it's acting really weird.

10/18/2010 11:42:34 PM

Like you would know...

10/18/2010 11:53:07 PM

^lol...drop some knowledge on us^^

[Edited on October 18, 2010 at 11:54 PM. Reason : r]

10/18/2010 11:53:57 PM

Google search for "the economy".

Damn you internet.

Damn you.

[Edited on October 19, 2010 at 12:06 AM. Reason : .]

10/19/2010 12:05:42 AM

Something is wrong based on business indicators and people's spending habits.

It's just weird.


This month I've seen more places go out of business than I have in the last 8 months put together.

People have stopped spending money on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday again (just like after the crash)

I can sustain a Friday and Saturday again without any extra help and might lay off my only employee if this continues for one more week.


One day I'll have 30 customers, the next day I'll have 3, the next day after that I'll have 45, and the next day 5.

It's just weird.

10/19/2010 12:14:54 AM

its called consumer confidence

10/19/2010 12:25:41 AM

^sadly I'm seeing the same. Went from scheduled 3 months in advance to waitin' for work. Music store and coffee business ran by friends are reporting the same.

10/19/2010 12:27:40 AM

The key to increased customers is having hot women around

10/19/2010 12:29:02 AM

i've heard similar complaints from all over

10/19/2010 12:30:40 AM

^^speak

10/19/2010 12:32:46 AM

there's nothing to see here people

move along

10/19/2010 12:35:28 AM

god damn it

I'm trying to get a job

10/19/2010 12:54:34 AM

We'll either be fine or devolve into a post-apocalyptic state of misery.

10/19/2010 1:59:44 AM

^and anywhere in the middle?

10/19/2010 2:02:04 AM

Quote :

"One day I'll have 30 customers, the next day I'll have 3, the next day after that I'll have 45, and the next day 5. "

Do you do anything special during the week??

Trivia? Pizza specials? Drink specials? Live music? What's your tv situation like? Can people come in and watch games?

I've bartended at two beach bars...we ran specials during the offseason to get consistent business during the week to hold us over until the weekend. It usually worked.

10/19/2010 8:25:44 AM

^ It seems like some bars have that problem regardless of specials. I used to go to a Monday night thing at one bar, and some weeks it would be packed with people and some weeks we'd literally be the only people there when we walked in and it would get canceled.

10/19/2010 9:23:38 AM

^Well if you do it right and promote it well, then you should have a decent amount of people that keep coming back to make it worth it. At the same time, there are just going to be nights where no one is going out, but hopefully it doesn't happen often. I almost feel like its the goal to break even on during the weeknights so you can make it to the weekend where you make your money. If you can turn a small profit Monday - Thursday, then that's icing on the cake.

10/19/2010 9:50:15 AM

OBAMA HATES ECONOMIC PROSPERITY AND FINANCIAL FREEDOM

10/19/2010 11:00:32 AM

fuck man. Yesterday I had 40 customers. on a fucking monday. MONDAY!!!

Not little orders either, but $70, $50, $50, $40, $30s.. etc.



Today. I've had four customers. FOUR!

Everything I made yesterday gets divided by half and no longer am I making profit.

10/26/2010 9:43:28 PM

Sad story bro.

10/26/2010 9:46:08 PM

10/26/2010 9:50:21 PM

^^^so when do you think you will be closing? Just think, you might fail but at least you tried (probably up to your ears in debt)!

[Edited on October 26, 2010 at 9:51 PM. Reason : v]

10/26/2010 9:51:19 PM

I found your problem.




[Edited on October 26, 2010 at 10:01 PM. Reason : .]

10/26/2010 10:01:46 PM

Starting November 1st, I am dropping my beer prices to $1.25 dom/$1.75 import to kick off a my $1.50dom/$2.00 promotion.

I also started my facebook campaign.

I'm researching new menu items... hopefully a cajun chicken philly type sub and some tacquitos.


I'm in no danger of losing the business... ive only broke even for the last three months. But being the "Lowest beer prices in the state" is going to bring those much needed extra income and keeping things freshly rotated.

10/26/2010 10:02:07 PM

How much do you charge for a four loko, and is there a purchase limit? Can I drink 4 in your store in one sitting?

[Edited on October 26, 2010 at 10:06 PM. Reason : Oops. Questions have these things ?]

10/26/2010 10:05:31 PM

Are Mickeys and Four Loko considered domestic or imports?

