December 14 set to be busiest day of the year for pubs

Buoyed by the opportunity to catch-up with friends and toast to the good times ahead, MiXR—the pub and bar loyalty app— is seeing a large surge in space reservations with Christmas bookings already 14% higher than December last year.

As bar staff prepare for this influx in customers MiXR is predicting that December 14 will be the busiest day of the year for pubs across the country.

This is follows December16 being the busiest day in 2023 with MiXR selling 2.08m total drinks and 676k pints in one day.

Other likely spikes pre-Christmas coming from moments such as the end of the university term for students and the upcoming fight between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk on December 21.

As people look to celebrate their way, stats also indicate that orders won’t just include the classic pint either.

In December last year, MiXR sold 109,849 roasts and festive meals and 3,095,642 shots and bombs across their venues.

In line with this surge in footfall, pub owners are encouraging their punters to book a space as early as possible.

Holly McKenzie general manager of Slug and Lettuce Glasgow said: "My advice to people looking to meet up with friends in a pub this time of year is to always book a space no matter whether you'll think you'll need it or not. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself struggling to have enough room to properly catch-up and fully enjoy the moment. Plus, with MiXR's in-app booking system it's so simple to do."

For those looking for extra motivation to book for their next trip to the pub, club, or bar, MiXR has created Christmas specific missions and an in-app advent calendar game where users can win free drinks and MiXR points.

After months of waiting, for many the occurrence of Christmas celebrations comes with the added desire to have the best experience possible and to plan for the night out.

To help save them time and worries MiXR has created a guide of the top tips and tricks to enhance the Christmas experience as well a round-up of the best venues to find specific festive favourites –

MiXR’s best venues in Glasgow for –

• Christmas day drinks: Old Smiddy, Howgait, James Tassie, Three Judges

• Christmas Eve drinks: Slug and Lettuce

• The best place to watch Boxing Day sport: The Merchant

Top tips for celebrating Christmas in the pub –

Help out the little ones - Not all of us can be blessed with being ten feet tall so if you see someone short not getting noticed by the barman why not point them in their direction, especially if they've been waiting longer than you.•

Respect the staff - Festive season is a time that should be enjoyed by everyone in the pub and not just the clientele, why not ensure that everyone has a good time by avoiding being nice to staff during this busy time.

What are you having? - Check your group order before you get to the bar rather than asking when you arrive. Chances are you've been queueing for a little while so have had ample time to find out what everyone wants.

Look out for others - Some people are naturally shy and so whilst they may want to make new friends this festive season, they might need encouragement. So, if you spot someone on their own looking a little lonely, why not spark up a conversation or see if they want to join your Christmas fun.

Table hog - We all appreciate everyone has different needs at the pub but if you're on your own on a table that has spare seats, then sharing is only fair. Who knows, the people that join might have something in common.

Alongside these tips the MiXR app gives users access to exclusive offers, deals, VIP tables, and exciting events across MiXR venues in cities throughout the UK, along with in-app missions to explore and enjoy.

The MiXR venues in Glasgow include:

The Merchant

The Howgait

Three Judges

Home

The Ark

Walkabout

Popworld

Felsons

The James Tassie

Download the MiXR app to find out more.