‘It’s more like an AIRPORT!’: BrewDog opens the ‘UK’s biggest bar’ complete with a SLIDE, ‘Zoom room’ pods and ice cream van (but critics say the 26,500sq ft craft beer pub resembles a business park)
- Britain’s biggest craft brewer, BrewDog, has opened the UK’s largest bar today which can hold 1,775 people
- The giant 26,500sq ft venue, just a short walk from Waterloo Station, London, opened for the first time today
- It has 60 taps, a spiralling slide, a bowling alley, ping pong tables, working spaces and even a podcast studio
- Some amused pub-goers said BrewDog Waterloo resembles an ‘airport’ or an ‘Ikea’ store more than a bar
- It comes a month after the CEO James Watt admitted to being ‘too intense and demanding’ in the workplace
Britain’s biggest craft brewer, BrewDog, has opened what is claims is the UK’s ‘biggest bar’ today which has the capacity to hold 1,775 people – but pub-goers have said it has more in common with an airport than a brewery.
The 26,500sq ft-drinking hole has opened just a short walk from Waterloo and is kitted out with ping pong tables, a duckpin bowling alley and a 10ft spiralling slide.
The grand opening comes less than two months after CEO of the firm, James Watt, 38, admitted he had been ‘too intense and demanding’ amid a workplace culture row where he was accused of inappropriate behaviour and abusing his power.
People on social media have mocked BrewDog fans for thinking they are ‘too good’ for Wetherspoons’ while others have poked-fun at the size of the new bar.
One, who visited the bar on its opening day, said: ‘The entertaining new BrewDog Waterloo bar; it’s like an airport.’
Another added: ‘I’ve always stringently avoided pubs that don’t have podcast studios so it’s good to see my tastes finally being catered to in central London.’
And one social media user added: ‘The big beer companies are going to start buying up big Ikeas and doing this.’
BrewDog Waterloo will be the biggest bar in the whole of the UK. It is 26,500sq ft big and spread over two floors. The bar will have 60 different taps, an on-site brewhouse, duckpin bowling lanes as well as quiet pod areas called ‘Zoom Rooms’ for people to work in
Stairs are a thing of the past at BrewDog Waterloo. The 10ft tall spiral slide takes punters from one floor of the bar to the other
The quirky attractions are the fun side to a bar which also features podcasting facilities and workspaces
Ping pong tables, an old-school ice-cream truck and a duckpin bowling alley feature inside the bar
BrewDog founder and ‘captain’ James Watt said people should ‘get ready for the biggest BrewDog Bar on Earth’
BrewDog Waterloo is spread over two floors, have 60 different taps and an on-site brewhouse.
The massive venue even has a quiet co-working spaces called ‘Zoom Rooms’ and a podcast studio that creators can hire tucked away in the building.
There is no need to use the stairs when going between the different floors as the company has installed a 10ft spiral slide that will transport punters from one place to the next.
The bar is twice the size of the company’s previous largest location, DogTap Columbus in Ohio, and is bigger than Wetherspoon’s largest pub – the Royal Pavilion in Ramsgate, Kent which is a whopping 16,500sq ft and can hold 1,400 people.
It will create 200 jobs and also has a terrace and a not-for-profit florist that will support the London Development Fund.
The bar-giant has also paired up with Rich Woods, known as The Cocktail Guy, to set up a cocktail bar hidden in the midst of the giant building.
The secret cocktail bar, called the Lost Property Office, will offer a Martini Roulette, where a trio of martinis, identical in shape and colour, will be served.
Controversial CEO James Watt was accused of creating a ‘toxic’ workplace culture that left some staff feeling ‘burnt out, afraid and miserable’. In June he admitted to pushing people ‘too far’ because of his ‘high standards’
The controversial CEO, or ‘captain’ of BrewDog, said the Waterloo venue was ‘one of our most exciting bar creations and a true reflection of where our brand is heading’.
In June the father-of-two had a string of misconduct allegations made against him, including inappropriate behaviour towards women and abuse in the workplace.
Last June, in an open letter employees of the beer giant slammed the company’s ‘toxic attitude’ that left some staff feeling ‘burnt out, afraid and miserable’ before adding that ‘a significant number of people admitted they have suffered mental illness’ as a result of working there.
Speaking with Steven Bartlett after being accused of creating a ‘rotten’ workplace culture, Mr Watt admitted to pushing people ‘too far’ because of his ‘high standards’.
He said: ‘It’s completely fair to say at times in the journey I have been too intense.
‘I have been too demanding, that I have set standards for the team which I would set for myself, and for a lot of the team members that is unattainable.
‘I just pushed for such high standards, unrealistic deadlines, it’s because I was so focused on ‘let’s build the thing, let’s create more jobs, let’s deliver more value for our customers.’
An array of food options will also be available in the giant venue including oak-fired chicken, Neapolitan pizza and the brewer’s menu of loaded burgers, wings and pizza.
London-based coffee company, the Grind, will also have a base in the new bar where they will be offering bottomless brunch and full breakfasts.
Hackney Gelato has also collaborated with the beer chain and will be serving its creations from an on-site old-school ice-cream truck.
BrewDog, founded in 2007, has over 100 bars across the world and exports to 60 countries from its breweries in Columbus Ohio, Berlin in Germany and Brisbane in Australia.
Ahead of the BrewDog Waterloo opening, Mr Watt said: ‘London has supported us since the very beginning, so whether you live in the capital, work in the city or are just visiting, get ready for the biggest BrewDog Bar on Earth.
‘Minutes from the landmarks, moments from the platforms, great beer and food are seconds away.
‘Wait for your train as you sip a bar exclusive beer, brewed onsite, Trainspotter.’
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