Anyone in the bar/club business??

[Sammyb713]

Is there really money to be made???

I found a location ( relatively cheap ) that could really be turned into a hot spot for the area its in..plenty of parking, open space, and its 2 levels, I found a liqour license for that district for a reasonable price as well..everything is falling into place too easily so I am a little hesitant to jump in too quick...

always wanted to own a bar/resturaunt/club, and I think this space could handle it..My thoughts are to get it up and running to where its profitable for a couple years and then sell it...

What are your thoughts?? Anyone on here own a club/bar that could give me a little insight??


Thanks!

[Perlmudder]

cashbar managed a canadian ballet for a while i believe...

[OldSchool]

I have two things to say to anyone considering getting in the bar business.

1. If you own a bar or restaurant, be prepared to work 15 hours per day. If you aren't there, you are being stolen from, no matter who you have working for you. PERIOD!! ;)

2. Prepare for your life to be turned upside down. :willy_nilly::willy_nilly::willy_nilly:


Craig

:):)

[Spicy]

Is there really money to be made???

I found a location ( relatively cheap ) that could really be turned into a hot spot for the area its in..plenty of parking, open space, and its 2 levels, I found a liqour license for that district for a reasonable price as well..everything is falling into place too easily so I am a little hesitant to jump in too quick...

always wanted to own a bar/resturaunt/club, and I think this space could handle it..My thoughts are to get it up and running to where its profitable for a couple years and then sell it...

What are your thoughts?? Anyone on here own a club/bar that could give me a little insight??



Thanks!


Get ahold of Tony @ Cancun Cantina he owns a handful of sucessful Clubs around Baltimore, he may shed some insight or give you a hand for a fee??

Remember this is the #1 Failure in Business Openings, Restaurants/Clubs!!!


Good Luck and save me a Table in the VIP Room for opening Night!!!

[Chris]

Bars can be highly profitable. But they can also be nightmares.

It's a hands-on business with all the challenges of a restaurant and a few extras. You have to live there and be involved in every facet. If you're not, the help will rob you blind. You have to create an environment that people enjoy and want to patronize, but you also have to continually reinvent it to keep people coming back. You're dealing with substantial liabilities resulting from what the courts views and now some state's laws now view your liability for the actions of someone you served.

Most of all, you have to spend endless hours in this business with the only hope of real success and a happy life depending on you not adopting the lifestyle of your patrons and often your employees.

The steepest climb you have is being new. No one knows you're there. And even when they do, they may not remember to come in. And if the do come in on an off night, they may never come back. You have to hit your opening big and fill the place night after night. If I'm looking for an evening-out experience and yours is a bust, I'm not coming back. And I'll tell my friends the place was a dud too. Anyone can get a beer in a quiet bar in a dozen places within a quick drive. The challenge is that getting and keeping that vibe is going to be most likey a very expensive proposition.

Owning a bar or club sounds like a cool thing to do. And I'm sure it's got a bunch of fringe benefits. But I couldn't see myself working 6 nights a week until 5AM or so, every weekend, all year long. And I'd suspect that after a while the "cool" would begin to wear off.

Just my perspective- I've helped several friends with these sorts of businesses.

[fund razor]

I know some bar owners. None who would ever do it again.

But I love this thread. It reminds me of my 20s when I thought that a recording studio would be a great idea. I think that I only lost about 40 grand before I pulled the plug.

A bar/restaurant would make that seem like a cheap lesson.

[BraceYourself]

Been there done it. Upscale sports bar.
Initial investment was about 600K and cost an extr 10K a month because of poor mgmt.

Brother-in-law bought it from me for 50K and now he lives there 24-7 and is making 6 figures.

Moral of the stroy, unless its your only job it will fail misserably.

[Gladhe8er]

My dad owns a pretty well known bar here in CT called the Black Duck cafe - www.blackduckcafe.net. It put 3 of us through expensive colleges and Pops has more toys than anyone I know. Its all about location and marketing. The "Duck" is on a river with a 40 foot bar facing the water. Thats one of the big draws. Last May he got on "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" hosted by Guy Fieri. Business blew up after that.

Agree with some of what was said above. Need to renovate/re-invint from time to time and need to spend a lot of time there. I only saw my Dad 2-3 nights a week growing up. Now the place pretty much runs itself. He has been robbed by employees in the past, but he sets up traps and has random people "spy" while they are there. This has let to many firings.

[OldSchool]

Anyone can get a beer in a quiet bar in a dozen places within a quick drive.

