"Don't Want to Get Drunk, Just Enjoy the Drinking Spot" Japanese Beer Company Opens Alcohol-Free Pub

Japan's Asahi Beer Launches Membership Bar Without Alcohol
Strategy Shift Due to Decline in Drinking Population Among 2030s
Focus on Non-Alcoholic and Low-Alcohol Beverages

"Both those who drink alcohol and those who do not should be able to enjoy the same space."

On the 22nd, Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) reported that Japan's Asahi Breweries will launch a membership-based bar specializing in low-alcohol and non-alcoholic beverages for people who cannot drink alcohol. The purpose is to promote so-called "smart drinking," where people can enjoy drinking occasions even without consuming alcohol. Launching a bar where alcohol sales are not the main focus is emerging as a new strategy in Japan’s alcoholic beverage industry, where the population of drinkers is gradually decreasing.

The exterior view of 'The Fifth by Sumadori Bar' opened in Shibuya, Japan. (Photo by Asahi Beer official website)

Asahi Breweries, in partnership with digital marketing company Dentsu Digital, established a joint company called "Sumadori," which continues to introduce bars for smart drinking. After continuously researching what kind of customers visit the bars and their preferences, they concluded that even those who do not drink alcohol should be able to come to bars, and that the barriers to entry should be lowered. The bar opened in Shibuya is called "The Fifth by Sumadori Bar."

In fact, the population enjoying alcohol in Japan is steadily declining. According to a survey conducted last year by Asahi Breweries targeting 80 million Japanese aged 20 to 60, 20 million people answered that they "drink alcohol regularly." The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare’s 2019 survey also showed that the proportion of male drinkers in their 20s who drink alcohol three or more times a week dropped to 13%, less than half of the 34% recorded in 1999. In response, Japan’s alcoholic beverage industry is seeking survival strategies by launching non-alcoholic or low-alcohol drinks. The newly opened bar is part of this strategy.

Most of the drinks on the menu here can be ordered as low-alcohol or non-alcoholic versions. Popular menu items such as Shibuya Craft Cola and Lemonade are made by creating 0% alcohol syrups that are diluted with soda water or poured over ice. This syrup was developed not merely to replicate the taste of existing alcoholic beverages but also based on preference surveys that found non-drinkers tend to prefer sweet flavors. The syrup form allows customers to enjoy the aroma of alcohol and find their preferred way of drinking through various methods.

Non-alcoholic cocktail from 'The Fifth by Sumadori Bar'. (Photo by The Fifth by Sumadori Bar SNS)

Additionally, based on survey results showing that even those who are not good at drinking can enjoy low-alcohol, flavored beers, a variety of fruit-flavored beers are offered. In fact, the low-alcohol peach-flavored beer at this bar is ordered more frequently by respondents who said they "are not good at drinking alcohol."

Unlike Sumadori’s existing operations, this bar adopts a membership system as part of this experiment. The Fifth by Sumadori Bar is designed with a central counter to encourage conversation between bartenders and customers. This is a distinguishing feature compared to other bars operated by Asahi since June last year.

In other Sumadori bars, customers order remotely via an application (app) without staff interaction and respond to surveys. While visitor information and preferences could be accumulated as data, there was a limitation in fully understanding visitor preferences through quantitative evaluation alone. To address this, The Fifth by Sumadori Bar requires all orders to be made verbally to bartenders for qualitative evaluation. Through conversations with bartenders in a membership setting, the company aims to listen to customers’ thoughts about alcohol and gain insights to expand the concept.

Asahi Breweries also obtained data showing that 70% of bar visitors are drinkers, and non-drinkers visit bars at the invitation of drinkers. A company representative explained, "This provides an opportunity to reconsider sales strategies by hypothesizing whether people who cannot drink alcohol can visit bars."

According to Nikkei, Sumadori plans to raise awareness of smart drinking to 40% by 2025 and move forward in fostering a smart drinking culture.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.