As you enter Beckford Bottle Shop, a new bar, restaurant and wine shop with views over Bath’s Assembly Rooms, it’s impossible to miss the huge, U-shaped sofa skirting the back wall. It’s the focal point of the room and, as it turns out, the focal point of the business. “The sofa creates this space for people to hang out,” says Dan Brod, Beckford’s co-owner. “It’s also communal, so it kind of forces people to talk to each other – which, as a nation, we’re generally terrible at. When you go to Spain everyone hangs out and chats in the village square. The sofa is our version of the square.”
The welcoming atmosphere is something the team at Beckford have considered since day one. The owners all come from a background of members’ clubs and own several other “poncey pubs with rooms, I think is the official name,” laughs Brod. As a result, customer experience is key. “We’ve come at the wine world putting wine at the bottom and service at the top. Traditionally wine shops aren’t like that – it’s wine over everything else and they’re pretty intimidating. You walk in, get scared and choose whatever’s on the middle shelf,” he says.
Beckford Bottle Shop’s small plates menu makes it the perfect date spot
“We don’t want to be elitist here. Whether you’re a wine aficionado or just want a glass of something with a snack, our staff will look after you regardless. We’re a sociable environment, the lighting, the music and the welcome when you walk through the door; it’s all very considered because hospitality is in our DNA. We want people to have a great experience that sticks with them. I almost want this to be a community centre, which sounds ridiculous but that’s what hospitality is ultimately about – community.”
Brod is certainly achieving that wish, as every customer references the atmosphere and the people they’ve met over long lunches or cosy evenings in the snugs.
“I don’t think I’ve ever sat on this sofa without everybody on it talking to each other,” says customer Soo Arber. “I’ve made a lot of friends here, including a girl who has recently moved to Bath and doesn’t know anyone. She came along with her glass of fizz; we got chatting, ended up swapping emails and now regularly meet up. It’s a space where, particularly as a woman, you don’t feel intimidated by sitting alone, because it’s so friendly.”
A table laid for four; Dan Brod, Beckford’s co-owner
Fellow customers Anthony Christie and Simon Jones say the venue suits different moods. “If you want to socialise with new people, the sofa is a good place for that. We’ve met a lot of people there,” says Christie. “But then you’ve got the snugs downstairs, which are the perfect place to sit with a gang of friends and lose track of time.” As we chat, the waiter brings some salted almonds over. “They’re not on the menu any more but I know you love them,” he says, much to the pair’s joy. “That shows how personalised the service is here,” says Christie. “We have a relationship with all the guys who work here and they take pleasure in recommending wine and food that they know will meet our palates.”
Christie and Jones are self-confessed wine buffs but Casey Ryder, Beckford’s general manager, says their customers are a broad range of people. “We’re very non-pretentious and get customers of all ages and walks of life,” he says. “We see lots of first dates but also older couples out having fun, whose kids come and pick them up afterwards.”
Casey Ryder, Beckford’s general manager; an iZettle card machine; customers relax in the shop
He says the small plates menu makes it the perfect date spot. “Sharing plates takes out the slight intimidation of a long three-course meal with a huge bill at the end. Plus, if you decide you’re not into each other, you can leave after a plate of charcuterie. If things are going well you can have a whole meal and take it downstairs, which is much more intimate.”
While the management team own other pubs and businesses, they view Beckford Bottle Shop as a business within a business – effectively a startup – and that is why they chose iZettle. “They are a genuine disruptor within the fintech industry. They offer something different and the level of customer service is excellent,” says Brod.
“It’s incredibly easy to set up, there are no long contracts, as it’s all month by month, and it’s simple to add new machines. It’s all cloud-based, which is good, as we often do events so can take the machines with us. If I was starting any business I’d use iZettle. Card machines are the last thing you want to think about in a business, but also one of the most important. And I love that iZettle regularly check in and care about what we do, because that’s what our business is about: customer care. I like dealing with companies that share our ethos.”
Another customer, Joanne Hodges, echoes Brod’s sentiment around customer service. “You don’t even need to look at the wine list here. I often tell them I fancy trying something new and they just know what you’re after. You don’t have to drink the same wine each time you visit, which gets boring. And I love the mix of people – I’ve met locals as well as people on holiday and everyone is lovely. I particularly like sitting at a table in the shop. It’s like being in a library surrounded by books, only with wine.”
Brod says the key to the Beckford Bottle Shop experience is that it’s an evolving space. “You can come for coffee with your laptop in the morning, have a small plate and glass of wine solo, or meet with friends and put a lot of plates together for a full meal. We’ve seen it all: proposals, marriages, dates and affairs – the whole gamut. All the stuff of life goes on here.”
So, whatever you’re looking to celebrate next time you’re in Bath, try this community centre with a difference.
