Are offers such as two-for-ones or happy hours a good way of drawing consumers to your bar, or do they attract hardened boozers rather than cocktail connoisseurs? Two industry experts give opposing views.

Are happy hour cocktail deals irresponsible?

Seen by some as irresponsible encouragement to drink too much, booze promotions can make for controversial subject matter. Drinks offers range from short-lived price reductions to buy-one-get-one free drinks all night long, providing cheaper alternatives for consumers who might usually opt for a night in.

However, and more recently, health-conscious consumers are becoming more and more discerning about what goes into their drink and are deemed responsible enough to make their own decisions regarding alcohol consumption.

Does cheap alcohol in bars and pubs encourage consumers to drink more, or do they drink the same amount regardless of price?

Click through the following pages to see two opposing opinions on the trend.

Andrew Stones, director of operations at Be At One, UK

We run a number of promotions at Be At One bars during off­-peak times in an effort to drive sales. These include our 2-­4­-1 Happy Hour and our Appi­Hour, which allows guests to choose when they want to activate their 60 minutes of two­-for-­one cocktails, anytime between bar opening and last activation at 10pm.

It’s up to the operators to decide whether promotions will work well for them. Our guests really enjoy our 2-­4­-1 Happy Hour; it encourages them to try new cocktails and to share with friends. We make a point to only offer our Happy Hours at the beginning of the night during off-­peak trading times. As well as driving early evening trade, it also allows us to incentivise our guests to enjoy a drink with us at the start of the night, rather than pre­-drinking at home. It is vital that operators carefully consider drinks promotions to ensure guests drink responsibly.

Buybacks are a recognised way of rewarding loyalty, but instead we allow our bar managers to offer regular guests a complimentary drink at their discretion. We find this is a much more personal approach to thank our loyal customers. I’m not an advocate for fixed­-price unlimited­-drink offers. The likes of bottomless brunches still seem to be really popular but I don’t see how they can be deemed responsible.

Our guests are far better educated about their drinks choices than ever before; they know the difference between a house and a premium spirit, and are even requesting specific mixers that complement their choices. As a result, there is more demand for something different. This is exciting for our innovations team and even more so for our bartenders as it gives us licence to be creative when developing our menus.

We spend as much time developing our non­-alcoholic cocktails as we do our alcoholic ones to ensure we’re offering guests the opportunity to enjoy a well­-crafted drink in our bars without the need to consume alcohol. It’s the responsibility of our bar staff to encourage responsible drinking. We place great emphasis on responsible service of alcohol. Every bartender has to attend a training session every three months to ensure the promotion of responsible drinking is a priority.

Seb Muresan, project manager for Background Bars, London

I’ve been involved in a number of bars – pop­ups and permanent ones. A number of these used to promote opening hours or periods with the fewest trade customers, towards the beginning of the week. A high percentage of these were driven toward the two-­for-­one deals and a heavily discounted first cocktail.

A two­-for-­one offer can impede the quality of the drink on offer, with poor substitutes used to make the drink cost-effective. There are much better ways to attract customers.

Two­-for­-one offers are entirely irresponsible. Who’s to say that a sober person buying two drinks isn’t giving their second one to an intoxicated person, which goes against licensing laws. It also encourages drinking at faster and higher volumes than any medical professional would recommend.

My opinion on buybacks is that, again, this is gearing people to drink more for the sake of a few quid. The plus points of cocktail offers are that offering drinks at discounted prices could increase footfall and, potentially, a higher spend per head, but the consequences could be so much more.

Our long­-standing ethos has been quality, and our clientele has grown to appreciate this. We personally propose offers as a special. Our customers are interested in trying new cocktails rather than having two average cocktails for the price of one.

If you have knowledge of cocktails, you are not looking for an offer. A cocktail lover will be looking to try new ingredients, new twists and combinations that you are not expecting.

Unfortunately, too many customers are unaware of what they are drinking. In some cases, people don’t really care about what they are drinking as long as it contains alcohol. The classic example is when they ask you for a brandy and coke. Brandy is a bit too vague, with suppliers and craft distillers now providing multiple types of each product, giving the customer unlimited choice and this should be embraced.

Bartenders and bar owners can ensure guests drink responsibly by educating customers with craft and quality products. They can look at alternative ingredients that create the same taste complexity but with lower alcohol levels.