The social appeal of bars still endures, according to Heineken.

Bars may be facing changing consumer habits, but their place in European social life remains strong. New research from Heineken suggests the challenge for hospitality operators is not simply to persuade people to go out more often, but to give them compelling reasons to visit.

The Future Role of Bars study surveyed approximately 9,000 adults across Austria, Belgium, Greece, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain and the UK. Around 1,000 people were surveyed in each market, with the research also drawing on search, behavioural and cultural analysis.

Between 60% and 85% of respondents, depending on the country, expect bars to remain important to social life over the next decade. Even more – between 83% and 97% – believe their community or society would lose something if bars disappeared.

The findings point to a distinction for operators: consumers may be changing how and when they visit, but they have not abandoned the social value of the venue itself.

More than a round of drinks

The research suggests that the future appeal of bars will depend on the experience surrounding the drink.

Across all nine markets, 62% to 77% of respondents believe the best bars of the future will need to offer more than beverages. Food, music, events, atmosphere and opportunities to spend time together all feature in their expectations.

For operators, this could mean reconsidering what gives customers a reason to choose their venue – and what encourages them to stay. A food offer, live entertainment, a shared event or simply a welcoming setting may help make a visit feel worthwhile beyond the purchase of a drink.

However, the findings do not suggest that every bar needs to become an entertainment destination. Local traditions and customer expectations remain important, and the research identifies no single model for the bar of the future.

Technology, meanwhile, ranks among the lowest priorities in respondents’ expectations. The emphasis is on human connection rather than increasingly digital experiences.

That presents a useful counterpoint to the assumption that hospitality must continually add technology to remain relevant. For bars, digital tools may still have a role in running the business, but the customer-facing proposition appears to rest on atmosphere, hospitality and shared experiences.

Gen Z is still going out

The survey also challenges the perception that younger consumers are disengaging from bar culture.

In each of the nine markets, respondents aged 18–29 – identified as Gen Z in the study – reported visiting bars more frequently than their country’s national average. They were also more likely to associate bars with meeting new people and building social connections.

This suggests younger adults remain a potential audience for venues that offer opportunities to connect, rather than simply places to drink.

The more pronounced change in routine visits was reported among Millennials, aged 30–45. This group showed the steepest decline in regular bar visits compared with five years ago.

Heineken suggests that the pattern may reflect life-stage pressures reshaping social habits, rather than a straightforward generational rejection of bars. The survey does not establish why individual consumers visit less frequently, but it complicates the idea that declining bar attendance is primarily a youth issue.

For operators, the distinction matters. Reaching younger customers and reconnecting with older ones may require different approaches, reflecting their circumstances, occasions and expectations.

Local identity matters

Although the broad findings were consistent across the nine markets, the ways people socialise remain culturally distinct.

The research points to the enduring role of pubs in the UK and Ireland, food-led socialising in Spain, and café-bar traditions in parts of southern Europe. These differences underline why a uniform offer is unlikely to work everywhere.

A neighbourhood pub, a food-led bar and a café-bar may all provide social connection, but the occasions, products and experiences that attract customers will differ.

For operators, the implication is to build on what makes their venue relevant to its community. The opportunity is not necessarily to reinvent the bar, but to understand which aspects of its existing identity customers value – and how those can be strengthened.

What the findings mean for bars

The Heineken study offers a more nuanced picture than a simple decline in going out. It suggests that the social role of bars remains valued, while the habits and expectations surrounding visits are evolving.

For hospitality businesses, the findings point towards three considerations:

1. Make the occasion matter: food, events, music and atmosphere can give customers additional reasons to visit, provided they fit the venue and its audience.
2. Understand changing routines: lower visit frequency does not necessarily mean lost affection for bars. Operators need to consider how different age groups and life stages shape occasions and spending.
3. Protect the human experience: a welcoming environment and opportunities for genuine social connection remain central to the appeal of bars, even as technology changes how businesses operate.

The findings offer a timely reminder for hospitality busineses that the future of bars may depend less on changing what they fundamentally are, and more on adapting the experience around bringing people together.

Download the Research Paper The Future Role of Bars in Europe HERE.