Cafes should have 2 lines...

[Mysterian]

...one for people like me who want sensible drinks like a cup of tea, and one for those who want freaky complicated things requiring bizarre steampunk looking machinery that take as much as 45 minutes to prepare. Take your order for a wombat milk frappy-mocha foam with cream and splash of smugness syrup and get out my way.
2 lines. One with a sign saying "Normal" above it and one saying "Can't Understand Normal Tea Stuff" overhead.
I sometimes have a hot chocolate, but without the la-di-da stuff like cream and chocolate powder. Like John Wayne or Jesus would have had.

Yes then a completely separate line for Guinness drinkers

Not needed if you have competent bar staff. The problem is staff who refuse to serve more than one person at a time. Guinness doesn't delay things particularly in Irish bars because the staff serve multiple customers at the same time.

I voted unreasonable because you have used the word "lines" instead of the world renowned jolly good old British "queue." Where would we be without a queue to complain and "tut" in. Also to monitor any would-be queue jumpers. 😆

I'm half french half English and that is how I serve Guiness

What "TEA house"? Show me a map of them?

Also, most places are just cafes, not TEA shops or coffee shops.

I dunno know, I don't drink tea, Google it yourself. This is an island of tea drinkers, I'm sure they exist

Places like Starbucks which do frappucinos etc are definitely marketed and aimed at the coffee drinkers.

There are no tearooms.

Whereas there are "coffee shops" on every corner. Coffee shops that sell tea. Very very bad tea.

Or cafes, that also sells both. In these, you can sometimes get decent builders tea. But still no decent green/oolong/silver needle made at the right temperature.

Well, I'm here to tell you that they don't exist. Maybe in Chinatown.

So, there's no point you telling people to go to them.

Starbucks may be aimed at coffee drinkers (most people I know drink coffee, and hate Starbucks) but they also sell tea. So why do it so badly? Also, it's not impossible that two or more people may pop out together and, heaven forfend, want different drinks <swoon>.

Attached is a photo of some, alleged, "tea" I was sold at a Starbucks. Needless to say I complained and won't be going back. But I did pay actual money for it, so why is it so bad?

If you are unhappy about the quality at Starbucks (their coffee isn't good either, so maybe suggest a different place for your mates) that's a different issue. OP asked if she should get s priority queue pass (or express queue for tea drinkers) at a cafe. I voted no, because it is there to sell coffee, and most people will want something they can't make at home. The time required to make a caramel latte vs regular latte is also about 10 seconds (just add syrup). It's a bit like booking a table by a kids area in a pub and then complaining about the noise. People will order extravagant drinks at a cafe, shocker. Just meditate, chat to your mates or answer that email while you wait.

I only put in the Starbucks part because you mentioned them.

I don't understand why you think a cafe is there to sell coffee. They sell other things as well.

I don't "suggest" places to my mates. We just pop in somewhere close if we're out. If I arrange to meet someone at a cafe, it would be an indy, not a chain.

The point stands - coffee takes an age to make, tea doesn't. But very few easily available outlets do decent tea anyway.

Yes they absolutely should. If I’m in an airport I want a cup of tea, not Frappuccino-wank that takes 15 minutes. Or worse a fruit smoothie thing that is hugely noisy then they have to wash the jug out.

Honestly I don't get why suggest is in quotes but whatever, maybe it's time to start suggesting places so you're not sad about your drink.

Coffee doesn't take ages to make. It's all relative. I used to work as a barista in my uni days and really it doesn't take longer to make an "extravagant" drink vs. regular latte. And yes, it is a coffee shop. They serve tea to be inclusive (for those who get dragged in by mates) but it's not theor speciality. To call people's drinks wankerish is just childish.

I didn't call any drink wankerish.

If I want to buy a scone at the cafe by my work I have to wait 15 mins for the coffees of the people in front of me to be made. When all it would take to serve me is for them to put it in a bag and tap the price into the payment machine. So I don’t go, and they lose out on customers. Such a stupid way to run a business.

Ai

I’m intrigued - what characteristics made her seem like a mistress?

Was she wearing fishnets?

There is a chain called Knoops with 12 outlets around the country ( tried to post a link but couldn’t) - pass one of them frequently but haven’t tried as not my thing. I’ll bet they have been doing a roaring trade over the past few days in chilly weather.

There are several tea shops / tea rooms round our way (SW London). Seen loads of them elsewhere (up north / west country) too!

I do like a wanky coffee now, but have only started drinking coffee recently. Before that I used to get tea from Greggs or McDonald’s as it’s cheap, quick and exactly the same wherever you go.

😂

I can find lots around London.

The result of the poll was totally conclusive. I'm absolutely right about having a line for complicated coffee drinkers. (With exceptions for those with allergies (still no weird syrups, foams or sprinkles allowed)).
I expect cafes to have the new system ready for the first full moon on February.
The rest of my manifesto will be ready for the next general election.

I haven’t finished the whole thread (sorry) but our local Subway has changed to order screens. There was just me and DC and only DC wanted a sandwich.
Counter staff said we needed to use the screens, we tried but DC couldn’t find his usual choice. I asked staff if we could just order at the counter, staff said no.
Staff then came over to help us place the order via the screen in more time than would have taken to verbalise the order.
There is a different Subway branch that is still “old style” face to face combat with a foot long so we will start using that one.
Filter coffee talk made me think of my Mum having one of her dinner parties where she would whip out those plastic individual filter coffee things that sat on the cup and boiling water was poured in the top and a lid put on. We thought they were so posh then, not a soya matcha bubble tea paper straw hazelnut syrup with extra foam hot drink then!

QUEUE!

DH and I come up every year for the Fringe and I've thought so many times how it must drive the locals mad! We're considerate tourists (well, we certainly do our best to be), but I see so many who weave here and there taking up the entire pavement and walking soooo slowly, it must drive locals mad, as must the crowds generally.