Whether it be karaoke, poker nights, quizzes, live music or just showing the football on the telly, pubs have always been quick to offer more than food and drink. A recent survey by the British Institute of Innkeepers has turned up some rather more novel ways in which the licensed trade has diversified.
Offering post office facilities and accommodation makes sense in more rural areas but I was tickled by the bars which have seen a demand for wetsuit drying facilities and a foreign exchange. Nipping down to the pub to get some euros would be fairly unusual but I still think that Glasgow’s Hummingbird and its hot tub is the most bizarre but apparently very popular way to bring in more custom.
I know I’m probably in the minority on this one but the service I would like to see introduced to select establishments would be a pub pooch that could be rented by customers that don’t have their own. For, say, the price of a pint, you could borrow a dog to feed crisps to and scratch its ears without the trouble of having to get up early in the morning to take it out.
What additional services would attract you in to a pub?