Pub Hub uses watering holes closed during the day for workplaces.

Neighborhood pubs are such lonely places during the work week. They're social nerve centers on the weekend, but from Monday through Friday they are a shell of themselves – if they even bother to open.

The potential to turn pubs into buzzing hubs of activity was not lost on Doron Maman and Daniel Rubin, Israeli entrepreneurs who have founded Pub Hub, a company that transforms drinking establishments from afternoon ghost towns into co-working spaces.

Think of it like WeWork, but in a bar. People pay a monthly membership fee, and they can go to one of the participating pubs to hang out and work. Membership includes free coffee, Wi-Fi and office supplies.

Coworking spaces have become popular in recent years as companies and freelancers look for new environments in which to work. (Photo: fotoinfot/Shutterstock)

The two got the idea after becoming disenfanchised with the muted atmosphere of their local coffee shops.

“People are looking for a sense of community or a network. People haven’t been getting that at coffee shops," Rubin told Israeli media recently.

"We are trying to transform bars that are otherwise closed during the day into places where people can come and work. Instead of going to a coffee shop, where you sit, pay, don’t meet anyone, and are in a generally unproductive environment, you can come to us and we will provide that for you."

For now, they’re launching at two spots in Tel Aviv, with plans to add five more to the portfolio.



“We have had interest from big companies who want to use it for off-site meetings,” Rubin said. “For example, if a company based in Jerusalem wants to have a meeting in Tel Aviv, they can use their membership with us and hold a meeting at one of our sites.”

Eventually the pair plans to expand their business internationally, with the United States being a good bet to be the first market outside of Israel, as Rubin grew up in Los Angeles.

That is a plan we can totally drink to.