Sydney pub owner keeps beers flowing by powering venue with EV during outage

A quick-thinking pub owner has been praised online after finding a unique way to keep the lights on and the beers flowing following a power outage at his Sydney venue.

The Mitch Hotel in Alexandria was without power for hours on Friday night due to power line repairs.

Rather than closing the doors and sending customers home disappointed on their busiest night of the week, pub owner Phil Anderson instead came up with an ingenious solution - using his electric vehicle to power the essential appliances.

“I was in the kitchen at my other venue, Sneaky Possum – so I had to call someone in early there and I jumped across to the Mitch Hotel,” he told NewsWire.

“There was no sound in the pub, the lights were off and it was like, ‘What in the world is going on’. So I just plugged in an extension cord (to my car).”

The Mitch Hotel owner has sensationally been able to keep the lights on and pour the beers at his pub after using his EV to power the pub when the electricity failed

The electric BYD was able to power the venue for six hours between 3pm and 9pm, with Mr Anderson and his staff plugging in appliances one by one to give them a boost.

Mr Anderson shared the moment online, posting footage of his EV connected to the venue with the caption: “Still open! Beer is pouring, pizzas are firing and music is cranking.”

Patrons were still able to order pizzas, beers, and listen to music, albeit through a different PA system.

The clip quickly gained traction online, with social media users praising the publican’s resourcefulness.

”Still managed to have great pizza,” one impressed commenter wrote, while another hailed the venue as a “classic Australian pub run by a classic Australian bloke”.

A third suggested electric vehicle manufacturer BYD Australia should consider sponsoring the pub following the stunt, joking the team had proven the practical benefits of EV ownership extend well beyond the daily commute.

Mr Anderson said it was almost the “same vibes, but just a little darker” and thanked patrons for rallying around the pub.

“I’ve been in hospitality for 20 years, you get used to the show always going on and finding a way, no matter what is going on,” he said.