Will they add atmosphere and energy – or noise, mess and disrespect? It’s a question increasingly whispered behind the bar and debated in trade circles. Do we need to actively educate the pub‑going youth of today on pub etiquette? And if some refuse to behave, are they really customers we want – even in this unforgiving economic climate?
Let’s start with a hard truth. Pubs are no longer automatically learned spaces. For generations, etiquette was absorbed almost by osmosis: how to queue (or not queue) at the bar, how to speak to staff, how to share space and, crucially, how to respect the building itself.
Many young adults today didn’t grow up in pubs. Their social lives were shaped by lockdowns, pre‑booking, table service apps, festivals, clubs or house parties. When they arrive in a pub, we assume shared rules that, for some, were never learned.
Cultural gap
That lack of understanding often shows in small but corrosive ways: banging on the bar, shouting at staff, standing on furniture, ignoring other customers or treating historic buildings as disposable backdrops for social media.
None of this is about ‘young people being worse than previous generations’, it’s about a cultural gap. And like any gap, it can either be ignored or addressed.
Education doesn’t mean lecturing or moralising. It means setting clear, confident expectations. Visible house rules. Staff who are supported to challenge poor behaviour early before it escalates. Door staff briefed to explain what kind of venue this is – and what it isn’t. Even small cues, like how staff greet groups on entry, can frame behaviour. A pub that signals ‘this is a shared space, not a free‑for‑all’ usually gets more respect than one that stays silent until something goes wrong.
Ideals collide with reality
The harder question is whether these customers are ‘worth having’ if they can’t behave. In an ideal world, the answer would be simple: no. A pub is not just a cash register; it’s a workplace and a community asset. Customers who intimidate staff, damage property or drive away regulars cost far more than they spend. They increase staff turnover, raise repair bills and slowly erode a pub’s reputation.
But ideals collide with reality. Margins are tight, costs are high and wet‑led trade is under constant pressure. Turning people away can feel like a luxury we can’t afford. Yet, tolerating bad behaviour is a false economy. One group spending heavily for two hours can undo years of careful community building if other customers decide they no longer feel comfortable bringing friends, family or partners through the door.
The answer, uncomfortably, is balance. We can’t afford to write off a generation of customers – nor should we want to. Young drinkers are tomorrow’s regulars, tenants and industry leaders but nor can we afford to surrender standards. Respect for staff, for other customers and for the pub itself is not optional and it’s not old‑fashioned.
Pub etiquette isn’t about nostalgia. It’s about survival. If we don’t define what a pub stands for, someone else will – and we may not like the result.
