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

[OptimismvsRealism]

A fair way of lining up instead of everyone jostling stressfully and the hottest or tallest or most pals with the bartender getting first dibs?

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 🙄

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.

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 😂.

@CombatLingerie wriggling in to the small gap is one of then benefits of being small. I was also very adept at catching the eye and getting served quickly. Politeness always helps too.

Why would hearing loss mean you need to queue in a straight line and not along the bar?

I hate an orderly queue at a bar. Seems stuffy and weird.

The best way to get served is smile
No-one wants to serve a grumpy bastard

Works for my dad

I think she means the QR code comment
I imagine QR codes are easier for deaf people

Ah but those pubs you can order and pay on an app. Which I do if there is one and they bring your drinks for you as well much easier.

it’s so weird that in 🇬🇧 UK where everybody knows how to queue, no one queues in pubs. But in 🇫🇷 France , where no one knows how to queue, they all queue at the bar 🤪.

British style pubs are still a bit of a novelty here. They are designed to look like pubs, with lovely long bars, but if you try to walk up and order a beer you are either shooed away to sit down (table service only) or glared at till you queue at the right place 🙄. I’ve only found one place where you walk up and order: they actually had to put up signs telling people just to walk up and order as everyone was queuing at one end of the very long bar and only one person getting served at a time🙄.

The best way is to be a regular and they're already pouring by the time you hit the bar. Tits may help, not sure as it works for DP too who is scrawny.

There should be a ticket system like there used to be waiting to buy from the counters at supermarket. It would work great until some bright spark had their ticket upside down and tries to push in, or steals someone else's. Or drops it 🤣

I think people/drunk people waiting to be served is always going to be a little bit of carnage. Then you end up making a random friend

Wriggle in, ALWAYS be totally honest if someone's in front of you and nod the bar person in their direction, say thanks if someone does the same to you, buy the bar person a drink at the first round and go back to the same bar tender all night.

Love a bar.

As a short arse who habitually avoids eye contact after years of living in London (it encourages perverts), I couldn't agree more.

I much prefer the scan the QR code and get table service way.

Because I can't hear anything when everybody's alongside talking/chatting/laughing/bellowing at the bar and the bar staff tend to move away and not face you when speaking (which also makes lipreading pretty much impossible, too).

I usually find flashing a bit of cleavage gets the male bartenders attention if the bar is very busy.

QR codes are even easier, but I meant actually being able to go up to the bar and buy drinks straight away like everybody else, not wait an undetermined length of time whilst they serve at the bar and maybe check the orders in a bit.

I love the bar banter.

My friend who works in a bar says tips work better than tits.

in this day of apps and card payments the staff rarely get a tip.