table.

One of our local coffee places has a pile of laminated signs for single occupants to collect and pop on their table whilst they queue. So there is definitely the expectation you do that. Many other places have table numbers so you need that before you can go and order.

Yes, this is correct and I will join badgermushrooms to die on this hill.

Just think about it mathematically. Say (for example) you queue for 5 minutes, and then sit drinking your coffee for 20 minutes. By saving a table from the time you start queuing, you have increased the time that table is “occupied” by 25%. So you have noticeably decreased the capacity of the cafe. If the queue is longer then the effect is even worse.

The fairest and most efficient system is for everyone to get their food or drink and then find a table. I don’t really believe that people can’t see this.

I don't think about the maths when I go to get a coffee and cake. I just want to eat and drink at a table, and not hover for 10 minutes with a rapidly cooling drink that is not to go, so I can't even leave the cafe and have it elsewhere.

I’m sure you don’t Xeno, but my point is that if people don’t bother to think about this, it actually increases the number of times that someone will get a coffee and have nowhere to sit. Because there are tables wasted by being empty while the person ‘occupying’ them is in the queue.

if im alone and its too busy i just go somewher else -if im with others they go get the seat whilst i queue up sorry thats just the way it goes

@DuckonaBike I can see your logic but honestly, it's just not how the world works. If you want to wait in the queue all together and not grab the tables available, go for it, your risk

I think Nans are as good as toddlers for holding tables.

The idea that we should all stand, en masse, cluttering up the counter, with Nans desperate for a sit down and toddlers wreaking absolute havoc, is madness.

It is madness and not something I ever see!

Which is why in my local, they give you a plastic tag with your table number & if you don’t have a tag you don’t get to sit

I regularly go to cafes on my own while on mat leave and also when I used to travel in my old job. Generally I only go in if there’s plenty of spare tables (if it’s self service) so I’m then not without a table when I’ve got my food/drink.....OR I put my shit down on a table, coat, bag anything that isn’t too valuable. So basically doing the same thing 🤷🏻‍♀️

Well our local cafe does a lot of takeaway orders plus has tables outside so I'm not going to stand there counting people in the queue then counting available tables 🤣 that's just moronic. Everyone gets a table first then queues up. People leave all the time too so there's usually a free table by the time the drinks order is ready. I agree it's harder if you're on your own but not impossible- chuck your coat/scarf on a chair etc. Really not worth getting your knickers in a twist about though OP 🤭🙈

I doubt it, especially if it’s a table for two. Most people would say “sorry, that seat’s taken” and you would feel so awkward when the friend comes back if you’re brazen enough to stand your ground 🤣

@badgermushrooms anything which 75% of a population believes is acceptable must be so in that culture (unless it’s actually illegal).

There never seems to be an answer for how everyone queuing first would work. As PP say you'd need a massive queuing area for groups to all queue together. Maybe cafes could remove some tables to extend the queuing area or create a holding bay for extra people to stand in.

I mean it all sounds daft and impractical to me compared with getting someone to sit down while you queue.

This assumes the limiting time factor is how long it takes to drink/eat, and in an adult canteen that’s probably correct. But I have 2 toddlers and 99% of the time when I go to a cafe it’s to give them a sit down/milk feed/ lunch etc. I always buy something substantial from the cafe but this way they can sit with my husband and eat their cucumber sticks / husband can start milk feed for when they were babies before I return with their and my sandwich and cake or whatever.

Upsides- 1 person in the queue, not 4 abs a pram, not trying to keep 2 toddlers in the queue, and they benefit from the table instantly. Plus they don’t get cranky and hungry. Win win.

It's not rude, it's logic. If there are 2 or more of you, don't take up all the space standing around the que, most people go find a seat and let someone order.
Some places you're told to take a seat and then go and order what you want.

I do this all the time and won't stop. That's life.

What you described isn't queue jumping.

So the whole party has to queue up and order before anyone gets to sit down? So mums, dad's, kids, grandparents, friends etc etc all stand in a group occupying the walk way/stopping others from seeing the counter/displays, getting in the way of people trying to carry trays with hot drinks and food?

Yeah that doesn't sound better

It is up to the cafe to set the rules - some cafes require you to get a table first if sitting in and you give a table number.

Equally if they wish customers to queue first then seat once they have their order they should make that clear.

If they don't you will have people observing which rule they feel most appropriate and that obviously differs from person to person.