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AIBU?

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Original poster

Criticise my business plan

147 replies

somewhereinsuburbia · 03/02/2025 07:42

It's an alcohol free bar. With all the mood, buzz, excitement of a normal bar but no alcoholic drinks are sold. Serves really nice, grown up non alcoholic cocktails, not super sweet bright pink juice. All the beers on draft are non alcoholic.
I thought with so many people not drinking, and cultures where the majority don't drink, it would probably be a success in a big city like London or Manchester. A lot of my Muslim friends have to meet in cafes which aren't the same in terms of atmosphere, and they all shut at 6.
We could also hold nights like sober speed dating, matching teetotal people with others, for either friendship or a relationship.
But someone must have tried it, it must have been thought of and trialled before, did it not work?

OP posts:
Thehop · 03/02/2025 07:44

There was one in man heater that closed last year wasn't there?

usser3245343 · 03/02/2025 07:45

One opened near here and shut after 6 months. The issue was 2 fold:

  1. People will not spend as much on soft drinks so it is hard to make a profit per drink
  2. People tend to drink 1 soft drink only, so they spend £5-£10 each in a few hours rather than £30-40 if drinking alcohol
Plaided · 03/02/2025 07:47

The ones I’ve seen that have opened have either closed or started selling alcohol too.

Moonlightstars · 03/02/2025 07:47

There are a few about. I imagine it could work. Would need to be very well marketed. Quite a few my Muslim friends don't socialise much outside of family events. I think it would have to be a small intimate bar and possibly do a really good daytime coffee/cake offering?

ranoutofusername · 03/02/2025 07:49

The idea is a nice one but I think those people who want non-alcoholic drinks favour juice bars or cafes.

Also, it feels like it would have a smaller target market as it would be for those who didn't or couldn't drink whereas bars and restaurants offer alcoholic and non-alcoholic options which means more customers.

Would you be offering food as well as drink? If not, this would limit things further.

I think the idea is niche which would mean, it was to be successful, it would have to be in a location with potential customers of similar interest (ie. No alcohol for religious reasons) and offer some food.

Bearbookagainandagain · 03/02/2025 07:49

One problem I can see is that in order to cover your overhead costs, you would probably have to price the drinks quite high.

I wouldn't mind an alcohol free night out, but it would be exception rather than the rule, and I would not go to a place charging £15 for an alcohol free cocktail.

I have always heard that food and drinks businesses made most of their profit on alcohol - not sure how true that is.

A regular bar having alcohol free nights would be a better option I think.

healthybychristmas · 03/02/2025 07:50

I just don't think it would be popular given we have cafés. A friend of mine had a restaurant and said the biggest markup was on soft drinks but I agree with the poster who said fewer drinks would be drunk by one person. I don't drink alcohol nowadays but I would be happy with just one drink if it was non-alcoholic whereas when I did drink I would've always had a few.

I don't think people who refuse to drink for religious reasons would go to somewhere that mimicked alcoholic drinks.

Wakeywake · 03/02/2025 07:55

I don't drink, but when I go out with friends we go to places that serve alcohol -so that everyone can get something they enjoy. Every pub has alcohol-free beer, cocktail bars do mocktails. I'm not sure who your target audience would be, I'd assume that groups of teetotalers would be quite rare?

Ponoka7 · 03/02/2025 07:56

The problem is that within the friendship group there will be drinkers, who will veto the place. They've opened by mine and closed again. Even our local, quite scruffy pub (great place though) sells draught non alcohol beer and has alcohol free ciders etc. If a Muslim is strict enough to not enter a bar, then they shouldn't be going in when Christmas/Easter etc celebrations are going on. Our local restaurants are BYO and pay a corkage fee, which everyone is fine with. I wish there were more paces doing proper cocktails, but again staffing levels would have to be high because they take time to make. So you need a client group who will pay £10-14 a cocktail. Berry and Rye in Liverpool gives you an idea of a price point. Small venue, proper cocktails, but you pay for what you get. Have you ran a bar? My family has a background in off licenses and pubs, hard to make them pay these days.

Butchyrestingface · 03/02/2025 07:58

I’m virtually teetotal but would have no issues sitting in a bar with others consuming alcohol. I don’t particularly crave an alcohol free bar just because I rarely drink myself.

So I wouldn’t really be attracted to the venue unless! it also offered a nice quiet atmosphere free from pounding background music and you can actually hear other people speak.

Moonnstars · 03/02/2025 07:58

I think this is a great idea. I always wish cafes where I lived opened later as when I meet my friend we usually only have a soft drink or a hot drink, so not many choices for doing that as if you go to a restaurant you feel you need to buy a meal.

