Issue with 2nd Floor

[GoldStandard]

The club/bar I'm looking at opening has two floors with a staircase and balcony wrapping around the dance floor. The banisters on the balcony are about three feet high. I love the idea of having people look down at the dance floor or watching a band from above but my business partner hates the idea, basically for insurance reasons. Some people have suggested a net around the balcony to keep people from dropping things down or even falling. I've also had plexi-glass suggested, i really hate that idea. My partner wants to block that area off and not even use it. There is nothing like this place in the area and i think we have to use the space, any ideas?

[Ruben]

Iv been to serveral clubs that have wrap around balconies and people don't do anything even the roof top patios. If you have a good crowd people will act their age and not do anything stupid

[GoldStandard]

Thats what i think too but all it takes is one drunk college kid doing a "hey watch this" and we have an instant law suit

[Razor Lounge]

You could always use it as the 'VIP' area of the club.

We have a smallish space on our second floor at the front of the building behind huge glass windows that we're currently decorating to use as our vip lounge, there is something about putting VIPs up higher than regular patrons that for some reason, really seems to appeal to them.

Regards,

Lee

[Ruben]

Want to make it the real vip experience ? Make that area look like its the OWNERS box where only the VIP people can see down so that would a frosted window either glass or plexiglass that allows you to see down but not into. Also it would as a mirror that it might make the place look bigger then it looks :D

[intensity]

agreed, VIP area with special cover to get in, or manager/owner passes only, bottle service, etc. Wrap it in a small net to avoid accidental drops.

[Ruben]

i think the net is weak in the sense of if the whole club looks classy then it drops the value of the venues look.

[walawdog]

The net idea is not good, I agree with Ruben.

[BARTENDER 54]

GoldStandard,
Hey , you could do the square wrought iron thing...spaced about a foot apart, run up about 5' above the railing and curve it back toward the wall, that would give you 9-ish feet for head room, and it can be done tastefully.
That's one of those things that no matter how careful you are, there is going to be some asshole be "the jerk" and do something really stupid..
the second floor is a REAL plus but it could be a real pain in the ass...
Good luck,
Rick

[GoldStandard]

I'm thinking that were will go with the VIP idea. i was going to make the other side of thr 2nd floor VIP but this might work better.

Thanks Everyone

[GoldStandard]

You could always use it as the 'VIP' area of the club.

We have a smallish space on our second floor at the front of the building behind huge glass windows that we're currently decorating to use as our vip lounge, there is something about putting VIPs up higher than regular patrons that for some reason, really seems to appeal to them.

Regards,

Lee

How is the is VIP set up?

How do you select VIP?
Is there second cover?
Is there a doorman?
how do you handle people going in and out? Stamps?
Is ther ea bar in the VIP? Same drink prices?

[Ruben]

How is the is VIP set up?

Where the stair case going up is you'd rope it off and have one of your security there allowing people in and out of that section

How do you select VIP?
Since its a VIP section, you have bottle service up there. People can request to sit up there and you could charge a bit more on the bottles or have a bottle min set to lets say 3 per booth instead of 2 per booth. That also depends how you run your booths

Is there second cover?
No you wouldn't charge cover if your doing VIP section


Is there a doorman?
You would to just allow the people that are suppose to be upstairs

how do you handle people going in and out? Stamps?
Wrist bands with different colours. You can do it gold for the upstairs and silver for the downstairs

Is ther ea bar in the VIP? Same drink prices?
I would keep the same bar prices throughout the club. yes you'd have a bar up there for their own use as well. If your doing booths like i mentioned you could do a 3 bottle minimum etc :) Just makes more profits!

[Razor Lounge]

How is the is VIP set up?

Where the stair case going up is you'd rope it off and have one of your security there allowing people in and out of that section

How do you select VIP?
Since its a VIP section, you have bottle service up there. People can request to sit up there and you could charge a bit more on the bottles or have a bottle min set to lets say 3 per booth instead of 2 per booth. That also depends how you run your booths

Is there second cover?
No you wouldn't charge cover if your doing VIP section


Is there a doorman?
You would to just allow the people that are suppose to be upstairs

how do you handle people going in and out? Stamps?
Wrist bands with different colours. You can do it gold for the upstairs and silver for the downstairs

Is ther ea bar in the VIP? Same drink prices?
I would keep the same bar prices throughout the club. yes you'd have a bar up there for their own use as well. If your doing booths like i mentioned you could do a 3 bottle minimum etc :) Just makes more profits!