I'm getting old I guess....because you've just described my favorite bar....and it's 7 tenths of a mile from my house.:driving::cheers2:


I can streak home if I want to......and theres about a one in five thousand chance that I will see a police officer. :D :sifone:

[OldSchool]

Spicy on the other hand has to go about a mile in the other direction....That's where the PoPo sits....and waits. :D:sifone::cheers2:

[Spicy]

Spicy on the other hand has to go about a mile in the other direction....That's where the PoPo sits....and waits. :D:sifone::cheers2:

We live on a Penninsula.... One road in one road out!!!

Not very good odds...

:driving: :ack2: :cheers2: :eek:

[Sammyb713]

Great advice from everyone! Much appreciated! I understand that I would have to be devoted to the business and my life would revolve around it, but I am thinking this is just a business to get up and running and then sell it to someone else after I make some money from it...being young with no kids, this would be the perfect time for me to get involved in something like this and try out....

The bigger the risk the bigger the reward..never know until I try it..and plus life is short, I dont wanna regret not taking a chance at something...

[Perlmudder]

Where I went to school, the only bars with lineups were the ones that were promoted. All I can say is PROMOTE PROMOTE PROMOTE! Cus everybody loves wicked bad wednesdays, slursday thursday and goose got me looooose saturday!

[Chris]

If you go into it with your eyes open, you at least know what to expect.

This business has one particular hazard- succumbing to the lifestyle. You may want to discuss this with friends and family members to build in some sort of reality check if you find yourself in over your head. I had a good friend end up losing his wife and kids and his law practice with something that started as a minority investment in a strip club. He was a straight-laced, conservative guy that never saw it coming. And his buddies drank and partied with him all the way to the bottom.

This business has all the particular hazards of all other businesses. Just keep reminding yourself of this one incontrovertible fact- all businesses fail for the exact same reason. They run out of money. Have smart people that you trust and have business backgrounds look over your business plan. One of those people should be the CPA you plan to use. A good CPA is a partner in your business. You're not just paying for tax advice and bookkeeping, you're paying for their experience and consultation. Keep reminding yourself that it's going to cost more than you thought and it's going to take more work than you thought. If you don't have a solution for both of those issues, stop now.

Lastly, get the words "risk" and "chance" out of your vocabulary. If you want to play with those terms, buy a ticket to Vegas and have some fun. You need a plan based on facts and certainties with a bunch of contingencies thrown in for good measure.

Remember these things- if it looks easy, you're missing something. If it's going smoothly, there's a catastrophe just over the horizon. if you think you've got it figured out, you're in for a startling surprise. People that succeed in business can see around corners, they can predict the future. Nothing pushes them off of their game. If you can be that person and do the things I described, you'd be successful at just about anything. All that's left is your unbridled willingness to succeed.

It's tougher than it looks. Way tougher.

[BobbyB]

Make it into a strip club. :sifone::sifone:
Will i get free drinks there?

[Chris]

Make it into a strip club. :sifone::sifone:
Will i get free drinks there?


See what I mean?
;)

[Sammyb713]

If you go into it with your eyes open, you at least know what to expect.

This business has one particular hazard- succumbing to the lifestyle. You may want to discuss this with friends and family members to build in some sort of reality check if you find yourself in over your head. I had a good friend end up losing his wife and kids and his law practice with something that started as a minority investment in a strip club. He was a straight-laced, conservative guy that never saw it coming. And his buddies drank and partied with him all the way to the bottom.

This business has all the particular hazards of all other businesses. Just keep reminding yourself of this one incontrovertible fact- all businesses fail for the exact same reason. They run out of money. Have smart people that you trust and have business backgrounds look over your business plan. One of those people should be the CPA you plan to use. A good CPA is a partner in your busines. You're not just paying for tax advice and bookkeeping, you're paying for their experience and consultation. Keep reminding yourself that it's going to cost more than you thought and it's going to take more work than you thought. If you don't have a solution for both of those issues, stop now.

Lastly, get the words "risk" and "chance" out of your vocabulary. If you want to play with those terms, buy a ticket to Vegas and have some fun. You need a plan based on facts and certainties with a bunch of contingencies thrown in for good measure.

Remember these things- if it looks easy, you're missing something. If it's going smoothly, there's a catastrophe just over the horizon. if you think you've got it figured out, you're in for a startling surprise. People that succeed in business can see around corners, they can predict the future. Nothing pushes them off of their game. If you can be that person and do the things I described, you'd be successful at just about anything. All that's left is your unbridled willingness to succeed.

It's tougher than it looks. Way tougher.

You sound like a pretty smart guy! Thanks for the advice! I have an appointment with my accountant next week to crunch numbers to see what it will take to make it all happen and keep me relatively "safe"..The location is what is drawing me to this whole thing, 3 semi-small colleges in the district, I also have done my research on the demographics of the area, most of the income is very high, could be a positive or a negative??

I dont think I would get sucked into the lifestyle of the typical " bar owner "..just because I know I want a family in the near future so this would not be a long term adventure...Plus being a female helps and, I would be going after all sort of minority grants to try to keep start up costs low....

