Tell me what you think of this

[Regulator]

I am thinking of purchasing a 1500sq ft. small pub that has only a beer/wine license. Asking price is 150k, and to get a 4 way liquor license around here would cost around 250k. So thats out for now.

This is in a large city but what do you think theh chance of this actually being profitable? My main concern is the liquor license and how it would affect profits.

Its a sports bar theme with food/kitchen, and a nice regular clientele. I am very interested if anyone else has had experience with owning a small bar w/o out the liquor license and what their thoughts are.

Please post all your comments good or bad.
Thanks in adavnce

[Largo Robert]

1500sf is very, very small, especially if you have a kitchen. $150,000 seems high, also.

For comparison, I have a 2700sf pub, currently for sale, in the Tampa Bay area on a main street, for $95,000. My 4COP license is also for sale for $215,000. I also have an adjacent 1200sf of unfinished spave available.

[Regulator]

your opinion is much appreciated.

There is also an approx 2500 sq ft parking adjacent to the property. But 150k seemed just a bit high to me as well. All other opinions are much welcomed.

I just want all the info I can from more experienced members before making the wrong decision to buy this place.

The 2 way beer/wine license does come with the purchase just for clarification.

[owneroper]

ask to see there year in reveiw statement from the beer distibutors. I have worked in beer only bars that did fine

[Securitygeek]

150k for the building and liscense? that doesn't sound too bad to me. But its out of my area of expertise, I do know that around here a liqour liscense goes for about 175k to 350 depending on the type of liscense, I.E. 2 am or 5 a.m.

[Largo Robert]

150k for the building and liscense? that doesn't sound too bad to me. But its out of my area of expertise, I do know that around here a liqour liscense goes for about 175k to 350 depending on the type of liscense, I.E. 2 am or 5 a.m.I'm guessing it's a beer/wine license, not a liquor-by-the-drink license.

Here in Pinellas County FL (west Tampa Bay), a 4COP (liquor by the drink) goes for around $215k-225k.

Both my pub and license are for sale.

[macaws49]

I suppose it all depends on where you live. I bought a building that is 15 years old, had no improvements on the bottom but a beautiful 2 bd 2 bath apartment on the top. The bottom is 2200 sq feet the top is about 1200. It has parking for about 20 cars. The building appraised for 144,000. A mixed beverage license in OK is 2500, Beer is 500. The bar around the corner is beer only and probably about 1500 sq feet. He has been there for years and makes a good living and never works himself. Someone should come to Tulsa OK and open a great club. Not much around here.
Good luck :)

[mauimanana]

this is my opinion on beer & wine licenses. now keep in mind my opinion is easily swayed by minor changes in wind and if i have gas.

1500 sf w/ food and a beer & wine permit will work if your food is EXCELLENT.

the only way i would enter into a business that has a beer & wine only permit is if it was either a huge venue ( able to have concerts/ or a large dance party ) in a college town or if the location was such that it allowed for heavy day and night traffic so i could have a really great cafe ( coffee house ).

from where im sitting in the cheap seats i see beer & wine as beverages i drink when i eat. when i go out even if i only intended on drinking beer i want the option of doing a shot. thats just my take on beer & wine joints.


now this crazy amount of money for liqour licenses is out of hand. this is a state by state and county by county thing and should be addressed someday. if i had the choice between buying a beer & wine place for 150K ( does this include property ? ) and starting a coffee house in a high volume area the decision for me is a no brainer. beans baby!

you probably already made your mind up so for what it is worth i recommend you put together a really kick butt menu. this can be simple fare, but it must be the best. all that 30 beers on tap shite is a load of crap and anyone that knows beer ( and i dont mean some pimple faced 21 yo college creep ) knows that the best foreign beers last less than 6 days and then they are garbage. fyi-guiness imported to the u.s. is pasteurized unlike in ireland.

all the best

your pal
m

[mauimanana]

wanted to add a few more points. now keep in mind that i know nothing about this place or whats going on in the location ok.

1500sf offers NO room for supplemental sources of income - i.e. pool tables

pool tables can pay your rent/mortgage depending on the number, usage ( demand ), and as well other games.

wine - wine by the glass is a joke and again most women drink ****tails in this type of venue which is a bar. most wine is consumed either at home or in a restaurant.

beer - i love a chick that drinks beer ( though not too much before the nookie hour since many positions put undue strain on the bladder ) however aside from college age women beer is not the big draw. its cacktails bud!

hey maybe have a beer, wine and hookah bar( no not my kind of hookah this is the kind you smoke whereas mine smokes you ).

just dont add up to me but like i said i dont know the current sales and maybe it will be some nice coinage in your pocket and you can quit the 8 till close walmart greeter gig.

big kisses

m

[owneroper]

You want to get rich or supplement your income? I didnt buy my bar to get rich, what do you need to make off of it/what do you want to make off of it? I must be crazy I didnt buy my little neighborhood bar to get t rich I bought to make a little extra money, I still work at another bar part time. Everybody tells me I wont make it at my bar. I just want to scream "make what" what does make it mean. I dont have delusions of grandeur I could goldplate the toilets its still a neighborhood bar. Been that way for 60 years, and I am happy to keep it that way. I bought it for the future. I bought with a certain number in mind that I need to make to be happy, been making it since day one. I dont bartend there, but I do manage it, I go in and out, and I am well compensated for it. yes it has caused a headache or two but I am still happy with my decision.

