bruce
02-14-2010, 01:53 PM
And not always for the best. I could probably have just added to some of the other threads, but my memory won't last long enough. Our place seats 89 legally and is rated as 46 restaurant to 43 bar. We can drink in the restaurant and eat in the bar, so the seating arrangement is mainly for the detriment of minors. They have limited seating. This allows family dining on one side and adult only on the other side, with one portion of 25 seats that may be used either way. This also gives us a small area that can be reserved for special functions.
We have room for the Wii in the dual purpose area, or room to dance if someone wants to. We also have a cheesy Karoake machine that we use for fun and contests, good singers get a kick out of it, borderline singers don't like it because it can score their ability and makes no allowance for personal style. We once or twice a year try outside entertainment as we can afford it and try not to do what is being done elsewhere in the town.
We also have a a very good pool table with poor lighting that I am able to move to one side for more room if necessary. It is a very slow day that does not see something being used for entertainment and sometimes all three items at the same time. We do not charge for any of the games. Everything is free to play, as long as the rules are followed.[STRAP ON if you want to play Wii]
We have a full menu for the restaurant and daily specials that are not menu items. We run a week day happy hour 3pm to 6pm and one or two closeout drink specials most of the time. We do fund raisers for some causes that we like and try to support special events in the local area. Sometimes there are more of these than we can scrape up money for. We do kid birthday gift cards, frequent diner discount cards, spontaneous Wii tournaments, spur of the moment pool tourneys and run four tv's in the bar usually on sport or movie channels according to who wants to watch what. All on the same channel or each on a seperate channel.
The bar area including the special room is about 800 square feet and the restaurant side is a bit smaller seating wise. We really need to get a gambling license so that we could play poker during some of the early, slow evenings.
To repeat, we are one of three small bars in a two block section of Winlock, Wa. and are just barley surviving with the economy the way it is. We would gladly sell our place if we could get out with enough money to make it worthwhile. As will the other two places down the street.
All this leads up to the fact that we are always being told by someone else, that has no investment in either time or money, how they can make our business better if we give them some of the money that we don't have. Once in a great while someone will guarantee an increase in our business until I ask them to put their money where their mouth is.
I am the idea person in this business with my wife and after four and a half years of seven days a week, there are a lot of things I have learned and wish I could have known to start with. One is not to hire family members no matter what. Close the door first. Another is do everything you can yourself except for cleaning, use that time to get another idea how to bring in more customers. Do not take advice from your employees, seek it from another source. Keep an open mind and an open eye on all aspects of the business or someone you least expect will steal you blind.
I hope by now you all realize that I am ranting because I am getting old and senile and not really able to do this 15 hours a day 7 days a week. It has been fun and I wish I had started sooner. We get a lot of questions on here about nightclubs, financing, drink prices etc.. Usually when I read them I wonder who is scaming who. I have been in a lot of bars over the years, but not what I would really call a nightclub. I would call my place a family restaurant with a neighborhood bar. I paid the piper to get here and really like what I have with one or two exceptions. Well it is time for me to go find another idea. I need to see what bar is open now.
We have room for the Wii in the dual purpose area, or room to dance if someone wants to. We also have a cheesy Karoake machine that we use for fun and contests, good singers get a kick out of it, borderline singers don't like it because it can score their ability and makes no allowance for personal style. We once or twice a year try outside entertainment as we can afford it and try not to do what is being done elsewhere in the town.
We also have a a very good pool table with poor lighting that I am able to move to one side for more room if necessary. It is a very slow day that does not see something being used for entertainment and sometimes all three items at the same time. We do not charge for any of the games. Everything is free to play, as long as the rules are followed.[STRAP ON if you want to play Wii]
We have a full menu for the restaurant and daily specials that are not menu items. We run a week day happy hour 3pm to 6pm and one or two closeout drink specials most of the time. We do fund raisers for some causes that we like and try to support special events in the local area. Sometimes there are more of these than we can scrape up money for. We do kid birthday gift cards, frequent diner discount cards, spontaneous Wii tournaments, spur of the moment pool tourneys and run four tv's in the bar usually on sport or movie channels according to who wants to watch what. All on the same channel or each on a seperate channel.
The bar area including the special room is about 800 square feet and the restaurant side is a bit smaller seating wise. We really need to get a gambling license so that we could play poker during some of the early, slow evenings.
To repeat, we are one of three small bars in a two block section of Winlock, Wa. and are just barley surviving with the economy the way it is. We would gladly sell our place if we could get out with enough money to make it worthwhile. As will the other two places down the street.
All this leads up to the fact that we are always being told by someone else, that has no investment in either time or money, how they can make our business better if we give them some of the money that we don't have. Once in a great while someone will guarantee an increase in our business until I ask them to put their money where their mouth is.
I am the idea person in this business with my wife and after four and a half years of seven days a week, there are a lot of things I have learned and wish I could have known to start with. One is not to hire family members no matter what. Close the door first. Another is do everything you can yourself except for cleaning, use that time to get another idea how to bring in more customers. Do not take advice from your employees, seek it from another source. Keep an open mind and an open eye on all aspects of the business or someone you least expect will steal you blind.
I hope by now you all realize that I am ranting because I am getting old and senile and not really able to do this 15 hours a day 7 days a week. It has been fun and I wish I had started sooner. We get a lot of questions on here about nightclubs, financing, drink prices etc.. Usually when I read them I wonder who is scaming who. I have been in a lot of bars over the years, but not what I would really call a nightclub. I would call my place a family restaurant with a neighborhood bar. I paid the piper to get here and really like what I have with one or two exceptions. Well it is time for me to go find another idea. I need to see what bar is open now.