A barman in a Tier 2 area has begged people to only go to the pub if they're hungry.
He claimed food was being binned as punters leave their meals untouched and instead get stuck into their drinks.
Pub-goers are forced to order 'substantial meals' under England's new three-tier restrictions which came in after the lockdown ended.
Bars and bars can only serve booze to customers sitting down for a meal in Tier 2 areas.
Barman Will Dalrymple highlighted the problem was leading to food waste in a series of tweets, posting a picture of perfectly good uneaten food he claimed was binned as people had only ordered it so they could drink.
He wrote: "DON'T GO TO THE PUB UNLESS YOU ARE HUNGRY. All this food went in the bin because three people wanted two Morettis each.
"With everything in the news about people relying on food banks and free school meals, this is utterly obscene."
He continued: "If you're desperate to go to/support a pub, go when you're hungry. Aside from the APALLING food waste I've witnessed over the last two days (scraping whole meals, untouched, into the bin because the people who bought them fancied one pint before catching the train home).
"You really should be actually eating in order to be able to enjoy alcoholic drinks. While I can sort of see the rationale behind the rules, they're horribly vague and put bar staff in a difficult position. Each pub will interpret the rules differently. Accept it. Please..."
He begged customers not to lose their tempers put pressure on staff to bend the rules.
But the food waste issue was also highlighted in a Vice article exploring the range of 'substantial meals' being served up in Tier 2 areas.
A pair of diners in London explained they were forced to order pizza in order to buy drinks.
But neither planned to eat it, and said they would probably give it to a homeless person once they finished their drinks.
The head-scratching over Tier 2 dining came amid a furore over the definition of what constitutes a 'substantial meal.'
Senior cabinet minister Michael Gove joked on LBC that he might enjoy a couple of Scotch eggs "with pickle on the side" as a starter but it would not count as a "substantial meal".
However, he later told ITV it did count as a substantial meal.
"I myself would definitely scoff a couple of Scotch eggs if I had the chance, but I do recognise that it is a substantial meal," he said.
Boozers up and down the country in Tier 2 areas have risen to the challenge - and have been pointedly serving scotch eggs with drinks.
