Pubs have eight minutes to serve a customer a drink before they'll walk out

Brits are significantly more demanding in pubs compared to restaurants, as a new survey of 5,000 UK consumers shows the average adult will only wait 12 minutes 27 seconds for food in a pub, compared to 15 minutes 42 seconds in a restaurant. When waiting for drinks in pubs, customers are happy to wait up to 7 minutes 51 seconds.

Diners are most impatient at fast food outlets, as might be expected, with the average customer willing to wait only 6 minutes 18 seconds to be served in chains such as McDonalds and Subway.

Meanwhile, the average Briton is revealed to be more patient waiting for a coffee in a coffee shop compared to waiting for a sandwich in a bakery or sandwich shop (6 minutes 2 seconds vs 5 minutes 34 seconds).

The research was conducted by Peach Factory on behalf of global retail technology provider Omnico Group, as part of an investigation into the effect of waiting times on hospitality businesses across the UK.

Gender split​

According to the survey, women are far more enduring than men when waiting for any kind of food or drink in any outlet. On average, women are happy to wait 13 minutes 15 seconds for pub food and 8 minutes 23 seconds for a drink in a pub, compared to 11 minutes 33 seconds and 7 minutes 8 seconds for men respectively.

The North East is home to the most patient pub drinkers, with the average customer in the region happy to wait 8 minutes 26 seconds, while East Midland diners are the most patient when it comes to pub food, willing to wait 13 minutes 8 seconds before absconding.

“Whether diners are waiting to be seated, looking for the waiter to take their order or simply in a queue, they have a limit,” said Steve Thomas, chief technology officer at Omnico Group.

“Speedy service aided by innovative technology, such as mobile Point of Sale, can help to bust these queues, reduce waiting times and ensure customers are getting the best dining experience.”