There are very few things I miss about those dark days of the pandemic and lockdowns. But one thing, in particular, I did enjoy.

You will, no doubt, remember that as the restrictions were first lifted and we were all able to once again go to the pub, most had a strict ‘table-service only’ rule in place.

It was all very cosmopolitan. You grabbed a seat with your friends or family and settled down for an uninterrupted chinwag - your drinks delivered direct to your table.

Frankly, it made going out for a drink something of a delight.

Especially for those places which rolled out apps allowing you to order without even a twitch of your buttocks from the seat in which they were settled.

Now, I know Wetherspoon’s had this in place already, but suddenly everyone else had to play catch up.

Getting a round in was never so easy. A few clicks on your phone and everyone’s order was placed and heading in your direction.

For those of us who don’t find the whole standing at the bar, hoping the staff remember your place in the queue and then walking back to your seat with a load of drinks like a contestant from It’s a Knockout, it was a dream.

I never understood the backlash against it at the time. What’s so good about ordering at the bar? I know some people like to stand while they neck their lager, but surely most people would opt for a seat if given the choice? It’s not like we all enjoy standing while we watch the TV, is it? A pub, surely, is a place to relax and take the weight off your feet.

In a single stroke it solved one of the great British pub’s greatest problems.

Surely, you’d assume, it would be here to stay?

But no, it seemed no sooner were we able to mix with one another again, that went out of the window. Spoons continues to remain an exception. Perhaps there are others - but I’ve not encountered them.

Granted, it would not be ideal for busy pubs at peak times. But surely it could have survived as an option?

Today, everyone has gone back to the old way of doing things. A chance for permanent change, welcomed by so many, lost. Seems like a missed opportunity. Cheers.