With rising operating costs and changing customer expectations continuing to challenge the hospitality sector, pub and bar businesses have been looking for new ways to attract customers, diversify revenue and make better use of their existing spaces.
While traditional refurbishments and acquisitions have continued, some operators have gone further, introducing new concepts, moving into unfamiliar markets or investing in technology and experiences that extend beyond food and drink.
The Morning Advertiser (MA) takes a look at some of the more unusual investments and developments across the sector in 2026.
Shepherd Neame opens cocktail clubhouse beneath historic London pub
Shepherd Neame introduced a new bar concept beneath one of the City of London’s oldest pubs, transforming the basement of the Jamaica Wine House into a cocktail and events destination.
The Jamaica Clubhouse opened in September following a six week refurbishment of the former Todd’s Wine Bar, creating an 80 capacity venue with velvet seating, dark red interiors and a dedicated cocktail offer.
The new space also hosts Cellar Sessions, including live music, beer and wine tastings and cocktail making workshops, alongside private events.
The investment allows the brewer to introduce a different drinking and entertainment experience beneath the traditional pub, while retaining the historic character of the Jamaica Wine House above.
Home House introduces a pub inside a private members’ club
In a reversal of the traditional pub model, private members’ club Home House has opened its own pub within its Marylebone premises.
Cedric’s, which launched in September in partnership with East Sussex brewery Lakedown Brewing Co., is billed as London’s first pub inside a private members’ club.
Designed by Russell Sage, the venue takes inspiration from the traditional British local, with a menu featuring Cumberland sausages, monkfish scampi and burgers.
The investment represents a move towards more informal drinking and dining within the exclusive members’ club environment, with Home House aiming to capture the atmosphere and familiarity associated with a traditional pub.
Individual Restaurants makes first move into pubs
Individual Restaurants, the group behind Piccolino, Riva Blu and Restaurant Bar & Grill, has entered the pub sector with the launch of Publican Estate.
Its first site, the Last Exchange, opened at Broadgate’s Exchange Square earlier this month.
The 7,000 sq ft venue has capacity for 238 customers, including 64 outside, and has been designed to trade throughout the day, from breakfast and coffee to lunch, after work drinks and dinner.
The pub combines traditional British dishes with a contemporary approach to hospitality and includes its own house beer, the City Scribbler, priced at £5 a pint, and unlimited steak frites on a Friday evening.
The launch marks a significant diversification for Individual Restaurants, taking its experience in premium dining into a more accessible pub format, with Publican Estate positioned as a new avenue for growth.
Greene King turns pubs into AI testing grounds
Greene King has taken a different approach to investment, using two of its managed pubs as testing grounds for artificial intelligence and new operational technology.
The Charnwood Arms and Two Steeples in Leicestershire have been operating as innovation pubs, trialling equipment and digital systems designed to reduce costs, improve efficiency and enhance customer experience.
The technology includes intelligent beer dispensing systems, AI food waste monitoring, energy efficient kitchen equipment, smart vending and enhanced digital monitoring.
Early trials have delivered improvements in energy consumption, kitchen workflows and cellar efficiency.
The programme forms part of Greene King’s multimillion pound investment in innovation, with the operator assessing which technologies could eventually be introduced across its wider estate.
Harvey’s invests £1.5m in overnight brewery experience
Sussex brewer Harvey’s has committed around £1.5m to developing eight boutique guest rooms above its historic brewery shop in Lewes.
The project will convert former office space into accommodation, allowing visitors to stay within the working brewery site.
The development will complement Harvey’s existing brewery tours, tastings and events programme, creating an additional hospitality offer centred on the brewer’s heritage.
Chairman and managing director Hamish Elder previously told the MA the investment reflected growing demand for authentic experiences, as well as the need to preserve historic brewery buildings.
Rather than expanding its pub estate, Harvey’s is investing directly in the visitor experience surrounding its brewing operations.
Shepherd Neame ventures into competitive socialising with Sin Bin
Alongside its Jamaica Clubhouse development, Shepherd Neame has also experimented with a new sports bar concept.
The brewer launched Sin Bin at Chatham Maritime in April, converting the former Pier Five Bar and Kitchen into a venue focused on live sport, interactive games and late night entertainment.
The refurbishment introduced large sports screens, interactive darts, retro gaming consoles and a new food and drink offer.
The launch marks a move away from Shepherd Neame’s more traditional pub offering and into the growing competitive socialising market.
Brewhouse & Kitchen experiments with an independent identity
Brewhouse & Kitchen has taken the unusual step of removing its established branding from one of its pubs as part of a trial of a more localised model.
The operator relaunched its Cotham Hill site in Bristol as the Merchant of Cotham in August, retaining the onsite brewery while introducing a more independent identity.
The concept places greater emphasis on local suppliers, breweries and producers, with partnerships including Bristol Beer Factory, Left Handed Giant and Wiper & True.
