One of the positives to come out of lockdown is the amazing way in which Glasgow businesses have innovated during this pandemic, pivoting their businesses the best they can.

Two of Glasgow’s most popular nightclubs have reinvented themselves to reopen as bars. City centre rock institution, The Cathouse and Sauchiehall Street favourite, The Garage have been working hard behind the scenes to reopen as go-to drinks destinations.

from dance floors to beer gardens

The Garage has reopened as ‘The Electric Gardens at The Garage’, with the nightclub’s interior transformed to create an indoor beer garden with a 240-seat capacity. The space has been decorated with hanging flowers and fairy lights, providing striking visuals and a tropical vibe in a safe, socially distanced environment.

Meanwhile, Union Street’s The Cathouse now has a dancefloor filled with benches, able to host up to 90 people at one time. So far, over 1,000 people have booked in for one of the two-hour slots.

PROTECTING THE TEAM

Both transformations came from a desire to protect the jobs of the staff at both establishments. Gavin McGreish, The Garage’s operations manager, said: “The main purpose of us doing this is to save as many jobs as we can. Over the years, we’ve built up some very, very good staff that we don’t ever want to lose.”

The Electric Gardens at The Garage is open Wednesday to Sunday, while The Cathouse Rock Bar is open Thursday to Sunday.