Oxfam opened a pop-up pub named ‘The Fair Pour’ on Tuesday 21 January. For one day, the price of a drink was dependent on the customer’s wealth.
The pub opened in Holborn, and coincided with the World Economic Forum in Davos. The Morning Advertiser visited the site to learn more about the initiative and hear how operators could benefit from the idea.
The main aim of The Fair Pour was to highlight the increasing inequality between the top 1% and the rest of the world.
Speaking with a member of the team at Oxfam, they stressed the charity wanted to “rally people to join the fight for a fairer future, as the gap between the super-rich and the remainder of the world continues to expand.”
At the site, more affluent customers were encouraged to pay prices that reflected their individual wealth, highlighting how a fairer tax system could ultimately help tackle inequality.
Oxfam inequality policy lead, Anna Marriott explained how the day would run, shining a light on the deeper meanings behind the project.
Marriott explained the Fair Pour at it’s core, was a deliberate and urgent message to the worlds elite.
Illuminating the ever present need to create a fairer world, one where “everyone has the opportunity to thrive.”
She revealed the premise behind hosting the idea in a pub was to hopefully raise more awareness around the project and increase word of mouth for the general public and figures within the hospitality industry.
Conversation encouraged
The Fair Pour offered punters a selection of non-alcoholic wines, beers, and mocktails, including the ‘Old Money Fashioned’ and ‘Billionaire’s Breeze’.Ingredients showcased in the latter included alcohol free gin, cranberry and grapefruit juice, served with “a yacht sized twist of luxury.”
The site also held a pub quiz scheduled for 7pm, where the winning team received a free round of no and low-alcohol drinks.
The pop up pub, Marriott explained charged a baseline minimum of £3 a pint with hopes that billionaires may pay £1m.
Which, she stated represents “less than half a percent” of the increase in their wealth over the last year.
All proceeds from the pub went to Oxfam, in order to “help support important campaigns and vital humanitarian work”.
She said: “It’s been an amazing year for the incredibly wealthy but maybe not so much for the rest of the population.
“We’ve got this ridiculous amount of wealth, mind-boggling amount of wealth in the hands of just a few while the fight against poverty has stalled.
“This is a sign of a completely broken economic system and we need to fix it and we need to fix it first by taxing the super rich”.
Oxfam is hoping the ‘Million Pound Pint’ will encourage conversation in other pubs, bars and restaurants as well as around people’s dining room tables.
Inequality fight
Marriott explained she hoped pub operators would take notice of the scheme and implement similar ideas into their own sites.
She revealed the team had been heavily utilising social media to spread the word around the Fair Pour and asked people to share details of the campaign on their own social media channels.
Previously, senior campaigns manager at Oxfam, Kelly Mundy said: “Wealth inequality is the shocking reality of our society, and a reality that’s worsening every year.
“It’s time for bold solutions like progressive taxation and investment in public services to create a more equal playing field.”
Oxfam want people to join them in “the fight against inequality” and have urged people to visit their website for more information about their campaigns and how to get involved.
One of the key messages Marriott wanted to leave people with was that at the end of last year the G20 Governments made an “unprecedented agreement” where they agreed to start taxing the super rich.
We’ve seen their wealth surge three times faster than last year.
Anna Marriott
She explained this was something that needs to happen both nationally and internationally because “money is mobile” With hopes of replicating the conversation created by the campaign, she revealed she would be very excited if others of any occupation got involved.
The pub quiz held at the site was designed to “test people’s knowledge and awareness about inequality and just how fast billionaire wealth is rising”.
Marriott stated the “big headline” coming out of the report was the “incredible year its been for billionaires. We’ve seen their wealth surge three times faster than last year.”
Marriott explained the initiative was unique in that it only ran for one day, carrying a singular underlying message: “If there are enough of us calling for new policies and raising our voices against inequality and poverty, hopefully our voices will be heard.”