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re: Anyone here started their own bar?
Posted on 6/8/17 at 9:41 am to LSUcdro
Posted on 6/8/17 at 9:41 am to LSUcdro
quote:
From an outsider looking in, dont do it
I almost bought a bar and took the time to do some research and sought out several bar owners and managers. Talking to them was very enlightening and caused me to pass on the purchase. A couple of things I learned:
1. If you aren't physically present at the bar, someone is stealing from you. Be it pocketing cash or giving drinks to their friends, it will happen if you aren't sitting there watching them. So don't plan on much of a life outside of the business.
2. You will have massive employee issues. Many (most?) of the folks working in the industry have drug/alcohol/other issues that keeps them from regular employment.* There will always be drama amongst the females. There aren't many people on duty at any given time so a single employee not showing up for a shift can throw the entire operation into chaos. Be prepared, as the owner, to be in the back washing dishes and cleaning the bathroom because someone didn't show and didn't call.
3. Your customers, even the best ones, will be assholes at some point. You are in the business of selling alcohol to people. The Church pastor/doctor/lawyer who is a pillar of the community may flip on you after three martinis and you will need to smile and take their shite. Because you are in the business of keeping them happy.
4. Liability is a motherfricker. Insurance is a major business cost and the first time someone leaves your business and runs into a busload of nuns, prepare they anus for the litigation.
There are more but I think you get the idea. I am just glad people go into the business because I need a place to drink. It just wasn't for me.
*All of the service industry folks can save their angry responses to this. I am sure you are a great person who chose this career and I am not discounting this, I am just repeating what I was told more than once from people in the business.
4
Posted on 6/8/17 at 10:45 am to jbgleason
Great advice.
Posted on 6/8/17 at 2:54 pm to jbgleason
That is great advice. What I'd want to do sorta negates some of those concerns but not completely.
On my last trip to Denver I went to a place called First Draft. You can google it to see the concept but basically you walk in and give your credit/debit card to an employee to swipe and you get a card in return. There's a wall of taps and you have to scan your card to access each tap handle. That card tracks how much beer you pour and each beer costs a different price per ounce depending on what it is.
The place was very modern and I fell in love with the concept. You just go and turn in your card when you're done and they close out your tab. Another thing is they capped how many ounces of beer you were allowed to drink. If memory serves me right it was 40 or so. Though my buddy who lives there says that if they can tell you aren't sloppy then they can reset your card to allow you to drink more if requested.
That concept will make it down here eventually and whoever decides to bring it I believe will be successful.
On my last trip to Denver I went to a place called First Draft. You can google it to see the concept but basically you walk in and give your credit/debit card to an employee to swipe and you get a card in return. There's a wall of taps and you have to scan your card to access each tap handle. That card tracks how much beer you pour and each beer costs a different price per ounce depending on what it is.
The place was very modern and I fell in love with the concept. You just go and turn in your card when you're done and they close out your tab. Another thing is they capped how many ounces of beer you were allowed to drink. If memory serves me right it was 40 or so. Though my buddy who lives there says that if they can tell you aren't sloppy then they can reset your card to allow you to drink more if requested.
That concept will make it down here eventually and whoever decides to bring it I believe will be successful.
Posted on 6/8/17 at 3:15 pm to jbgleason
jbgleason pretty much nailed it!!
My brother worked in the bar industry for years. He saved for years and finally built his own bar. After a year of owning his own establishment, he sold his share and left the business for good. He was dying a slow death...drinking too much, drug use, shady arse friends that steal, crazy bitches, people jumping him in the parking lot, etc. As his big brother it was tough, he had some dark days and it tore my parents up. We pleaded with him to find another way of life.
He lived off his payout for a while and learned a new trade. He's a father now and couldn't be happier, he's an actual part of the family again.
Don't own a bar bro!!!
My brother worked in the bar industry for years. He saved for years and finally built his own bar. After a year of owning his own establishment, he sold his share and left the business for good. He was dying a slow death...drinking too much, drug use, shady arse friends that steal, crazy bitches, people jumping him in the parking lot, etc. As his big brother it was tough, he had some dark days and it tore my parents up. We pleaded with him to find another way of life.
He lived off his payout for a while and learned a new trade. He's a father now and couldn't be happier, he's an actual part of the family again.
Don't own a bar bro!!!
This post was edited on 6/8/17 at 3:30 pm
Posted on 6/8/17 at 3:30 pm to jbgleason
I owned a bar for four plus years and ran it for three of those. Opened it when I was 23 by scraping together $6k with three close friends and talking a retiring loan officer into lending us $40k. Still close friends with two of my former partners.
Your profits going over the bar are a major concern. I've seen a few absentee owners make it work but usually it doesn't. And being there every night is a tough way to make a living.
Absolutely right about seeing people at their worst. Even the ones that are awesome 99 out of 100 times.
We never had many employee issues. Got luck with hires and just cut the ones that weren't working out. People were making enough money that they were sought after jobs.
I wouldn't do it again for some of the reasons outlined above. But the biggest one is liability. We got lucky. Had a guy die in a one car wreck after he left the bar. Crazy thing was we'd probably over served him 100 times but that night he showed up wasted, we gave him a beer that he didn't drink, tried to call him a cab and he said he was walking out to meet a friend. Still might have been liable had the estate sued.
There are easier ways to make money and the other perks wear off pretty quickly.
Your profits going over the bar are a major concern. I've seen a few absentee owners make it work but usually it doesn't. And being there every night is a tough way to make a living.
Absolutely right about seeing people at their worst. Even the ones that are awesome 99 out of 100 times.
We never had many employee issues. Got luck with hires and just cut the ones that weren't working out. People were making enough money that they were sought after jobs.
I wouldn't do it again for some of the reasons outlined above. But the biggest one is liability. We got lucky. Had a guy die in a one car wreck after he left the bar. Crazy thing was we'd probably over served him 100 times but that night he showed up wasted, we gave him a beer that he didn't drink, tried to call him a cab and he said he was walking out to meet a friend. Still might have been liable had the estate sued.
There are easier ways to make money and the other perks wear off pretty quickly.
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