Partying is in the can
"It's not a drop-your-pants kind of place," says David Strang, manager of new east-London bar Can, slightly hurt. As the name suggests, it's dedicated to the beer can - 30 different ones, from all over the world, dispensed by staff at the push of a button and cleared away by the customers, who toss the empties into a recycling unit when they've finished.
And it doesn't attract lad culture, says Strang. "Just party people. It's a party bar - somewhere you can let your hair down, not worry about breakages and groove to the music." A mix of funk, soul and rock, in case your wondering, and thankfully not the techno favoured by dance clubs. There's a deliberate lack of seating in the ex-butcher's shop in Smithfield. "People mingle more when they're standing," says Strang. And drink more too, presumably.
The low-maintenance ratio of three staff to 200 customers is enough to prompt a double-take. But the glass floor over the loos, the "beer-suckers" and the CCTV in the can crusher should do the trick. So whose crazy idea was this? "You've got to talk to Steve," says Strang.
Canadian Steve Switzman was "in marketing" before he hit on the idea of Can, which cost him £500,000 to develop. "I wanted to create a party bar with high-spec design," he says. "With minimal furniture so people would mix. In encouraging a party atmosphere, I wanted to reduce breakages, so the thing to go for was cans."
Switzman brought in design team Shaun Fernandes and Rene Chavanne from Jump (0171-688 0080) and the idea blossomed from there. It's a stark interior - wood and stainless steel are the preferred materials - and it's dominated by a huge column of cans (empty), just in case you missed the point. Features include a 20ft fridge that holds 1,160 cans and is operated by push button (staff only). Cans range from Colt 45 and Vamp Beer to Pilots, a German beer with a 7% abv. Prices range from £2.25 to £6 and all cans are 440ml. A vending machine downstairs sells everything from blow-up guitars to wigs (Switzman's idea of party aids).
The "beer-sucker" is his (and Jump's) piäce de résistance. It was made by Aerocom, Nottingham, and comprises four chutes that gobble up the empty cans then send them whizzing past the gents in a see-through tube, straight into the crusher. A recycling company collects the squashed cans twice a week, handing Switzman back a cheque, "a portion of which goes to charity", he says. Early reports indicate that wayward dregs are creating the odd unsightly puddle, but Switzman assures that the suckers will take anything - "even bras". The mind boggles. n by Fiona Sims
