The ‘New Normal’ Of Happy Hours Includes A Virtual Bar And On-Demand Drinks Delivery
Physical, not social, distancing.
There’s a new bar in town. We were told that it’s centrally located, parking won’t be a problem, and that it’s free from traffic jams no matter which part of town you’re driving from.
That’s because Bar-United, which will be open for business from 13 August 2020 onwards, is a virtual bar.
How does a virtual bar work?
Bar-United’s concept is such that they want to replicate the social bar experience as closely as possible. Upon login on bar-united.com.my, you and your friends can pick a table, order some bar snacks and drinks, and chat the night away as you would at a bar.
The difference is that the ‘table’ is actually a virtual chat room; while the food and drinks are served to you via delivery.
This virtual bar is a collaboration between Chivas Regal Malaysia and a number of popular bars around Klang Valley. You can buy a bottle of Chivas Regal via Bar-United’s Marketplace feature; while cocktails and bar snacks can be ordered from the bars on the platform via their Bar-Tails feature.
There is also a loyalty programme in this virtual bar, called Bar-United Points, which can be redeemed in the form of vouchers to be spent on Bar-United itself or in the bars on the platform.
Could this be the future of our happy hours?
As much as we fear the pandemic, we still miss catching up with our friends over a drink as well as the friendly atmosphere we experience at the bars.
Humans are social creatures after all – while it makes sense to practise distancing in a physical sense, social distancing is something that we cannot and should not do for long. Bar-United solves this problem by allowing Malaysians to relive the social experience they enjoyed in bars, while practising safe physical distancing at the same time.
This is also a way that Chivas Regal Malaysia is helping businesses sustain throughout these difficult times.
With the pandemic affecting many industries across the globe, we created this initiative to support our partners from the Food & Beverage and Entertainment industries by giving them a platform to be able to do what they do best despite the circumstances.
Managing Director of Pernod Ricard Malaysia & Thailand Sébastien Mouquet
It is also said that live-streamed entertainment by local artistes will be made available on the Bar-United platform in the next phase.
Having attended the media preview of this new bar experience, it seems that Bar-United could well be the ‘new normal’ of our bar experiences.
You can check this new watering hole out at bar-united.com.my on 13 August 2020.
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