Mac Rating: 5.00 | Votes: 1 | Date: 19/06/2026 20:29:00

Founded in 1998 by three former TGI Fridays bartenders, Be At One built a national reputation as a drink-led cocktail bar brand, and its Bournemouth site carries that format to 3 Richmond Hill in the centre of the seaside town. The emphasis throughout the group is on cocktails and a sociable, late-evening party atmosphere rather than a kitchen-driven dining offer. Steve Locke, Leigh Miller, and Rhys Oldfield had worked together in London before opening the first Be At One on Battersea Rise, convinced there was room for a bar that prioritised the quality of its drinks and the skill of its staff. Their approach, which they branded as cocktail theatre, was built around a long menu that eventually numbered roughly 101 cocktails, served by trained bartenders in a high-tempo setting. The chain grew steadily over twenty years to more than thirty bars in prime high-street positions across the UK, and in July 2018 it was acquired by the Stonegate Pub Company in a deal reported at around 50 million pounds. The founders departed at that point, but the bars continued under the same name, keeping the cocktail-focused identity that had driven the brand's expansion. In Bournemouth the bar offers the familiar mix of classic and signature cocktails, regular happy hours and drinks promotions, and resident DJs who build the energy as the night develops. Its central location near the town's shopping streets and nightlife makes it a natural stop for after-work drinks, pre-club gatherings, and weekend celebrations close to the coast. Be At One became known for its bartender culture, training staff to work through a long classic-and-contemporary list at speed and running internal cocktail competitions, all part of the wider growth of British cocktail bars in the 2000s and 2010s. Bars in the group typically open with two-for-one and happy-hour deals earlier in the week and build to a DJ-led party atmosphere at weekends, with the sheer size of the menu forming part of the appeal. Bournemouth, a south-coast resort town with a large student population and a busy seasonal nightlife, gives the Richmond Hill bar a steady flow of visitors and locals, and the venue slots into a town-centre scene geared towards group nights out, celebrations, and after-work drinks.