Mark Wolters shared some advice for tourists on how to approach British pubs, listing six unwritten rules that people should be aware of if they ever find themselves visiting the UK
Mark Wolters has more than 80 countries under his belt
(Image: Wolters World/YouTube
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A world traveller has listed six unwritten rules that tourists should pay attention to if they ever visit a British pub. Proper pub etiquette may feel second nature to Brits, but the unspoken rules of the boozer aren’t universal — and the UK has its own quirks that could potentially catch out overseas visitors.
Mark Wolters is one such visitor who’s spotted this, but with trips to more than 80 countries under his belt, he’s clearly no stranger to navigating the cultural differences that come with travelling.
A familiar face on YouTube, Mark had some advice on how to approach British pubs for his 1.17m subscribers, specifically six tips that tourists should be aware of if they ever visit Blighty.
1. Order at the bar
For his first rule, Mark warned prospective punters watching his video on Wolters World that pub staff are “not coming” to their tables, stressing that they need to go up to the bar to order.
He said: “And whether you’re going to be ordering your pints or you’re going to order your food or you’re getting your snacks and your crisps, you order there. Also, when you go up and order, that’s when you pay.
“It is not one of the things like in the US where you do all your drinking, you do all your eating, then you pay at the end. You’re paying each time you go up there. “
2. Respect the queue
Mark noted that people should “respect the queue” when they come to the UK, but pointed out that there may not be a single discernible queue at the bar. As we all know, people tend to gather at different points.
But Mark said everyone “kind of knows” who was there before them and will ensure they go first.
3. Order in rounds
Mark said: “Now the third unwritten rule of going to the pub is that they order in rounds. So if we’re going with friends, we’re not all going up to the bar to order.
“We will go in rounds. It’s like I’ll go up first, ask everybody what they want, and then I’ll go and I’ll pay the first round. Then the next time up, my friend will go up and take the orders, and they’ll order and get a round for everybody. And everybody needs to pay for a round.”
He went on to warn people not to “skip your round” and “don’t leave early” to avoid getting one, as “people remember that”.
4. Not all pubs sell good pub food
Mark observed that not every pub that sells traditional food actually sells “good” British fare. He noted that you can sometimes get “phenomenal” food such as Scotch eggs and bangers and mash.
But if an establishment sells food and nobody is eating it when you walk in, this should be a “red flag”.
5. Watch out for stairs
Something that he says becomes “more precarious” as your night goes on, Mark claimed that pub toilets will “undoubtedly” be down a “very narrow and steep” set of stairs.
He advised people with accessibility issues to research the pub beforehand, as visitors may be be presented by what he described as “little stairwells”.
6. Don’t linger past closing time
Finally, Mark stressed the importance of not lingering past closing time and how, generally, bars don’t really stay open “super late”, adding that staff like to “wrap things up really quickly.”
He advised people to be “respectful” and do the same for those in the local community by being quiet when you leave.