10/26/2010 10:05:45 PM

I classify all the domestic beer as anything that cost $2.00 (Bud, BL, PBR, Yeung, Miller lite) These ones will be changed to $1.50 November 2nd.

I classify all the import beer as anything that costs $2.50 (Heineken, Corona, Magic Hat, Red Stripe). These ones will be changed to $2.00 on November 2nd.

Anything $3.00 and above is classified as a specialty beer. These ones will retain their prices.

Although the words "domestic", "import", and "specialty" aren't accurate in the least, people understand that it means "shitty beer", "a little better than shitty beer", and "awesome beer" respectively.

10/27/2010 1:40:26 AM

Magic Hat is brewed in Vermont.

10/27/2010 2:27:28 AM

why not just call it "beer" and "good beer" and maybe "really good beer"

people will appreciate your honesty and maybe even think it is cute

"domestic" versus "import" as a gauge of quality makes me feel like I'm living in the beer 80s

10/27/2010 2:35:03 AM

Quote :

"why not just call it "beer" and "good beer" and maybe "really good beer""

Everyone has a different taste in beer. Sometimes the beer with "really good" prices should be filed under just "beer" However, some people think PBR is "the shit" and should be classified as "really good beer"
I've seen people spit out a Breckenridge 471 and go get a yeungling. The brooklyn chocolate stout is a great example of love it/hate it because it's soooooo dark.

and that's why I can't really use that classification system ^_^ hope that helps.

10/27/2010 9:43:13 AM

what is your business, again?

10/27/2010 9:52:28 AM

Restaurant I work at part-time right now is the same way. One Monday there won't be a soul in there, the next Monday we have a waiting list. There seems to be little rhyme or reason to it.

10/27/2010 9:57:58 AM

If you don't mind me asking, what was your experience in the restaurant industry before opening the restaurant??

And no offense, but you can usually start counting the months to closing when you see bars/restaurants consistently slash prices. How long have you been open?? If you don't have a consistent customer base now, it's really hard to grow that if you're already a couple years in. Did you already have a facebook page?? It's crazy how almost every restaurant does extensive marketing on facebook. Done right, it's extremely helpful.

10/27/2010 10:04:48 AM

Woah! Lots of questions!

1. If you don't mind me asking, what was your experience in the restaurant industry before opening the restaurant??

A: I worked 9 years at Pizza Hut to keep some money in my pocket through college. When it was slow enough, I took the orders, made the pizza, and delivered it. The only time I needed other people was when there was more business than any one person can handle themselves and to handle the customers that happened to show up while I was out on a delivery.

And no offense, but you can usually start counting the months to closing when you see bars/restaurants consistently slash prices.

A: While this is true, it's not true at the same time. We have a "Dollar Star" across the street that gets virtually 0 business yet they are still in business. They have to get sell 15000 items at 50% profit to break even and I doubt there are selling 2000 items a month. It always depends on how deep the pockets of the owner is. There are so many business that are doing more poorly than me and they are staying in business (probably getting further and further behind on bills).

Also, I used to have $1.00/$1.50 beers, but I went up to $2.00/$2.50 in July (which is still a damn good price but at the same time it's a 100% increase in the eyes of the customer. So now I'm meeting them half way at $1.50/$2.00 to get these people back. Next time I will be more aware to raise the prices more slowly



How long have you been open??

A: January 2, 2011 will be the beginning of my fifth year.

If you don't have a consistent customer base now, it's really hard to grow that if you're already a couple years in.

A: We live in a major military city, and they're my biggest customer base. When they get shipped out, the city is like a ghost town but when the fresh wave of soldiers come in, I have to practically start from scratch to get customers back in here. Business is harder than people think since I'm not the only pizza place in town, there are 11 pizza places on my street alone.


Did you already have a facebook page??

A: I've had one for about 1.5 year, but it wasn't until a week ago that I really started blowing it up


It's crazy how almost every restaurant does extensive marketing on facebook.

A: It's free.

Done right, it's extremely helpful.


A. And it can't hurt.



[Edited on October 27, 2010 at 10:28 AM. Reason : .]

10/27/2010 10:24:28 AM

Quote :

"Woah! Lots of questions!"

Just curious. Thanks for the answers. You get any consulting or extensive advice from people who ran restaurants/bars before opening? Seems like you have great experience in the pizza side (in all aspects), but must have been a little daunting to have such a huge beer selection and put a lot of focus on that with not a lot of background in it. Alcohol sales can definitely make or break a business (moreso on the liquor/wine side, but you can make money off of beer as well).

