Katy Moses, of KAM Media, says making an attractive offer to workers could be a boon for pubs which have suffered through the pandemic.
Where do you want to work from? As we know, the majority of us have been working from home for the last 18 months. Perhaps my favourite part of the covid-19 crisis (are you allowed to have a favourite part of a global pandemic?) has been having a good old nose into people’s homes. I’ve met clients’ pets, partners, and kids, I’ve seen who has fabulous taste and who… well, never mind. I’ve seen princess-themed daughters’ bedrooms, cool log cabins, beautiful kitchens, and even the inside of someone’s bathroom, as that was the only quiet spot in the house.
But now, with hospitality open again, we have far more choice — and not a pink wall or a loo roll needs to be in sight.
As the government drops the “work from home if you can” guidance, a snap poll we ran last week found that nearlyone in four ‘hybrid workers’ consider hospitality venues an acceptable place to work remotely. You can download the full infographic here. Years ago when I first joined the industry, this figure sat at around 10%, so we’ve come far — but is it far enough?
Pubs, restaurants, and coffee shops are particularly attractive to younger ‘hybrid workers’. Twenty-six per cent of GenZ and younger Millennials told us they’d consider working remotely from these venues, compared with just 7% of over 55-year-olds, who prefer to work from home or at a dedicated co-working space. Restaurants and pubs are now just as popular as coffee shops as a potential place to work remotely, again particularly with younger customers.
The poll found that good wifi, great coffee, minimal music, plug sockets, and also great lunch options are the top five things that make a venue appealing for remote working. Seventeen per cent of respondents were interested in a separate dedicated space for remote workers. Sixteen per cent said they need to feel confident that staff are happy for them to be there. Feeling welcome is obviously important no matter what the occasion.
With fewer than one in four companies planning on making employees come into the office five days a week, we have a much bigger pool of hybrid workers in the UK than pre-pandemic, and many don’t want to spend all their time working at home. It’s great to hear so many workers see hospitality as a viable place to work. This is a completely new visit occasion for any operators and can be key in attracting footfall, particularly at typically quieter times of day. The fact that so many workers say they’re looking for ‘quality lunch options’ suggests most won’t just sit nursing a tap water for hours either! A quality non-alcoholic drink offer, including hot drinks, will be absolutely key.
Pubs in particular are increasingly realising the opportunity to attract ‘remote workers’. The Betjeman Arms in Kings Cross (pictured), for example, is offering brunch, bottomless tea and coffee, and that all-important plug socket for £15 per person. Last year Brewdog were pioneering the idea of a ‘pub desk’, offering customers a table in their bars for the day for just £7, including wifi, unlimited tea and coffee, and a pint at the end of the day. The offer was then extended to a monthly pass for £70.
Our poll found that 12% of hybrid workers would be interested in a monthly subscription for limitless hot drinks or soft drinks. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, if the hospitality industry can crack the subscription model, it would be a fantastic development that benefits operators and customers.
The industry needs to continue to think differently and give customers every reason to want to visit, whatever the time of day. More than ever we can’t rely on what has worked in the past. We need to stay very close to what is changing in consumers’ lives and think about what can be done to better deliver against those needs. The long-term growth in hybrid workers is just one of those shifts in behaviour which hospitality should jump on.
