Long queue times ‘drives customers away’

By Alice Leader

- Last updated on GMT

Cutting queues: bartenders could be unaware they are losing customers
Cutting queues: bartenders could be unaware they are losing customers

Related tags Cocktails

New research shows queues could be losing bartenders more customers than they realise, with the average British consumer waiting up to a whopping 12 hours a year for their cocktails.

Conducted by Tails Cocktails, the study revealed the public is increasingly protective over their valuable time, with over a quarter of drinkers admitting to leaving a bar to go to another because they’ve got tired of waiting.

A more compromising 28% of Londoners have changed their cocktail order to a simpler drink to speed up the process.

Founder of Tails Cocktails Nick Wall said: “Our research shows pubs and bars in the UK are losing customers due to long queues, driven by the time taken to prepare cocktails.

“In fact, we’ve found that over a quarter of drinkers have revealed they have left a bar to go to another venue because of the waiting time.”

Bartenders shared their reasoning behind the long process of cocktail making, with 85% claiming that the multiple ingredients in cocktails slow them down, and 32% blaming the long wait times on struggling to remember recipes.

Nine minutes

The UK average wait time is nine minutes, with Londoners waiting up to 14.3 minutes for a cocktail.

But batched cocktails could offer a solution. 

Some 74% of bartenders admit they are disrupting the drinks industry and 69% of bartenders revealed that batching cocktails improves the quality of serve at the bar, offering a consistent drink each time.

Wall said: “Batching cocktails is a real game-changer.

“Since I started the company, it has always been our vision to elevate drinking experiences by making high-quality cocktails more accessible to a broader audience.

“We strive for consistency and making sure guests get the perfect serve every time.”

The UK is now a nation of cocktail connoisseurs with 81% of consumers valuing taste as the most important factor when ordering a cocktail.

Frustrated drinkers

But 36% of frustrated drinkers revealed they have been disappointed in a cocktail when it arrived because it didn’t taste like it should have while 33% shared stories that the bartender didn’t know how to make it.

Striving for consistency is something that bartenders have acknowledged, with 69% admitting that batching has improved service.

Tails Cocktails aims to tackle the problem with its multi-serve bottles and draught cocktails.

Wall said: “It provides the perfect solution as bartenders can serve high-quality cocktails in seconds, minimising queue times and keeping customers happy.”

This mean less wastage and allowing even untrained bartenders to create up to 10 premium cocktails (from the likes of Espresso Martinis and Pornstar Martinis) every minute. 

Mews of Mayfair bartender Jean Vital said: “Batching isn’t a new concept, but it’s something that is being increasingly recognised as an innovative way to serve guests high-quality drinks without compromising on taste or time. It’s a no-brainer really.”

Related topics Spirits & Cocktails

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