This is all just an idea..I have been searching for a piece of commercial real estate for a while and found this place and then a day later I find a cheap liqour license..and everything else has just fallen into place..it may all be too good to be true..never know...we will see..

[Sammyb713]

Make it into a strip club. :sifone::sifone:
Will i get free drinks there?

"Make it into a strip club"..typical BobbyB response..Charlie Sheene Jr.

Of course Bobbyb would get free drinks...:kiss:

[Chris]

You sound like a pretty smart guy! ..

Thanks. But not really. Just old with a good memory and not bright enough to give up. You learn alot like that.

But seriously, there's more than a few of us on here. I'm sure there's plenty of sound advice to be had- just ask.

[Seltzer]

Make it into a strip club. :sifone::sifone:
Will i get free drinks there?

simply brilliant bb :cheers2:

[DollaBill]

Make it into a strip club. :sifone::sifone:
Will i get free drinks there?

I second that

[BobbyB]

"Make it into a strip club"..typical BobbyB response..Charlie Sheene Jr.

Of course Bobbyb would get free drinks...:kiss:

Ok that works. And make sure hot woman go there alot.

[THEJOKER]

Find Michael Stancomb , Peppers Racing......he'll give you the good and bad.

[Chris]

Yeah. Stancombe. Look what it did to him.
;)

[.38Special]

I would say this investment is kind of like a boat. No matter how much you plan on spending, double it. Then make sure you have "reserves" to put in every month for; rent, payroll, etc... Because your not going to break even immediately. And remember if you're banking on the colleges, those kids leave in the summer. Like BraceYourself said, he spent 600k and sold it for 50k just to get out of it. The second hand owner always makes the money, because they don't have the buildout costs, initial advertising costs, etc... Not trying to be negative, but we've been through it (a restaurant) and hate it. We're still open and it does fine, but not nearly worth the time it requires to run it.

[stinger]

Find Michael Stancomb , Peppers Racing......he'll give you the good and bad.


I think they have two bars here in town

[MarylandMark]

Been there, done that- much, much, much, much, much better to be on this side of the bar than that side of the bar. Yes- there are some pluses, and if it is an established joint there are even a lot of pluses. Getting to the pluses is tougher than almost every one thinks. #1 reason it is the #1 business that fails is because it looks so much easier than it is.

Profitable in a couple years and then sell it? Sorry to burst your bubble but highly unlikely that will happen. Like, very highly unlikely. Say you have $100K in it and want to sell it for $125K- a buyer could open a place down the street for $100K and dump that $25K in to promotions and price cuts and your profit margin will be cut in 1/2 just like that. Beer/liquor companies love to offer successful bars and brand new bars promotions. After your newness wears off but before you are successful (most of the time newness last a few weeks to a year, to be successful we are talking over 5-7 years)- they won't give you squat.

Colleges kids want cheap drinks- 10 cent wings and $1 drafts don't pay the bills. High income earners, they don't want to be in a place with college kids and a lot of the high income earners I know are..um....let's just say "thrifty". Value- every one wants it.

Minority grants? I'm checking in to this right now for my fiance. Not saying you can't and wish you the best, just not as easy as saying "I'm a minority and I want to start a business", especially if you aren't already in that business. She's sitting on a Bachelors of Science, 2 Masters and 12 years in the business.

Don't let BobbyB or Seltzer in, your rep will be pooh

You think the "lifestyle of a typical bar owner" is because they want to live like that? They have to or the doors would close. 18+ hour days, 7 days a week. If you pay someone enough not to steal, you won't be making any money.

Just being honest and wish you the best- but be prepared to hemorrhage cash for quite some time. I could type all night but the best advice is DON'T DO IT.

[Chris]

I could type all night but the best advice is DON'T DO IT.


I hate to ever tell anyone that directly. I like to give them the honest perspective and let them figure it out themselves.

I was thinking about this thread earlier this evening. This is what came to me- if you've got the skill, willingness and financing to make this a go, you can do damn near ANYTHING. So why not focus on something that has better odds and far fewere barriers to success?

I travel alot and I see quite a bit. There's a new franchise out there that's absolutely booming. It's called Five Guys. They have hamburgers and fries. You can't get into the parking lot at lunch or dinner time and they're steady all day long. And they're only in a handful of markets. if you've got a great location where you can draw college kids, business lunch traffic and suburban dinner traffic, this might be a winner.

