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Original poster

Do you thin there is a market for alcohol-free pubs?

66 replies

Dancergirl · 15/09/2018 22:01

Dh thinks it's a crap idea.

I was thinking of a proper pub with a good atmosphere but completely alcohol-free. People can go and hang out and see their friends and enjoy a mocktail or smoothie.

OP posts:

hobblesma · 15/09/2018 23:50

Are they not just 'cafes'

legolammb · 15/09/2018 23:55

I'd be very happy to see this. DP can't drink due to medication and I can only drink small amounts due to a medical condition. Drunkenness makes me a bit uncomfortable for various reasons including alcohol issues in the family, so I like the idea of a nice space with good ambience to go and enjoy a mocktail, maybe a pub quiz or some live music but without booze.

todayiwin · 16/09/2018 00:15

I would 100% welcome this.

I've been to Muslim restaurants where no alcohol is served which was great.

The attitude towards alcohol is definitely changing.

starfish8 · 16/09/2018 08:06

I’m not sure. I don’t drink and although I’d like to go to an AF bar, all my friends drink. I’m more than happy to be in a cafe bar while they drink. The key for me is normal bars offering a good selection of AF drinks - sparkling water and fruit juices are not enough!

Namechangeforthiscancershit · 16/09/2018 08:10

No, but I mostly don’t go to pubs where drinking is a problem. I think I’m too old for all that! I’m sure it’s different in more exciting places!

I would love to see a wider range of soft drinks though, and not everything fizzy.

Bluntness100 · 16/09/2018 08:11

I wouldn't go. I'm not sure what pubs people are going to, but you seldom see drunk people in our village locals. More people enjoying a few drinks, alcoholic or soft, having a meal. I'd say stay out of weatherspoons 🤣

Saggital · 16/09/2018 08:12

Definitely. There are some 'bars' in London already like that, serving smoothies, coffee and juices alongside alcohol. They are a mix of work, meet, socialise venues where you can work on your laptop while getting served and hang out. They serve alcohol but typically that is not the most purchased items and if youngsters do they tend to have just one. There is also growing investment in alcohol-free drinks cos.

defineme · 16/09/2018 08:17

Sobar was started in Nottingham by the alcohol and drug recovery charity double impact because of the need to go out in the evenings etc to somewhere guaranteed alcohol free. I think they have others elsewhere now.

Liesmyparentstoldme · 16/09/2018 08:29

I'd be interested in an alcohol free club. I don't drink. However, I'd love to go out for an evening of music and a dance. But not where I'm surrounded by drunk people falling into me, some causing trouble, shouting/rude behaviour. Or just the general annoyance that is people that are really drunk. That puts me off going out. So I don't. But I'd like too, I don't want to be designed to never going out again. I'm only 25!

BikeRunSki · 16/09/2018 10:43

Until 7 or 8 years ago, when it closed, I used to meet my friend in the coffee shop at Borders Books in Leeds. It was a franchise of one of the big chains, I forget which. We used to joke that we were getting old, since there was a perfectly good pubs across the road.

sherbertsticksuhoh · 16/09/2018 10:52

I think I would love something like this. Espcially if it came with dancing. I want to go out dancing but as I am on the wagon its not something I am doing as everywhere local serves alcohol and it would just be too much of a temptation.

Planesmistakenforstars · 16/09/2018 11:05

MNers could never take a shisha bar, though, because they all gag from a whiff of smoke a mile away.

Don't be silly. MNers would LOVE it that they can moan for endless hours on the internet that they can still smell smoke on their clothes 900 days later.

Defrack · 16/09/2018 11:08

I so would, what a great idea.

Going to pubs and bars and stuff isn't just about choosing not to drink when there, it's dealing with people who are drunk etc.

Millenials and younger generations are drinking a lot less then older generations did, so you could probably make a tidy business.

Would you be a 'traditional pub or more a club/ bar.

Original poster

Dancergirl · 16/09/2018 14:05

Interesting views, thank you.

I do agree that many pubs are struggling financially and lots are closing.

I would love see not drinking becoming fashionable. I don't drink and was judged a lot for it when I was younger.

OP posts:

BettyCrook · 16/09/2018 14:07

i know there is at least one in my city. i think its hipster bs because why call it pub then? its a cafe? juice bar?

BettyCrook · 16/09/2018 14:10

i think it would be more fun if its a place to dance and listen to live music without booze involved rather than just sit and drink mocktails in a traditional pub or bar atmosphere.

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