[mauimanana]

owneroper you are one of the many ( top 2 ) in this industry that make me want to open a bar next to yours just to put you out of business or make you spend so much money to compete that you quit of your own accord.

this is a business and for many a livelihood and not some side investment for bingo money. good for you that you can afford to buy a turn-key bar ( because it is obvious that you did not build it from scratch which is a bitch ) for an investment and shit & giggles. see i look at this business quite differently and though there are many people that enter into this business for the very same reasons that you do ( what a renegade you are ) for alot of people i know this is their primary source of income and thus have no other option than to see that it succeeds.

the only people i know that buy bars/clubs for other than a prime source of income is to get laid or for popularity. these are not financial sound investments as compared to say real estate or stocks or what have you. so again good for you mr/mrs i dont wanna get rich i just wanna have fun.

i do not anyone that has gotten what i would call wealthy owning a bar or a even a club for that matter.( i know some but not many ) make alot of money? sure! you can make more money with real estate than with real drunks any day of the week or at least anyone with a half of brain. see i guess it just takes good credit these days to open a bar and a basic business understanding of supply and demand.

so your few headaches tell me that either you have a brain tumor, had a brain fart, or are just a get remonded that your hobby is going to one day explode into a shite storm and the people that depend on your "lil" gem are gonna shed a tear no matter how much you think they love you. you just are not one of them.

maybe sell the bar, buy a pink cadillac and sell marykay. less headaches you poor soul.


yours truly

mr e.a. tshit

[mauimanana]

sorry about that last blurb but i type like i pick my nose. with two fingers up each nostril while looking down a beer bottle.

basically was i was saying is that i think ( sometimes ok ) that you pass yourself off as one of those working mans working man or soldiers soldier kinda blow hole.

i would bet that if i spoke with your staff ( even the ones related to you ) they would tell me your a rubberhole. here you are owning a bar yet working in another one. you probably think your staff admires you but infact i would wage money that they think your a hmmmmmmmmmmmmm oh yeah rubberhole. when the shite hits the fan i can guarantee no one is gonna fall on their sword for you.

respectfully

sue kmahballz

[owneroper]

mauimanana I like you! I like your post and not surprised to hear from you. Even half tempted to make you an offer to come down and double business for me however the nice hinney part I couldnt guarantee. My point to the original poster was that he needed to decide what he needed from a bar to make it work for him, how can I compare my small bar to one of these nightclubs. Hell most of posters on this site have liquor license that cost twice what my bar did. Some need more than others to live. My bar has been thru 6 owners in less than 10 years I have met 4 all telling me it wouldnt work. Again what doesnt work. What did they think was going to happen I have a certain number to match to make me happy.

As for my staff I think they would all agree they are glad I didnt quit my job and take theirs and I dont have family members there. I work at various times, the place I work is totally different place and liquor is not the specialty. I dont think anybody envy's me, pretty much have told me so and cant figure out why I bought such a dog of a bar.

the original poster didnt state his position either. Didnt say if it would be his only source of income. No I didnt start it from scratch has been there 60 years or so, just moving along. I didnt buy it for popularity or to get laid I bought as an investment for the future, the future being a job. Once I feel secure I will knowing it will support me I plan on quitting my other job. The main reason I dont have that many headaches is because I enjoy so much. Am truly amazed at how much I enjoy it. As i type this at 4:30am I just got in from cleaning the carpets at the bar.

I have worked in the bar business for 25 years so I know ones income depends on it. I wasnt trying to be anything other than give him my opinion on how he will need to decide what is a good return for his time and money. I saved my bar tips for many years to do this, this wasnt a whim and its not for play. However on that note when I find the right hinney I sure will invite you up and let you increase my business 2 fold and then I can quit my other job and be a 100% bar owner

[owneroper]

If I wasnt sincere do you think I would visit a bar and nightclub site on a regular basis?

[Largo Robert]

You want to get rich or supplement your income? I didnt buy my bar to get rich, what do you need to make off of it/what do you want to make off of it? I must be crazy I didnt buy my little neighborhood bar to get t rich I bought to make a little extra money, I still work at another bar part time. Everybody tells me I wont make it at my bar. I just want to scream "make what" what does make it mean. I dont have delusions of grandeur I could goldplate the toilets its still a neighborhood bar. Been that way for 60 years, and I am happy to keep it that way. I bought it for the future. I bought with a certain number in mind that I need to make to be happy, been making it since day one. I dont bartend there, but I do manage it, I go in and out, and I am well compensated for it. yes it has caused a headache or two but I am still happy with my decision.No business will be successful unless the owner dedicates himself 110% to it.

If you're not dedicated, why should your staff and customers be?

[owneroper]

M complained because I worked in another place. Doesnt mean I'm not dedicated. Startup costs were much more than I had anticipated, I'm glad I didnt quit my job or I would have had alot of money trouble in the begining. And maybe thats what happened to a few of the former owners of my place. Again the original poster didnt state his position he ask if it could be profitable.

Some of the dollar amounts posted here are amazing, I dont do 5000.00 on friday I barely do 5k all week. It was my opinion for the original poster to figure what his idea of profitable is. M said he wouldnt do a a beer only unless had huge venue. So his idea of profitable may be different than mine. I wouldnt be against looking at a small beer only bar but I would decide how much I need to make.

What is profitable? I think we all agree profitable pays for itself and puts some money in our pockets, but how much money do we need is a question only the individual could answer. So give this post back to the poster.

[mauimanana]

i apologize for that unjust tirade owneroper and i cringed after i posted it. well as the saying goes, " no harm, just foul." as groucho marx once said, " i would not want to be a member of any club that would have me." i should have been voted off this island a long time ago. regardless of the text the underlying message is intended to be constructive and offer encouragement.

i read an article that claimed that a 1 ****tail per day may slow the onset of dementia. so i figured if one can do that then a dozen or so gotta be even better. not so! ha ha


all the best

your pal

m