Tech hub bar Social 7 ditches cash

MEDIACITYUK’S bar and lounge Social 7 has gone cashless.

Based at the The Landing – the specialist incubator hub for high-growth technology and digital companies – the venue has stopped accepting cash, opting instead for card payments, and even new digital or ‘cryptocurrencies’ such as BitCoin.

The business has served more than 10,000 customers since it opened in March, including employees from the BBC, Kelloggs, ITV, Peel and Creative England.

It is believed the move makes it the largest cashless venue of its kind in the UK.

Social 7, which incorporates a large lounge-style bar area as well as meeting snugs, a conference room, and a 20-seat private cinema, has seen its daily revenue increase by around 40 per cent since it opened.

There has been an even greater increase in its private hire bookings, which currently stretch to the middle of next year.

Owner Carla Taylor says that their move to cashless has come about following a recent research trip to the US.

She said: “We decided to take the next step and become a cashless venue after a day of inconveniences in New York City where we had only cash to spend and found that most venues there now operate cashless.

“After talking to friends and professionals in the US, we knew this was the right move for us.”