That is pretty much how we're looking at setting the new VIP area up with the exception of the 'bar' in the VIP area which there isnt actually going to be one, instead we're going to have a 'host' up there who will walk over to the tables and manually take drink orders, enter them into the POS then either have someone bring those drinks up or, have the host go down and fetch them.

Of course the plan is that by offering bottle service, that aspect isnt going to be an issue and all the host is going to need it a selection of liquor bottles on hand as well as ice bins, glassware, etc...

Regards,

Lee

[bruce]

You might look for a small elevator system to bring stuff up top to save time and energy.

[Ruben]

That is pretty much how we're looking at setting the new VIP area up with the exception of the 'bar' in the VIP area which there isnt actually going to be one, instead we're going to have a 'host' up there who will walk over to the tables and manually take drink orders, enter them into the POS then either have someone bring those drinks up or, have the host go down and fetch them.

Of course the plan is that by offering bottle service, that aspect isnt going to be an issue and all the host is going to need it a selection of liquor bottles on hand as well as ice bins, glassware, etc...

Regards,

Lee

Hey Lee,

You going to be using wireless POS system? Why not have a small bar where your "host" is also a bartender? It would reduce your overall costs as the wireless POS system might cost you more. Also look at it in the long run if your having a concert and want normal people from the bottom to be at the top as well you have a bar to sever them allowing you to maximize profits :) look long run not just short term ;)

[Ruben]

You might look for a small elevator system to bring stuff up top to save time and energy.

Thats just costly to install one of those food elevators :/ you would be required to make access on the walls and have space to put it if your walls arent already up and painted etc

[bruce]

I am thinking something more like a sheetrock jack, not for people, only food, only rises about 10 or 12 feet and has a hand crank. Will handle about 300 lbs max.

[BARTENDER 54]

Dumb waiters are VERY easy to put in...and they are not that costly...and you are liberty to make it any size you want..Like 2'X8' you could put a whole bar on one load, lock it in place....at closing time you simply lower the whole thing back down to the main bar....Some studs, a little sheet rock to box it in, 50' of rope, a couple of pulleys, a metal frame and a couple pieces of plywood..an ice bin, some subtle lighting inside, little paint and trim...and DONE. OH, and a lock for the rope...
I'll be right there to put it in for ya.
Later,
Rick

[bruce]

Thats what I was trying to come up with.

[Ruben]

Heheheheh wow thats home made!

[WIDAVE]

What is the rule as far as needing an elevator for disabled people?

[Razor Lounge]

Hey Lee,

You going to be using wireless POS system? Why not have a small bar where your "host" is also a bartender? It would reduce your overall costs as the wireless POS system might cost you more. Also look at it in the long run if your having a concert and want normal people from the bottom to be at the top as well you have a bar to sever them allowing you to maximize profits :) look long run not just short term ;)

To be honest we're already tied in to the POS system we have (thanks to the previous owners not negotiating ANYTHING) so we cant add to it or subtract from it, what we're going to do is remove one of the terminals from the video bar and use that upstairs because there is no need for us to have 3 pos terminals in that bar.

Basically we'll just be running some cables in the roof space and thats it in terms of the pos solution.

Regards,

Lee

[Ruben]

Aww that sucks but your the new owners and your entitled to new contracts etc.....Still using the same club name as the past??

I would contact your lawyer and have him read through and advise you of your best solution!

[Razor Lounge]

Aww that sucks but your the new owners and your entitled to new contracts etc.....Still using the same club name as the past??

I would contact your lawyer and have him read through and advise you of your best solution!

Yeah, we basically purchased their entire business, from the primary corporation right down the line because the landlords were not willing to re-negotiate a new lease with a new company so our attorney told us to just buy the corporation outright LOL

Unfortunately because of that, we're pretty much stuck with the contracts the previous owners had in place which are freakishly crazy, it really does look like they signed the first deal they were given by EVERYONE they went to as vendors.

Right now we're stuck in a lease that is costing us $2500 a month for POS equipment and we know that we could run the place efficiently using regular cash draws, thankfully we only have another 18 months left on that lease though, unlike the T1 phone lines they had put in, all 12 of them :eek: which we have to live with for another 2 years.

