A cocktail bar and dance venue in Reading town centre has applied to party into the early hours – despite its sister business closing doors.
Revolucion de Cuba, a Latin American-themed cocktail bar in Friar Street. It is well-known for hosting salsa classes on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.
Last September the bar’s operator, Inventive Service Company, applied for it to stay open until 2am from Thursday until Saturday.
That licence has since been granted. The extension allowed customers to stay in the bar longer, and gave the operators greater flexibility.
Previously, Revolucion de Cuba had to close its doors no later than 1am on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and at 11pm during the rest of the week.
The news comes as its sister bar, Revolution in Station Road, closed for good in an announcement by Revolution Bars Group plc published on Friday, January 5.
That’s despite the Revolution bar benefitting from a more than £250,000 upgrade in November 2022.
Rob Pitcher, CEO of Revolution Bars Group said: “We have had the best festive trading period for four years, with all of our brands recording positive like-for-like sales, and Revolución de Cuba being the standout performer.
“However, our younger customers are still feeling the disproportionate effect of the cost-of-living crisis, and the national living wage will increase materially in April 2024.
“Therefore, we have taken the difficult yet ultimately beneficial step for the Group to close several bars which are unprofitable.”
The company closed a total of eight bars, the Revolutions in Derby, Beaconsfield, Liverpool and Wilmslow, the Revolución de Cubas in Sheffield and Southampton and the Playhouse physical gaming and restaurant centre in Newcastle-Under-Lyme.
Revolucion de Cuba in Reading itself could also be at risk in the future as the building occupies among others, 138-141 Friar Street, are set to be demolished to make way for a 163-bed Leonardo brand hotel.
It also involves the demolition of the EyeSite opticians at 142 Friar Street, with The Bugle pub, which was closed in October 202,1 being brought back into use as a bar area for the hotel.
You can view the approved application by typing reference 221235 into the council’s planning portal.
The plans have been devised by assets manager Thackeray Estates, which predicted that the construction project on the hotel would be completed within 18 months of work beginning.
