Imaginative beer garden makeover at popular bar
CHANGES AT LARKIN’S IN HULL
AMAZING new outdoor pods are at the heart of a new-look, socially distanced beer garden at one of Hull’s most popular bars.
Larkin’s in Newland Avenue reopened last weekend along with thousands of similar venues across the country as lockdown rules were relaxed further.
But punters were treated to far more than a nice cold pint when they returned after more than three months in exile.
Their perennially popular beer garden had been overhauled in a move that “invokes the imagination”, according to co-owner Dan Robinson.
In a bid to make sure customers could be as safe as possible, he transformed the outdoor seating area at the venue into individual “social distancing bubbles” made of recycled materials including hospital and supermarket doors.
“I went at it at a completely different angle really. I wanted to do social distancing without really feeling like it was social distancing,” Mr Robinson said.
“I like to use reclaimed materials and get a really good vibe. It makes it interesting on the eyes when you’re sat there, but the main thing for me is for when customers come in they feel safe and reassured, but they don’t really notice it.
“We’ve designed the whole garden around having your own pods for your own safety and not sharing it with other people.
“It invokes the imagination. So, we’ve used reclaimed materials from hospital doors to quirky little signs.
“There’s little bits and pieces I’ve picked up for years along the way and I’ve just used them as a material for building.
“I think my favourite things are is the glass panels that we’ve used, which are actually out of supermarket doors.
“It feels a really nice place to and relax.”
Dozens of groups descended on Larkin’s on Saturday last week - a day dubbed “Super Saturday” in a bid to encourage the public to head out to local venues to support them financially.
All pubs, bars which can trade sit and restaurants, for the first time since March, have had to overhaul everything they thought they knew about ordering, seating and queueing in a bid to make punters feel safe and ensure they can maintain a distance from other groups.
Larkin’s bosses have made hand sanitizer readily available and are encouraging all customers to use a food ordering app which they receive instructions about on entry.
All tables must also be booked in advance, with two sittings available each day.
“We’re working initially with two bookings. A lunch booking which will operate between noon and 4pm and then an evening booking which will start from 5pm,” Dan said.
“In the hour in between we’ll have a deep clean.
“Essentially, there is going to be camera systems on the stairs allowing for a flow up and down the stairs.
“There’s going to be a flow that is coming in from the beer garden entrance and out the main doors.
“We’ve geared up the whole place so it is geared up to progression coming out of lockdown allowing space for music and acts - where people are still in but in social distancing bubbles.”