OT: any club/bar owners on here?, thinking about taking over a club ... Options

[SirAndy]

so i've been thinking about opening a bar/club here in oakland for a while now and yesterday i was offered what i would consider the ideal venue.

the club has been at the current place for 25 years, comes with full inventory, liquor license, venue license, got a large outside patio where people can smoke & drink, full bar, full kitchen (!), large stage for shows. about 3000 sf of inside space.
the current owner has simply been burned out and wants to retire.

now i have run my own bar back in germany and i'm friends with several club owners back home, so i know the business side of it, but it would be great if i could pick someone's brain who has run a bar/club here in the US.
i'm sure there'll be quite a few differences.

if you know anything about the club/bar business, please PM me so i can annoy you with lots of questions!
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) Andy

[flippa]

Andy

A buddy of mine just opened a bar back here just north of Boston. He has been open for only a few months & started from scratch. He cleaned up an old storefront that was a Jamaican food resturant and applied for & managed to get a liquor license from the town (sometimes it's better to be lucky than good).

He absolutely loves it, but he lives there from 11 am till 2 am every day. Lots & lots of hours involved. Carve out a little private office for yourself with a comfortable couch for quick naps. Have internet & TV to keep yourself entertained.

Like other guys stated, you will have to watch your employees like a hawk!!! Those free beers that get handed out to their friends & family add up real quick. He has already canned a bartender or two.

If you are going to have food, here is a thought. Rob rents out the kitchen to a guy, splits the gas utility bill with him, and gets a small cut of the food profits. It seems to be working out well for both of them; he can offer food to the customers which helps drag people in the door during the day (when it is dead slow). And he doesn't have to deal with the kitchen.

He makes all his money from Wednesday night thru Saturday night. He has bands on these nights. Costs him a few hundred bucks, but they usually bring their own audiance, which balances out the expence. He was doing karioke (sp?), but I think he stopped doing that (because it's lame!!!). The bands always brings in a crowd.

Have a big mo-fo working the door. Rob has one of the largest, scariest humans I have ever met hanging out whenever he has a band. There has yet to be any trouble (and he is in a sketchy neighborhood).

You gotta make sure that no-one is overserved. He & his staff had to attend classes to be able to determine when people have had enough. As you probably already know, people get mouthy when they are drunk & shut-off, so just have the above mentioned big, scary mo-fo explain it to them. As long as the drunks are not being assholes, he lets them stick around & drink water/soda. I guess that it is smart that way; no need to piss off the clientell as long as they are not jerks. You want them to come back & give you their cash. If they are out of line, the big scary mo-fo escorts their ass out the door.

He also has zero parking, nothing, zilch. This has not been an issue as he is on a main drag. He gets alot of neighborhood people, and those who drive always manage to find a place on their own.

ABC has already been in his place a few times. They will send youngsters in to try & get served (several times it has been hot-girls witha BS story). Check everyone's ID!!!!

Send me a PM if you have questions & would like to chat with him. I'm sure he wouldn't mind giving some pointers out to someone else in this situation.

Good luck! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beer3.gif)

Larry