JAMIE DUNKIN: It’s time to rise up against the reserved table plague in Australian pubs

I’ll set you the scene.

It’s summer on a mid-to-late 20 degrees. You’re out with some mates for some relatively impromptu beers and are keen to maybe keep an eye on football or cricket, but generally there just to have a few drinks and unwind.

Then, as you all agree on whatever pub you’ve decided to meet at, you’re met with one of the most unwelcome and frankly un-Australian sights imaginable: a pub that requires reservations or does not easily cater to walk-ups.

The staff, as always, say you need to go to their website or scan their QR code to book in advance an impromptu session at their pub, because they’re out of tables due to this recent scourge on Australian culture.

This is no fault of the poor hospitality workers themselves; it’s up to the massive venue chains like Merivale, Endeavour Group, and Australian Venue Co. They deserve all the heat they can get.

As a country, we need to collectively rise up and wholeheartedly reject this.

You should not need to book up to several weeks in advance to have a drink at a regular, probably overpriced, drinking hole.

A reminder to the venues of Australia that a “pub” is short for a public house. A place anyone (at least since March 1970 if you’re a woman) can walk up to, sit down, have a few drinks and designate as a “third space” between your place of work and home.

You shouldn’t be able to reserve our pub tables to the point regular punters are faced with nowhere to go.

Frankly, there should be actual laws governing how many tables can possibly be set aside as “reserved” at a pub.

I’ve consistently seen plans to watch sports with mates and after-work drinks curtailed by this sudden reservation crisis. If you’re unable to cater to the public off the street, re-brand yourself to a “priv” - a private house.

This consistent roadblock has, in my view, helped contribute to the slow death of Australia’s casual nightlife. Who would propose a spontaneous brew if you’re not even sure if you’ll get a spot?

Curiously, Australia isn’t alone in this issue – I fear it’s been imported from overseas, something ushered in during the pandemic years by our colonial overlords.

During a trip to London in 2023, I was appalled by just how often pubs (particularly on weekend afternoons) were booked out weeks in advance, with rolling reservations in place for certain property baron-like pub punters.

Australia isn’t quite at that tier yet, so now isn’t the time to get complacent.

Now is the time for action. The time to stand up for your right to get a table at a pub – a public house- without reserving it in advance.