Heineken Hands Korean Football Fans the Keys to Trust Bars

Korean football fans face a unique challenge: European matches air at around 4am or 5am local time, a time when most bars have closed for the night because of high labour costs at those hours. That means dedicated UEFA Champions League fans in Korea have limited options for enjoying football in a social setting.

Trust Bars offer a game-changing solution. In lieu of bar staff, Heineken is trusting fans to gather and have a good time – no matter the hour – at selected bars in Seoul, which have agreed to open their doors 24/7 to provide a unique way of experiencing UEFA Champions League matches together. Stocked with a night’s supply of self-service Heineken and self-service snacks, bar owners are handing their keys to fans across the city.

"Korean football fans show incredible dedication, waking up at all hours of the night to support their favourite European teams," says Stephan Schwarz, executive creative director at LePub APAC. "Trust Bars entrust our Heineken taps to passionate fans without the constraints of traditional bar hours – giving them a full match-day experience with friends. At the same time, we also relieve bar owners of late-night staffing woes. Two birds. One tap.”

This could only be possible in a city like Seoul where technology and mutual trust are hard-wired into the social DNA. Koreans are accustomed to a self-service culture in their everyday lives, frequently using smartphones to reserve restaurant tables, or shopping from self-service kiosks. Korea is also one of the most trusting and safe countries in the world: leaving belongings unattended in cafés is an everyday occurrence.

"Korea's strong foundation of social trust makes it the perfect market in which to pioneer this concept," says Giwoun Park, marketing director at The Heineken Company, Korea. "Trust Bars are a natural extension of the communal respect already prevalent in Korean society. As a long-standing sponsor of the UEFA Champions League, we loved the idea of uniting Korea’s trusting culture with its innovative e-Commerce technology. By creating the world’s first fully automated bars, we are alleviating late-night operational costs for bar owners, while giving football fans a place to cheer on their teams together.”

At each Trust Bar, fans are entrusted to order, pay for and pull fresh pints via Heineken’s first self-payment Terminals, with seamless order-and-pay functionality. The terminals were created in collaboration with LeGarage, LePub’s global innovation arm, and can be installed with just a few clicks, making it easy to expand the concept to other trusting nations like Japan and Singapore in future.

Security and verification technologies further ensure compliance with local drinking age regulations and the responsible service of alcohol, ensuring no under-age patrons are admitted or served.

The first 24/7 Trust Bars opened in April in Seoul’s trendy Hongdae district during Champions League matches, positioning Heineken as the beer of choice throughout the football season, with semi-finals taking place this week, concluding with the final on 31 May.