Publicans call last orders on single-file queuing at bars and warn the Covid-era quirk is ‘sucking all the joy’ out of the Great British boozer
Pub landlords across Britain are calling for an end to single-file queuing at the bar, a practice that became widespread during the Covid-19 pandemic, arguing that it has outlived its purpose and is now harming the traditional pub experience. They say the rigid, orderly queuing system, originally introduced for social distancing, has lingered long after restrictions ended and is stripping away the sociable, informal atmosphere that has long defined British pubs.
Publicans quoted in the report describe the Covid-era habit as "sucking all the joy" out of a night at the pub, suggesting it discourages the mingling and camaraderie traditionally associated with getting served at the bar. The article frames this as part of a wider debate about which pandemic-era behaviours have become unnecessarily entrenched in everyday British life, with the hospitality trade keen to see a return to more relaxed, pre-Covid bar etiquette.
- Publicans want single-file bar queuing, a Covid holdover, scrapped
- They say it removes the sociable atmosphere of British pubs
- Debate reflects wider concern over lingering pandemic-era habits
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Advocates of scrapping single-file queuing argue that the informal scrum at the bar is part of the fabric of British pub culture, encouraging strangers to chat, make eye contact and strike up conversation while waiting to be served. They contend that a rigid queue, however orderly, imposes a sterile, transactional atmosphere better suited to a supermarket than a social space, and that landlords and bar staff are perfectly capable of using judgement and eye contact to serve people fairly without a formal line. For them, restoring the old etiquette is about reclaiming warmth, spontaneity and community that the pandemic accidentally displaced.
The case against
Those who prefer keeping an orderly queue argue that it introduces a fairness and predictability that the old free-for-all lacked, particularly benefiting customers who are shy, smaller in stature, or less inclined to assert themselves at a crowded bar. They point out that a clear system reduces disputes over who was served out of turn, eases pressure on bar staff trying to track multiple demands at once, and can make pubs feel more welcoming to newcomers, women, older patrons and anyone who found the old elbows-out approach intimidating. For them, orderly queuing is a rare pandemic-era improvement worth preserving rather than a joyless imposition to be undone.