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Pub launches ‘dining in the dark’ evenings to battle rising energy bills

28 October 2022 By Louis Thomas

Capitalising on the energy crisis, one pub in Northamptonshire will be switching the lights off each Thursday evening this November and serving customers a four-course dinner by candlelight.

The Tollemache Arms in Harrington, Northamptonshire will be accompanying the food and flickering candles with music to add to the ambience. While it might seem almost romantic, or even a nostalgic throwback to the power cuts of the 1970s, the measure was devised to raise awareness of the crippling energy costs that many pubs in the UK face this winter. According to research published in The Telegraph, the average energy bill for a hospitality business has risen by 258% this year.

Chris Reed, retail development manager at Wells & Co., the group responsible for the pub, said: “It’s great to see The Tolle [The Tollemache Arms] taking some initiative and not only hosting a really good night for guests, but really bringing the hospitality industry energy crisis to the forefront of everyone’s minds. The government must take action on further supporting our industry and our pubs otherwise it will be chaos.”

It is also hoped that the unique dining experience will increase footfall to the pub. If it is a success, we may well see more and more pubs offer “dining in the dark” nights to save money on lighting.

One major lighting change pubs can embrace to reduce energy consumption is to swap out inefficient lightbulbs for LEDs. To read nine more tips for hospitality businesses looking to cut heating and electricity costs, click here.

This article was originally published on Wine List Confidential and has been shared with permission.