UK Pubs Urge Gen Z to Stop Queuing at the Bar
Pub landlords across the UK are asking younger customers to abandon an increasingly common habit: forming single-file queues at the bar. While orderly queueing is often seen as a hallmark of British culture, pub owners say it is slowing service and disrupting the traditional flow of bar etiquette.
Britons have long been known for their love of queueing, even in situations where it may not be necessary. However, landlords report that this behaviour has intensified in pubs, particularly among younger customers, who are more likely to wait patiently in line rather than approach the bar directly.
According to The Guardian, pub staff have struggled to encourage customers to spread out along the bar front instead of standing in one line. Paul Loebenberg, owner of the Wolfpack taproom in northwest London, said he was perplexed by the trend. He explained that despite repeated efforts to change the behaviour, customers continue to follow one another into queues “like lemmings.” As a result, staff are now being trained to actively tell customers to move forward and not queue.
The phenomenon has been observed even in very small pubs, where space constraints would normally discourage orderly lines. While older patrons tend to follow traditional bar customs, younger drinkers appear more comfortable waiting to be called forward.
Experts suggest the shift may be linked to changes in social behaviour following the COVID-19 pandemic. John Drury, professor of psychology at the University of Sussex, said the pandemic has altered how people behave in group settings, from pubs to concerts and sporting events. He noted that many people may not even realise their habits have changed.
Drury added that queueing can have benefits, such as reducing crowding and making service feel fairer. Drawing on his experience helping to plan the extensive queue for Queen Elizabeth II’s lying-in-state in 2022, he said group psychology plays a powerful role in establishing new norms.
“Norms aren’t about logic,” Drury explained. “They’re about what people in a group believe is the right thing to do. Once a norm is established, resisting it can make you stand out — and most people don’t want that.”
As pubs continue to adapt, it appears that single-file queueing may be an unexpected but lasting change in British social life.
