Viral Food Without the Wait? Brits Are Paying People to Queue for Them

Britain’s obsession with viral food shows no sign of slowing down. From cult bakeries and restaurant openings to TikTok-famous desserts, the hottest thing on the menu often comes with another ingredient: a very long queue. 

Whether it’s waiting for pastries from Buns From Home, viral bakes from Fortitude Bakehouse, or being first through the doors when an international food brand lands in the UK, people are increasingly willing to spend hours waiting to try the latest must-have food. 

But some hungry customers have found a shortcut: paying someone else to queue for them. Ahead of Australian frozen yoghurt brand Yo-Chi opening its first UK store in Notting Hill last week, customers turned to local services marketplace Airtasker to find people willing to do the waiting. 

Ashley A wanted someone to queue, place his Yo-Chi order and deliver it to his office near Euston before he caught a train home. Another pair travelling from Manchester were offering £60 for two people to hold their places in the queue until they arrived, while another customer was looking for someone to wait in line and pick up a full list of frozen yoghurt treats on their behalf. 

It’s not the first time food fans have outsourced the wait, Airtasker has previously seen jobs asking people to spend two hours queueing outside a popular Notting Hill bakery pop-up, before buying the available baked goods and delivering them. 

For some, the appetite for viral food has even created a side hustle. AJ Hubbins, a 22-year-old design student from Salford, has earned more than £600 taking on queueing jobs through the platform, from store openings to in-demand drops. And demand is growing as Airtasker says queue-related tasks have risen by 50% over the past two years, while nearly a third of Brits (31%) say they have paid or would happily pay someone else to wait for them. 

As viral food spots continue to draw crowds around the block, outsourcing the queue could be becoming the easiest way to get a taste of the hype without spending hours waiting for it. 

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