Raising the bar for queuing

Our love of queuing may have gone a step to far – at least for drinkers in one town in North-West England. If reports are to be believed, pubs in the centre of Oldham could soon introduce post office-style queues at the bar in an attempt to cut down on trouble. We all know the frustration of waiting to be served on a busy Friday or Saturday night. Sometimes it seems that no matter how hard you wave your crisp £10 note at the barman, you still fail to grab their attention! But is a formal queuing system the answer?  Patrons in Oldham have given the idea a distinct thumbs-down, claiming that the enforced formality will dampen the party spirit – but what are the alternatives?

We’ve come across a few equally novel ideas:

• One pub in East Sussex has taken the idea of self-service to a new level by letting regulars pour their own pints at the side of the bar and providing an “honesty box” for payment.
• For those drinkers who also have a taste for gadgets, one IT company has invented a system that allows you to order your next round without moving from your seat. You use a mobile phone to place your order, which then appears on the touch screen till at the bar – all very James Bond!

Feel free to add more ideas, and if you have any top tips for getting served quickly at a busy bar, I’m sure they would be greatly appreciated too!