Good luck with your changes. Sounds like you have a tough market to get a grasp on. I don't envy your task.

10/27/2010 11:59:39 AM

How does it work?

10/27/2010 12:02:21 PM

Quote :

"Although the words "domestic", "import", and "specialty" aren't accurate in the least, people understand that it means "shitty beer", "a little better than shitty beer", and "awesome beer" respectively"

This is fucking stupid.

Put the display bottles on a shelf with "1.5" under the $1.50 beers, "2" under the $2.00 beers, and so on. As soon as you put Magic Hat on the "import" list, people are going to think you're an idiot and/or point it out to you constantly.

10/27/2010 12:04:14 PM

fucking four lokos

10/27/2010 12:26:55 PM

^^it's cool.


A lot of people think Old Rasputen is from Russia, but it's really a domestic (California), and a lot of people think Leinenkugel is a german beer, but it's Wisconsin It doesn't really bother me.

Quote :

"but must have been a little daunting to have such a huge beer selection"

I started with only 1 fridge and 10 beers. Every time I sold a case, I made enough to buy back the case I sold + a case of beer that nobody's heard of before OR a case of beer that a frequent costumer requested to stock. I would interview everyone who drank one of the new beers to determine whether to keep it or get rid of it. I just keep adding and adding until I got upto 2 fridges and 90 beers. Now I have about 75 beers that are permanent and about 15 spots that change all the time to try new stuff. If something sells better than expected, then I get rid of the least selling permanent beer and replace it with something better. That's how I ensure I have the best beer selection I possible can

10/27/2010 12:59:15 PM

10/27/2010 1:02:08 PM

Quote :

"A lot of people think Old Rasputen is from Russia, but it's really a domestic (California), and a lot of people think Leinenkugel is a german beer, but it's Wisconsin It doesn't really bother me."

It bothers me

10/27/2010 1:04:35 PM

okay how about this

"Beer"

"Better Beer"

"Fancy Pants Beer"


seriously, ANYTHING but the erroneous distinction of "domestic" and "import"
and little quirky/folksy things in a shop make it seem quaint and local which can help to improve customer loyalty - you want to establish yourself as a fixture in the town

10/27/2010 1:07:59 PM

the point about quaint/funny things is a good one

for example, at the borough they have sweet tea and unsweet tea

the sweet tea is labeled "sweet"

the unsweet tea is labeled "dude"

plus, you're going to be explaining your stupid, erroneous "domestic"/"import" scheme as it is, so why not make a funny/clever system since you'll be explaining it anyway

10/27/2010 1:11:49 PM

I will third or fourth or 17th or whatever the notion you should come up with your own kitschy categories.

10/27/2010 1:14:28 PM

Everyone knows that domestic means mass marketed swill & import means craft/good beer.

10/27/2010 1:20:23 PM

^yeah but it is WRONG and you shouldn't support a misuse of those terms
seriously, they're rooted in the 1980s when that was TRUE
but now the best beers, imho, are made by domestic craft breweries

^^^ lots of businesses in Asheville use these techniques and it helps people to remember their experience at the restaurant - it gives the place some character


[Edited on October 27, 2010 at 1:22 PM. Reason : -]

10/27/2010 1:21:23 PM

Quote :

"Everyone knows that domestic means mass marketed swill & import means craft/good beer."

sometimes...but i've been to places where very local beers are still considered "domestic"

as pointed out, it's stupid to use those terms if you're going to use them incorrectly...i completely support the creation of beer categories that are unique to your establishment and follow the pricing tiers

10/27/2010 1:33:07 PM

Quote :

"plus, you're going to be explaining your stupid, erroneous "domestic"/"import" scheme as it is, so why not make a funny/clever system since you'll be explaining it anyway"

Actually, the way I do it now yielded the lowest request of explanation. People will and do get offended if you label their beer as "Beer" if they feel like their beer is classified as "Better Beer".

...why do they get offended? Same reason people fight about who has a better football team

10/28/2010 1:37:22 PM

since you carry a wide variety of beers you might use beer as a marketing tool

have you considered inviting local breweries to the restaurant to promote their product?

10/28/2010 1:39:24 PM

set em up

10/28/2010 4:06:07 PM