More than half of consumers seek greater choice of soft drinks in pubs and bars

With many people giving up alcohol for Dry January, opportunities to capitalise on the growing demand for non-alcoholic options are being missed, says QHotels, who commissioned the survey. 

According to the 2,000 people surveyed by OnePoll, water, cola, squash, orange juice and tea are the top five soft drinks of choice when giving up alcohol in January, but almost a third said they would choose soft drinks more often if there was a greater choice. 

The survey also found that more than a third (39 per cent) would consider visiting a non-alcoholic bar, with the number higher (46 per cent) among women than men (32 per cent). 

When asked what they thought bars and pubs should do for non-alcohol drinkers, in order of preference, respondents chose: cheaper prices, special offers, more obvious advertising, non-alcoholic menus and a wider choice available.

QHotels' Chris Eigelaar, group director of food and beverage across the hotel group's 26 properties, said as so many were giving up or cutting back on alcohol in January, yet still wanting to socialise, operators needed to be more creative to drive sales. 

The company has devised a Dry Bar menu in conjunction with Fever-Tree and non-alcoholic spirit Seedlip which will be available at eight of its hotel and bars and lounges over the course of the year. Drinks include Seedlip Spice and Ginger Ale, Fever-Tree ginger beer & Barrel Aged Whisky bitters. 

Eigelaar said: "There is widespread perception that there’s a limited choice for non-alcohol drinkers, yet there’s never been a greater choice. To help our customers we’ve therefore created an interesting and more sophisticated ‘Dry Bar’ menu which will be available throughout the year. Not only will this help those people who have given up alcohol for January but it will also give drivers and non-alcohol drinkers greater awareness of what’s available to them.”