A London brewery has reported that single-file queues at the bar are costing the venue business, with many potential customers turning away after seeing long waits.
Hamish Glenn, managing director at Hackney Church Brew, told Metro that the phenomenon is costing the venue business. The bar has seen a steady rise in queue forming since Covid, but in the last year, as more young people move to Hackney, it has become the norm. Some nights see the queue snake out of the building and onto the street.
Staff instructed to encourage customers to move forward
Staff at the venue are now under strict instruction to tell people to move forward, but customers are reluctant to do so, as queue jumping is considered social suicide in the UK.
“The majority of people do not like bar queuing. But we are encouraging people to be brave, and skip past the line and get your pint,” Glenn said.
Queuing takes three times as long
Queuing at the bar takes nearly three times as long, leading to bigger lines and customers buying less. “If it takes a while to get your first drink, you are more reluctant to go up and buy a second,” Glenn said. “And some people walk in, see the long queue and go find somewhere else.”
The venue made an impassioned plea on social media, reminding people they are “not a post office,” which has received an outpouring of support. The real test of whether the plea has worked is tomorrow, when a younger crowd descends on the bar for £3.50 pints.
Direct appeal to customers
“If you walk in and discover a single-file queue snaking away from the bar, do not join it,” Glenn said. “Walk directly to an empty bit of bar. Order your pint. You’re not queue jumping. You’re doing your bit to save British pub culture.”
