Cinema room

Where: the Garrison, Bermondsey, London

? thegarrison.co.uk

The idea: Cinema room. When Adam White and Clive Watson opened the Garrison, in the heart of Bermondsey village, four years ago, they wanted to create a private dining space where local families and friends could come to enjoy themselves. The basement of the pub provided the ideal venue and the pair created an intimate multi-purpose space to accommodate a cinema screen.

How it works: Housing a 5' x 4' screen supported by full digital surround sound with TV, DVD, and VHS capability, the cinema room is available to book privately at any time for dinners, drinks parties, televised sporting events or film screenings. The pub can provide films but finds most customers bring their own, with old and classic films proving the most popular choices.

The room seats up to 20 for a screening and customers can tailor their refreshments to meet their requirements; from popcorn and bar snacks to a three-course meal and waiter service.

The screen is also popular for private slide shows, with many a blushing hen or stag featured, or is used for business meetings.

Business benefit: The room is booked almost every day and is particularly popular with young professionals and families. Dinner parties followed by movies have also proved popular. The room boasts an eclectically-loaded jukebox, or customers can plug in an iPod to create their own play-list. The pub charges £50 for the room from Monday to Wednesday and £100 from Thursday to Sunday with food and drink costs on top. The facility is advertised on the pub's website, but mainly by word of mouth with the local community keen to preserve it as their own little secret. The pub is also planning a film club.

Top tip on making the idea work: Make it feel like a home from home. Furnished with a comfy sofa, small intimate tables, low lighting and candles, the Garrison's cinema room feels like a snug.