Chief executive Kris Gumbrell told the MA the business wanted to create something more relevant to its immediate market, with the venue acting as a test for a potentially wider change in approach.
Rather than rolling out a uniform branded format, the group is exploring whether more individual pub identities can strengthen their connection with local customers.
Inception Group creates dedicated Guinness Saloon
Inception Group has capitalised on growing demand for Guinness by introducing a dedicated saloon within its new Mr Fogg’s Market Tavern in Covent Garden.
The 4,500 sq ft flagship venue opened in July within the historic Market Building, with the Guinness Saloon forming a central part of the concept.
The space features vintage Guinness memorabilia, traditional interiors and a live counter tracking every pint sold.
The operator also introduced incentives linked to sales milestones, including a wall of fame for customers ordering milestone pints and a trip to Ireland for the customer purchasing the 10,000th Guinness.
The development demonstrates how operators are building dedicated experiences around individual drinks brands, rather than relying solely on the traditional bar offer.
Loungers takes its café bar concept overseas
Loungers made its first international move in October with the opening of Southville in Essen, Germany.
The venue, located in the city’s Rüttenscheid district, occupies a former amusement arcade and Chinese restaurant and marks a new direction for the British café bar group.
The operator spent more than two years developing the concept, adapting elements of its established Lounge model to suit German customers and local drinking and dining habits.
Southville retains Loungers’ familiar approach to informal, all day hospitality, while allowing the group to test its model in a different market.
The opening represents a significant strategic investment for Loungers, which has already indicated it is exploring further international opportunities.
Butcombe invests £750k in dedicated wedding venue
Butcombe Group has expanded its events offering with a £750,000 investment in a new wedding and events venue at the Methuen Arms in Corsham, Wiltshire.
The Dovecote Barn opened in September with capacity for up to 100 guests, catering for weddings, private celebrations, corporate functions and seasonal events.
The investment follows a 37% increase in wedding revenue across the group during the first half of 2026, while demand for events and occasions has more than doubled over the past year.
Alongside private bookings, the venue will host experiences including Halloween horror film screenings and festive events.
Butcombe is also exploring opportunities to introduce similar facilities across its Boutique Inn estate, as the group looks to make greater use of existing pub spaces and diversify its revenue streams.
Inception Group makes first move into hotel bars
In another unusual investment for Inception, the group announced plans to open its first bar within a hotel, introducing a new concept at the Waldorf Astoria London, Admiralty Arch.
The Admiral’s Mess will occupy 2,400 sq ft within the Grade I listed landmark, with capacity for 60 guests.
Unlike the operator’s established brands, including Mr Fogg’s and Cahoots, the venue has been designed specifically for its historic setting and will sit alongside restaurants from chefs Clare Smyth and Daniel Boulud.
The development marks a new direction for Inception Group, taking its experience in immersive hospitality into the luxury hotel market for the first time.
Docks Beers unveils plans for food hall and major events venue
Grimsby brewer Docks Beers has outlined plans to transform its existing brewery site into a larger food, drink and entertainment destination.
The proposed development would see the business expand into a neighbouring building on King Edward Street, introducing a 220 sq m food hall and a 585 sq m events space known as the Warehouse.
The food hall would accommodate independent operators, while the events venue is intended to host weddings, conferences, markets, festivals and live entertainment.
The expansion would build on the existing brewery, taproom and Docks Academy, making greater use of the surrounding commercial space.
The proposals, which were progressing through the planning process in October, demonstrate how independent brewers are looking beyond beer production to develop wider hospitality and entertainment destinations.
Michelin-starred chef plans a Chinese pub in Shoreditch
One of the more unusual pub concepts announced in 2026 comes from two Michelin starred chef Andrew Wong and Dishoom co-founder Amar Radia.
The pair revealed plans to launch Kong, a Chinese pub within a historic former public house at British Land’s Norton Folgate development in Shoreditch.
The venue, which dates back to 1792, will combine the heritage of a traditional east London pub with Chinese food, spanning almost 6,000 sq ft and featuring an 800 sq ft courtyard.
The concept is intended to trade throughout the day, bringing together informal Chinese dining and the traditional pub experience.
With a 20 year lease secured, the project represents an ambitious investment in a format that challenges conventional expectations of both a British pub and a Chinese restaurant.
Kong was announced for a 2026 launch, although a confirmed opening has not yet been established.
Investment beyond the traditional pub model
While the investments vary in scale and approach, they highlight the different directions operators have taken during 2026.
For established pub companies, projects such as Shepherd Neame’s Jamaica Clubhouse and Sin Bin show how existing premises can be repositioned to attract different audiences.
Elsewhere, businesses including Individual Restaurants and Home House are moving into the pub market, while operators such as Greene King are using technology to develop new ways of operating and entertaining customers.
The common theme is experimentation, whether through new concepts, alternative revenue streams or investment in experiences that give customers another reason to visit.
As pressures on hospitality businesses continue, the success of these ventures could help shape where operators choose to invest next.
