Forget WFH. Brits offered work-from-pub deals this winter

Economies around the world are creaking from a storm of challenges that are making it increasingly difficult for people to make ends meet.

Brits, for example, are facing huge spikes in energy bills this winter, putting pressure on not only residential customers but on business owners, too.

Take the traditional British pub. Owners need to keep their cozy bars nice and warm for loyal patrons and newcomers alike, but rising costs are forcing some establishments to shut up shop. The dire situation is prompting a number of pub owners to come up with innovative ways to increase revenue in a bid to prevent the time-honored call for “last orders” meaning just that.

After the pandemic led to workplace changes that now see many people working from home, some drinking dens have started to offer “work-from-pub” deals, the Guardian reported recently.

The idea is to give workers the chance to turn off their expensive home heating — or take a break from their freezing cold house — and work from their laptop in a warm and comfortable pub setting.

More than 350 pubs in the Fuller brewery’s chain are now offering work-from-pub deals starting at 10 British pounds (about $11.40) a day, which gets you lunch and a drink (non-alcoholic beverages are also available!). Another major brewery, Young’s, has 185 pubs offering a £15-a-day deal (about $17) that usually gets you a sandwich and an endless supply of tea and coffee.

The Guardian’s report also highlights how independent pubs are also offering similar deals. The Flintgate in Weybridge just outside London, for example, offers a £15 “work and play” deal that gets you a “quiet station,” lunch, unlimited tea and coffee, and even a pint of beer or a G&T at 5 p.m.

Fullers first had the idea to offer work-from-pub deals during the pandemic. While then it was more about getting home workers out of the house for a change of scenery, now it’s about offering that plus a way to potentially save on energy bills. And, of course, it also helps the pubs themselves to pay their own bills and stay in business.

“Whether you’re looking for new inspiration for that big idea or a quiet corner to have a virtual business discussion, our pubs have everything you need to stay productive away from the home office,” Fullers says on its website. “Say goodbye to the stress of bad Wi-Fi and the awkward bedroom zooms. Our pubs are fully equipped with Wi-Fi, charging points, quiet spaces, and function rooms for those all-important business meetings. Also, having the choice of freshly cooked food and all the tea and coffee you need will help you through the 9-5.”

It adds: “Once your day is done, it’s laptop lids down and glass bottoms up!”

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