MaltipooMama · 03/02/2025 07:59

When I first read this I thought it's a great idea, but on reflection I agree with a pp that it's quite rare to find a whole group of friends who are complete non-drinkers. Typically you might only get one or a couple per friendship group, and they're likely to go to alcohol bars that would accommodate for all of them. Maybe an amended version of this but for a younger age range?

RhiWrites · 03/02/2025 08:00

It only really works for recovering alcoholics or strict Muslims who can’t be in places that serve alcohol.

Because all regular bars serve non alcoholic drinks now everyone who doesn’t have a problem being around alcohol is already catered for.

EliflurtleAndTheInfiniteMadness · 03/02/2025 08:01

I expect the market is quite specific, many people that don't drink would have friends that do. I dont drink but my reasons aren't moral or cultural or religious and I'll happily go to a bar or pub so friends can drink. Many non drinkers don't need an alcohol free venue, so your market is those who don't drink and have friends that don't drink or those that don't drink and aren't comfortable or willing to be in an environment where alcohol is served. If the people to whom this would appeal are also unable to go to restaurants where alcohol is served then maybe a restaurant with a bar or a bar with food service might have a better chance of success.

HarryVanderspeigle · 03/02/2025 08:02

I am a non-drinker and would love it. But most of my friends do drink, so wouldn't. I think a lot of Muslims would avoid fake beer as not being in the spirit of things. You would probably need to focus more on food to make money and then you just become a restaurant. There are unlicensed restaurants near me that charge corkage, would that be something you might want to consider?

babyproblems · 03/02/2025 08:05

I think it could work- but you’d be competing with cafes AND typical bars. I would definitely go to a bar that’s alcohol free on occasion but I don’t think it would be enough for you to survive with occasional customers. So you’d have to have another angle aswell. What would you do in the day? I could see a cafe in the day turn super cool alcohol free bar in the evenings being able to survive. I think aswell you will want to think about who your customers are - men women? And what ratios? Many people go out to meet people and I wondered if you had no alcohol if you would have lots of female customers and hardly any men - I don’t know what that would mean in reality for the business but I think you need to think deeper into actual tangible things - who is buying how many drinks and what ££ does that look like on paper say over a week/a month? Could you have events? Work things? Comedy? I think you’ll need more to pull people in consistently enough for you to make it sustainable.

Original poster
somewhereinsuburbia · 03/02/2025 08:07

@RhiWrites well I'm in a relationship with a recovering addict so I guess that's why it appeals. Lots of former addicts miss the social side of the weekend, especially men who used to go and watch sports in the pub, nothing really replicates that, such as sitting in Costa.
From what I've heard, the younger generations also aren't drinking as much, or drinking at all. It could work for them.
But I am taking all the feedback on board.

OP posts:
Original poster
somewhereinsuburbia · 03/02/2025 08:08

@HarryVanderspeigle do you not think your friends would as a one off? Like someone might eat in a vegan restaurant etc.

OP posts:
Els1e · 03/02/2025 08:11

Great idea. There's a good one in a town not to far from me. Dry Dock in Weymouth, Dorset. They do community events too.

teenmaw · 03/02/2025 08:13

I don't drink any more, part of that is because the pub scene is repulsive, which I know is felt by other teetotalers. It would be good to have somewhere to go after 7pm that's not revolving around alcohol but maybe something a bit more culture focused with comedy, live music, a few snack options, interesting speakers and as you say maybe some singles events, etc. So more of a late cafe type place than something trying to be a pub, that isn't, could be more appealing. I agree there's a lack of places to meet up at night outwith the pub scene but that's why I don't bother.

greencushionsfromikea · 03/02/2025 08:13

As a non drinker it sounds like a great idea in theory but not sure it's a profitable business idea long term - I think I'd probably only go every so often as it limits who you would go out with (eg if my husband wanted a real beer, we'd go somewhere else) I think your customer base would be too small to make real money from it. But I'd love to be proved wrong!

biscuitsandbooks · 03/02/2025 08:14

Honestly, I think you'd be wasting your time and your money.

It's almost impossible to make a profit from soft drinks - just think about how you'd to have to charge per drink to cover rent, council tax, staffing costs, insurance, electricity, heating, equipment, running costs? It would be ridiculous.

How are you going to encourage people to stay for several hours and order enough drinks to cover the costs of you opening?

There's very little money to be made on a glass of coke with ice.

nowtygaffer · 03/02/2025 08:18

I don't think I'd be marketing it as a no alcohol place. I'd set it up as a sort of evening cafe where you could play board games/read/poetry events. More of a community space that people could relax in. That happens to not have an alcohol serving licence. You could have a joining fee giving people exclusive access to certain events.

biscuitsandbooks · 03/02/2025 08:19

I also agree with those saying another issue is going to be catering to people who want a drink.

Bars and pubs cater to everyone - you can go and have a coke or a mocktail and your mates can have wine. If they go to your bar, everyone has to be on soft drinks.