Edinburgh punters 'disgusted' by new trend as 'single file queue' spotted at pub
Pub regulars up and down the country are "baffled" over a new trend, that is thought to have been birthed from the pandemic.
Punters have began forming "very British" single file queues that "span the length of the establishment", reports the Manchester Evening News. In Edinburgh, queues were spotted in The Pear Tree - prompting locals to say "we used to be a proper country".
Those displeased with the new trend have branded it an "epidemic". An X account named Pub Queues shared an image in the capital pub, which prompted discussion.
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One X user commented: "We used to be a proper country."
Another posted: "How has this accursed situation arisen?"
A third said: "Stop this craziness, it's so much easier dealing with 5-6 people at the bar than just one."
Queues have been spotted by punters in The Pear Tree, Edinburgh, The Woolpack, Norwich, the Watering Hole, Perranporth and many more.
It is believed that the new tradition was born in the Covid era, with pub's having to comply with social distancing rules at the time. With single file queues being a staple of British culture the nation is split on whether they have a place in pubs.
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A spokesperson for the Waterloo Tap in London, said: "I miss the days of gathering around the bar in terms of access for other customers, keeping the atmosphere inside alive. It never happened pre-Covid but once things started opening up after lockdown and we were made to keep 1m away from each other, the single file queue has stuck.
"I have worked in my pub since 2019 and that is the only explanation for it, no one used to do it before Covid. I can also appreciate that from a customer point of view, it's easier to keep track of whose turn it is.
"It has definitely caught on, they've been doing it for years and they do it everywhere." Drinkers voiced their displeasure on the topic. Leeroy Mansell said: "Been in this situation before, instead I walked straight to the bar and got served in 30 seconds.
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"Was glorious hearing the tutting que." Another added: "Good god, it is an epidemic." One stated: "I just don't get this." Another said: "This is obscene." One added: "Complete nonsense, if you're queueing in a bar like this, you're a fool."
Rod Truan, whose Twitter account, @QueuesPub, campaigns against single-file queueing in pubs, told The Guardian : "It seems to have started because of Covid. It's like a hundred years of tradition have been swept away overnight.
"It's unique to British pub culture, that when you go to the bar, you meet new people, you have conversations, you have banter, it's about public spirit, and that makes it worthwhile."