A YouGov poll has revealed that 40 per cent of Britons prefer to queue in single file to order a drink, while 39 per cent favour the traditional method of standing along the bar until served. The survey was conducted after Hackney Church Brew Co, a pub in east London, publicly criticised the queueing trend, claiming it is causing a loss of business.
Hackney pub's viral complaint
In a Facebook post on Friday, August 14, Hackney Church Brew Co described the queueing phenomenon as a "weird trend" that has gained momentum since the Covid pandemic. The pub's managing director said the practice is hurting their business, as customers form long, orderly lines instead of spreading out along the bar.
The post read: "Please stop queuing at the bar. We need to talk. You love our beer. We love you for loving our beer. You especially love our beer when it’s £3.50 a pint every Thursday. And frankly, who can blame you? But there’s a problem. WHY ARE YOU ALL QUEUING SINGLE FILE AT THE BAR?!....... A BAR IS NOT A POST OFFICE. You do not need to form one enormous, beautifully polite British queue stretching halfway across the taproom while four members of staff stare forlornly at 15 feet of completely empty bar."
Poll breakdown and regional differences
The YouGov poll, carried out in the wake of the pub's viral post, found that support for queueing is not uniform across the UK. Londoners are the least favourable to queueing, with only 37 per cent of respondents in the capital supporting the practice. In contrast, 42 per cent of respondents in the Midlands, northern England, and Wales prefer to queue.
The poll also revealed that those aged between 25 and 49 are the most likely to support the traditional system of waiting around the bar. This age group represents the demographic most in favour of the conventional approach, which involves standing at any available space and catching the bartender's eye.
Pub's plea for traditional bar etiquette
Hackney Church Brew Co's post went on to explain that even with "polite encouragement", "gentle shouting", and "instruction flyers", customers still refuse to stop queuing. The pub emphasised the traditional etiquette: "Here’s how pubs have worked for approximately forever: 'Use the WHOLE bar'. If there’s space at the bar, stand there. If the bar is full, stand behind someone. Catch the bartender’s eye with a nod, a smile, a wink or an appropriately demure little wave. We’ll work out who’s next. That’s literally our job."
The pub's stance has attracted a wave of supportive comments online. One person wrote: "Any time I’ve been in a pub where this is happening I just walk right past the queue to the bar and I always get served. If people complain just say I’ve just shown you how a bar works, you’re welcome." Another commented: "Fight the good fight, people. Appreciate you calling this out. British bars are built to spread along; it's not the Post Office."
