Hasty Briefsbeta

'It's ridiculous': publicans bemused by rise of single-file queues to get served

5 days ago
  • #post-pandemic trends
  • #pub culture
  • #behavioral change
  • Paul Loebenberg expresses frustration over customers queuing at his bar, Wolfpack, in London, noting it's hurting business.
  • A new trend of single-file queueing at pubs has emerged, particularly among younger people, disrupting traditional bar service norms.
  • Jess Riley from Wylam Brewery in Newcastle links the queueing trend to the pandemic, observing it became common post-2020.
  • Bar staff are struggling to manage queues, with customers sometimes forming long lines even when space is available.
  • John Drury, a psychology professor, suggests pandemic-induced changes in public behavior have normalized queueing, despite its inefficiency.
  • Drury notes that social pressure reinforces queueing as a 'new norm,' even if it doesn't reduce wait times.