Hackney bar sees business boom after urging punters to stop single-file queuing

A pub which urged people to stop queuing in single-file lines has said that its pleas were successful and business has boomed as a result.

Hackney Church Brew Co put up signs around their brewery asking people to stop forming lines and instead spread out along the width of the bar and trust the bar staff to know who’s next.

Staff even resorted to shouting “please stop queuing” to a line of customers so long that it was forming out onto the street.

“A bar is not a post office,” the east London pub wrote as they shared a photo of the lengthy queue, in a post which they described as an “intervention”.

“You do not need to form one enormous, beautifully polite British queue stretching halfway across the taproom while four members of staff stare forlornly at 15 feet of completely empty bar.”

The post, and the bar’s plight, soon gained traction online, with many applauding Hackney Church Brew Co for calling out the “exceptionally British” behaviour.

Speaking to The Standard, manager Hamish Glenn said the intervention appeared to have worked, with the single-file queue largely disappearing entirely.

He said that their story has particularly resonated with those working in pubs and hospitality, Hackney Church Brew Co He said the business has seen a 20% increase in like-for-like sales compared with the previous week, which he attributes largely to quicker service.

“People spent less time queueing and more time enjoying themselves and, ultimately, ordering drinks.

“The atmosphere felt more like a pub again, and customers weren’t spending half their evening standing in a line.

“It’s better for the customer, better for the staff and better for the business.”

He said that their story has particularly resonated with those working in pubs and hospitality, who understand the frustration of needlessly large queues.

“YES!! I've never understood why people do this here,” wrote one user, whilst another said: “Nothing weirds me out more than a queue at the bar.”

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