{"id":11474,"date":"2026-02-01T02:10:08","date_gmt":"2026-02-01T10:10:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/?p=11474"},"modified":"2026-02-01T02:10:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-01T10:10:08","slug":"how-queueing-turned-cool-and-ruined-a-nice-day-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/?p=11474","title":{"rendered":"How queueing turned cool and ruined a nice day out"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"main\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"hydrate-root sc-10wlkbs-0\" data-component=\"SupportNSCNative\" data-loading=\"lazy\" data-theme-name=\"base\">\n<aside class=\"sc-hez36s-0 dFpFuY\">\n<div class=\"sc-hez36s-1 iBibVd\">\n<h3 data-testid=\"support-nsc-title\" class=\"sc-hez36s-2 jVZWGn\">Your support helps us to tell the story<\/h3>\n<div class=\"sc-hez36s-8 juUDRT\">\n<div class=\"sc-hez36s-13 cqPbFA\">\n<div class=\"sc-aja53j-0 rAFIl sc-hez36s-16 jZSKtc\">\n<div class=\"sc-aja53j-6 PdmgT\">\n<div data-testid=\"dropdown-with-gradient-collapsed-content-container\" class=\"sc-aja53j-5 eZqxmv\">\n<div>\n<div data-testid=\"dropdown-with-gradient-collapsed-content\" class=\"sc-aja53j-4 tawua\">\n<div>\n<div data-testid=\"support-nsc-collapsed-content-tablet\" class=\"sc-hez36s-7 gZmYS\">\n<p class=\"sc-1uza6dc-0 iCTyfe\">From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it&#8217;s investigating the financials of Elon Musk&#8217;s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, &#8216;The A Word&#8217;, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-1uza6dc-0 iCTyfe\">At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-1uza6dc-0 iCTyfe\">The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.<\/p>\n<p><strong class=\"sc-1uza6dc-1 cglitp\">Your support makes all the difference.<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><button class=\"sc-aja53j-1 keLMOw sc-aja53j-7 eMEmGu\"><span data-testid=\"dropdown-with-gradient-dropdown-tablet\" class=\"sc-aja53j-3 dHXFkr\"><span data-action-type=\"Read more\" class=\"sc-aja53j-2 dcYUYI\">Read more<\/span><svg class=\"sc-eaj12q-0 hUgQwJ sc-culv3z-0 eifaJK sc-a5wy94-0 hyKPon\"><use href=\"#ee6613da15642019\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"big-letter\">I<\/span>n the modern world, we want everything now, if not yesterday. From sofa delivery to supper, we despise waiting more than Amazon Prime\u2019s promised 24-hour window to get our hands on our goods. Delayed gratification is thought of as dingy and dull. Whether its weight loss jabs or luxury beauty treatments, if the impact isn&#8217;t immediate, it\u2019s rarely considered worth it. <\/p>\n<p>But there is an exception to this overarching rule: The Queue. Despite once being the domain of older generations, queues are now cool, snaking away from bars on Friday nights and lurking outside bakeries on Sunday mornings. It\u2019s now on trend to queue \u2014 and it\u2019s making a relaxed day out almost impossible. <\/p>\n<p>London\u2019s Soho has been the main home of queueing since about 2018, when skate brands like Supreme hyped up fans for limited availability streetwear drops. Hoards of young people were prompted to join the line hoping to get their hands on a logo-emblazoned hoodie or hat. As well as new purchases, they found community among their fellow shoppers. <\/p>\n<p>This competitive shopping practice was later replicated by luxury outlets. At the Gucci flagship store on Bond Street, there\u2019s often a 10-person queue outside at peak times. Over at Cartier, they keep their queue in line with a luxe red rope barrier with gold hardware. More than the logos branded on the designer items, it\u2019s the queue that generates the clout and signifies that there\u2019s something exciting to come. For sample sales, passersby will even join lines without knowing what they\u2019re for. <\/p>\n<p> \u201cWe go together [to sample sales] a lot, make a bit of a morning of it,\u201d one woman called Ruby told <em>The Face<\/em> of her decision to stand in the freezing cold at five in the morning to cop a pair of Wales Bonner trainers. <\/p>\n<p>This fashion fever has trickled down into the hospitality industry, where queues outside popular bakeries and bars are less bad luck and more part of the occasion. Jolene, a trending pastry destination with locations in Stoke Newington, Islington and Shoreditch, is almost never without a 30-minute-long snake of people outside waiting for fresh rye bread and glazed chocolate doughnuts. If they were missing, we\u2019d assume the place had (to use a chronically online term) entered its flop era.<\/p>\n<p>On top of this, young people who were coming of age around 2020 have been so conditioned by the pandemic\u2019s two-meter social distancing that some don\u2019t even know the joy of jostling at a bar on a night out. <\/p>\n<p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DTfMjgkiBCy\/embed\/captioned\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"sc-wn0aau-1 dZPXBi\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>In 2024, some UK pubs were forced to put up signs to urge customers to stop lining up, because they were in the way of staff and killing the vibe in the venue. This was heavily documented on the Instagram account Pub Queues; a digital campaign to put and end to the practice. \u201cWe queue for the bus, or for the checkout, not at bars,\u201d the perturbed bio read. <\/p>\n<p>Contrastingly, last year, Wetherspoons made queuing at the bar mandatory to help out Gen Z customers and employees who weren\u2019t used to the scrum at the bar. Such was the backlash to the enforcement by older customers that it was reversed weeks later, with founder Sir Tim Martin saying it was up to individual pubs to do what they preferred. <\/p>\n<p>While anti-queuers have certainly been the loudest on this issue, a YouGov survey found that 40 per cent of the British public would actually prefer a single file queue to order at the bar. So, perhaps, despite the loud discontent from those in disagreement, the changing times are