Our attorney said we could file bankruptcy on the clubs corporation but, in doing so, Florida might not renew the license or if they did, there could be a 3 month wait before they did so.

This town is all kinds of f--ked up when it comes to clubs and liquor licesnes unfortunately but, we knew that when we took the business on so we just have to make the best of a bad situation for the time being, at least until we purchase our new building then we're pretty much going to be able to do whatever we want, within reason of course.

Regards,

Lee

[Ruben]

"Our attorney said we could file bankruptcy on the clubs corporation" I'd sure your attorney for being a dumbass!

[bruce]

Start another corporation and sell out on your own terms after things are in place.

[Razor Lounge]

"Our attorney said we could file bankruptcy on the clubs corporation" I'd sure your attorney for being a dumbass!

He wasnt the only person who told us that, he won an eviction case for us based on the clubs previous owners already so anything that he tells us we're pretty much going to follow with unless it sounds dubious.

How our corporate structur is setup, the club itself has its own corporation, this corporation is owned by another corporation, which is the one we purchased and below the 'club corporation' is another formed company which we utilize for suppliers, wages, staffing, leases, etc.

Realistically, if it wasnt for the current landlords not wanting to redo the lease in another companies name, and having to wait to see if the state would renew our license immediately, we'd have bankrupted the club corporation months ago, it would have saved us thousands upon thousands of dollars.

Regards,

Lee

[Razor Lounge]

Start another corporation and sell out on your own terms after things are in place.

That isnt an option, as per our lease agreement with the landlord (which the previous owners signed and agreed to stupid shit like the landlord being able to check we're paying sales tax, that they are able to 'audit' our accounts whenever they want, that if rent is late by 2 days they can issue an eviction notice) we cant change corporation names otherwise the lease becomes invalid.

That is one of the reasons we're currently looking at purchasing a building and a full liquor license outright, so that we can shut down in our current location and move to club row iin the center of town.

Regards,

Lee

[Ruben]

Jesus, why did you bother getting yourself into that mess? Were you not aware of all this before you purchased the club? I would have put clauses in my buy bid for the club making sure you are excluded from all the agreements that the current club has with vendors etc You are solo owner and you have your own structure etc Your in a hole bud till it all ends. Is your lease agreement the same as the previous owners?

[Razor Lounge]

Jesus, why did you bother getting yourself into that mess? Were you not aware of all this before you purchased the club? I would have put clauses in my buy bid for the club making sure you are excluded from all the agreements that the current club has with vendors etc You are solo owner and you have your own structure etc Your in a hole bud till it all ends. Is your lease agreement the same as the previous owners?

Yes everything is the same agreement as the previous owners had, all we did was buy their company.

We were disclosed certain things in the purchase contract, which we were fine with, but a lot of this crap simply wasnt disclosed to us at the time of making the sale or was incorrectly disclosed.

The one saving grace we do have is that the previous owners only got paid 25% of what they were supposed to for us buying the club as our attorney basically told them anything that wasnt disclosed at the time of sale that we ended up having to pay additional for, was coming out of the purchase price.

In essence because of this, we purchased a club netting over $40k a month for a grand total of $25k which im sure you'll agree is a steal :)

We knew getting in to it that it would be a slog but we were fine with the deal we had in place and as of right now, the only issues we have are the contracts themselves, everything else (back debt, employees that werent paid for months, back dated sales tax, vendor debts, etc) have all been paid up and we're now operating on a profit, it could be a lot more profit had the lease agreements been negotiated but we're happy to live with what we have for the time being knowing that in the next 24 months we'll be out of the mess the clubs old owners put us in and operating on basically a pure profit business..... At least until we relocate to the new club building we want to construct LOL

Regards,

Lee

[Ruben]

Ah yes your should have asked to know every little detail about the company. The contracts they were in etc. You still should have put aclause in your purchase agreement that you were not responsible for the contracts that the club had signed. That would be the current owners responsiblity to deal with. You aren't legally liable for those contracts.

I would have asked to see and know everything! If your buying a business that you didn't start I'd personally want to know what the hell I'm getting into + have everything on paper signed by both selling and buying parties making everything clear that you'd be responsible for these only rest would be the responsibilty of the seller.

How long have you had the place? Have you had to deal with unknown contract/agreements the club had prior to?