Bottomless brunch, but make it moderate: how to serve low and no all day long

Let’s be honest – no one’s going back to the office half-cut after lunch any more. The weekday midday pint has evolved, and for venues and event hosts willing to evolve with it, there’s a real chance to boost breakfast, lunchtime and early evening sales with an inclusive, alcohol-free offer that feels grown-up, not second best.

Hotels, cafés and spas are perfectly placed to lead the charge. From breakfast through to afternoon tea, there’s huge potential for elegant alcohol-free serves. A few forward-thinking hotels are already pairing breakfast with sparkling cuvées, such as Jörg Geiger No 11 – crisp, aromatic and decadent – and for business breakfasts, you can upgrade the experience with a cold, sparkling premium option, whether that’s kombucha, sparkling tea or a functional soda, to make a morning meeting feel like an occasion rather than a chore.

A bottomless brunch doesn’t have to mean endless prosecco. The non-drinker often picks the venue, so low or no options are a smart move for group bookings. Sell it as indulgence, not abstinence: ‘Unlimited brunch with a glass of top-quality sparkling wine – with or without alcohol’. Try award-winning Moderato or Zeno.

The classic pie and pint doesn’t need to change – just what’s in the glass. Alcohol-free beers and stouts, such as Lucky Saint and Guinness 0.0, have made the switch effortless, and data shows lunchtime and early evening are now key growth moments for alcohol-free beer. Many drinkers are starting their night with a 0.5% beer, using it to ‘bookend’ their drinking or to simply rehydrate between rounds. Once it is alcohol-free, beer becomes a functional drink – refreshing, low-calorie and genuinely health-positive.

Afternoon tea is already seen as an alcohol-free treat, particularly by overseas guests, so lean into that. A sparkling tea like Saicho adds theatre and sophistication, giving drinkers and non-drinkers the same elevated experience – and with the right pricing, it can easily double what you take at the till.

For cafés, extending into early evening is an easy win. Serve functional drinks such as Goodrays CBD, sparkling teas or alcohol-free wines in cans like Zeno’s – you won’t need a licence. The functional drinks report shows 41% of consumers would visit venues more often if they could find drinks that help them unwind, focus or feel good. Cafés are already part of that ritual – so what else could you offer for the end of a work day?

For operators, execution is simple: create a weekday lunch or early-evening menu that highlights premium low and no options. Add a drinks pairing to your regular menu: think 0.5% beers with pub classics, crisp alcohol-free wines with lighter lunches or an adaptogenic spritz for those needing focus, not fuzz. Make it a feature of the Working Lunch 2.0 – a social break or team catch-up that keeps everyone sharp for the rest of the day.

What to serve when

Morning: sparkling, energising or focus-led drinks (Three Spirit Livener, Goodrays, Sparkling teas like Saicho or premium fruit-based drinks such as Jörg Geiger).

Lunch: premium alcohol-free beers, mid-strength wines (6%-9%) and spritzes made from brands such as Everleaf

Early evening: alcohol-free cocktails and mood-enhancing serves for relaxed socialising. Look at brands such as Rebels to make your classic cocktails alcohol-free, or Three Spirit or Smiling Wolf to make ‘feel good’ cocktails.

​​​​​​​Laura Willoughby is the founder of Club Soda

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