what most want after all; order over urgency. <\/p>\n<p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DNaqqsmo-ow\/embed\/captioned\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"sc-wn0aau-1 dZPXBi\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>In 2019, it was reported that British people spend 47 days of their lifetime queueing. This has undoubtedly increased thanks to Covid, Instagram, TikTok, and influencer accounts like @eatingwithtod and @topjaw turning dinner spots viral, much to repeat customers\u2019 dismay. As queues increase, so too do Gen Z\u2019s expectation, tolerance and even enjoyment of them. As long as it\u2019s moving, it\u2019s not a problem. There\u2019s a determination to get through the door and share the experience online. <\/p>\n<p>Back in 2022, Binley Mega Chippy bizarrely blew up after someone made a catchy song about the West Midlands chip shop. \u201cI have no idea what happened,\u201d Kamal Gandhi, the shop\u2019s owner said at the time. \u201cThursday it started to get busy, and I noticed people out the front taking pictures. I was just like, \u2018What are people doing?\u201d One teenager told reporters: \u201cI\u2019m not normally a fish and chip person, but for Binley Mega Chippy I had to have some.\u201d As you can imagine, regulars were baffled. <\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-awdjp1-2 cbpRGD sc-awdjp1-3 image align-center\">\n<figure class=\"sc-1cbdeug-0 cXcwgU\">\n<div data-gallery-length=\"2\" class=\"sc-awdjp1-0 fkrmJR\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.the-independent.com\/2026\/01\/27\/11\/25\/Screenshot-2026-01-27-at-11-41-28.png\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.the-independent.com\/2026\/01\/27\/11\/25\/Screenshot-2026-01-27-at-11-41-28.png?quality=75&amp;width=320&amp;auto=webp 320w, https:\/\/static.the-independent.com\/2026\/01\/27\/11\/25\/Screenshot-2026-01-27-at-11-41-28.png?quality=75&amp;width=640&amp;auto=webp 640w\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Viral: the queue outside Binley Mega Chippy\" class=\"sc-1mc30lb-0 ggpMaE inline-gallery-btn\"\/><\/p>\n<p><button class=\"sc-1uf4o3q-0 dkRtZs inline-gallery-btn\" id=\"trigger-autogallery-424941\"><span class=\"sc-1uf4o3q-1 hwVecx\">open image in gallery<\/span><\/button><\/p>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"sc-1cbdeug-1 sc-1cbdeug-3 gtVitN hgzWpY\">Viral: the queue outside Binley Mega Chippy<span class=\"sc-1cbdeug-7 exGSyR\"> <!-- -->(<!-- -->Bella Hucknall<!-- -->)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>The capacity for things to go viral has paved the way for the introduction of \u201cgatekeeping\u201d aka keeping your favourite spots a secret so you can still get a table. When social media has the capacity to create cult followings over night, it\u2019s no wonder those who\u2019re opposed to waiting 40 minutes to sit down for dinner are now taking a stand with their silence. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cDoesn&#8217;t matter if it&#8217;s a beautiful waterfall or a small coffee shop, what makes it nice is that it isn&#8217;t crowded or widely known,\u201d one person wrote on Reddit. \u201cI&#8217;m sick of seeing comments saying to not gatekeep things. I think everyone should do it more.\u201d Restaurant owners did not agree. <\/p>\n<p>It can be hard to fathom that anyone actively enjoys a queue. The anticipatory wait to see your favourite music artist live, perhaps. The excruciating delay to your dinner when you\u2019re already starving hungry? Not so much. Still, some research published last summer might shine a light on how Gen Z handle this frustration: they break the rules. <\/p>\n<p>In fact, booking company American Holidays found that while 73 per cent of Brits consider queue-barging peak rudeness, over half (52 per cent) of Gen Z think it\u2019s acceptable to push in, with a bold 19 per cent of 18 to 29 year olds admitting they wouldn\u2019t think twice about cutting the line. Notably, only five per cent of over 60s said the same. <\/p>\n<p>Maybe it\u2019s time to bring back the scrum at the bar after all. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it&#8217;s investigating the financials of Elon Musk&#8217;s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, &#8216;The A Word&#8217;, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story. The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it. Your support makes all the difference. Read more In the modern world, we want everything now, if not yesterday. From sofa delivery to supper, we despise waiting more than Amazon Prime\u2019s promised 24-hour window to get our hands on our goods. Delayed gratification is thought of as dingy and dull. Whether its weight loss jabs or luxury beauty treatments, if the impact isn&#8217;t immediate, it\u2019s rarely considered worth it. But there is an exception to this overarching rule: The Queue. Despite once being the domain of older generations, queues are now cool, snaking away from bars on Friday nights and lurking outside bakeries on Sunday mornings. It\u2019s now on trend to queue \u2014 and it\u2019s making a relaxed day out almost impossible. London\u2019s Soho has been the main home of queueing since about 2018, when skate brands like Supreme hyped up fans for limited availability streetwear drops. Hoards of young people were prompted to join the line hoping to get their hands on a logo-emblazoned hoodie or hat. As well as new purchases, they found community among their fellow shoppers. Thi&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11475,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11474"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11474"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11474\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/11475"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11474"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11474"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11474"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}