[Expensive Date]

Any business can fail and most if not all will have you working double the hours than working for someone else.But you also have something else the chance to make more money and control your life financially if you do it right.If you are married your wife has to understand my wife's father had his own business so she thinks 90 hours a week is normal.I am in the mobile tool business which has an extremely high failure rate May 3 is my 17 year anniversary and I have made money every year.Its getting harder because a lot of suppliers are trying to back out of there warranty's but you adapt.As stated you need a good accountant that will make or break you.Mine is great I emailed her last week at 1:00 am and she responded at 5:00 am.Most importantly you need cash you will not be able to borrow if you have a slow start and if you do this do not change you lifestyle(spending) for at least two years.

[Expensive Date]

I travel alot and I see quite a bit. There's a new franchise out there that's absolutely booming. It's called Five Guys. They have hamburgers and fries. You can't get into the parking lot at lunch or dinner time and they're steady all day long. And they're only in a handful of markets. if you've got a great location where you can draw college kids, business lunch traffic and suburban dinner traffic, this might be a winner.


Obama goes there all the time.:)There is one of those in my route its never that busy.Hence location.location,location

[Expensive Date]

http://www.fiveguys.com/franchise.aspx




That's a lot of coin for only lunch and dinner Mcds are over a mil.but they have breakfast.I really could not deal with the 6%.

[JupiterSunsation]

http://www.fiveguys.com/franchise.aspx




That's a lot of coin for only lunch and dinner Mcds are over a mil.but they have breakfast.I really could not deal with the 6%.



They opened one in the next town.........not terribly impressed. It all was greasy and expensive for $hitty food!

[JupiterSunsation]

I had a friend that owned 30 Domino's Pizza stores in S. FL. They had managers making 75K a year, driving Land Rovers as company cars stealing pizzas in large scale (like 25 pizzas a day sold out the back door). They sold the group of stores and swore that if they ever went back in the restaurant business it would never be a franchise. The fees, forced purchases of inferior products/ overpriced products made them nuts!

[showtime83]

I thought about the bar/club scene once, wanted something on the water. A good friend of mine is in the hotel business(knows these business well), we sat down and talked about it for a long time. Came to if it were to take off, it would be around 7 years before it would really be making money. I figured I will continue to take my chances working construction.

[Expensive Date]

I had a friend that owned 30 Domino's Pizza stores in S. FL. They had managers making 75K a year, driving Land Rovers as company cars stealing pizzas in large scale (like 25 pizzas a day sold out the back door). They sold the group of stores and swore that if they ever went back in the restaurant business it would never be a franchise. The fees, forced purchases of inferior products/ overpriced products made them nuts!

I am under the old contract with Matco the current one is totally different.Most if not all currently offered franchises are not that great of a deal and in some cases not even viable.

[JupiterSunsation]

This is the best bar story I have ever heard or seen!
http://www.squaregrouper.net/history-recent-past.htm

You may recognize the spot in the Alan Jackson video 5 o'clock somewhere.....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUOHz6clCis

Short story was it was a 800 sq ft bait shack on the Jupiter Inlet. Local developer buys it and beats the city at their own game. 800 sq ft bait shacks only need one bathroom for men, one for women and a dozen parking spaces. Guy gets a beer/wine license and built a tiki hut over the 800 sq ft shack to give it a little bigger feel (like 1200 sq ft). Built a sea wall, backfilled it with white beach sand and set out a few hundred beach chairs. Now the city quickly approved its newest "bait shack" and the place opened. Alan Jackson lives nearby and became a customer, filmed the video and now it is the busiest bar in town. When it first opened it only took cash......classic. It serves microwave food only (hot dogs, chicken wings), chips, soda and beer/wine. I have been there on nights that had 500 people there. It overlooks the 100 year old, still working lighthouse and the Jupiter Inlet is 1/3 mile east. The water is turquiose and on most days has 15 ft. visibility.

Now the city screwed up big time so they bought an ajoining lot and build a parking lot for a couple hundred cars and wants to charge for parking (still working on that). Hurricanes damaged the old docks (he never encouraged boats since they usually were jammed with coolers of beer, not good for sales). He re-did the docks with sportfishes in mind and rents the 19 slips monthly.

No A/C bill (nothing at this place has A/C!), beach sand is the flooring, he doesn't allow anyone under 21 (even kids during the day are banned, rare in FL), is open every night, he bought this piece of property for 1.05mm 10 years ago. Even without the bar revenue the land is worth twice that now! Lower taxes since it is only an 800 sq. ft. "bait shack!"

Place is a homerun with tourists and locals and is busy year round.......not a bad place/idea for a bar!

[JupiterSunsation]

http://www.squaregrouper.net/news.htm
Scroll to the 2nd video and you will get an idea of what it looks like now. Beer guy is a local reporter that visits bars around town.......

[Expensive Date]

I chartered a boat out of the docks at that place once.Wanted to show my Dad and kids the boat the night before they did not even want to let the kids cross the sand.They did but told us to walk strait and not stop.They were nice about it though and yes I was down there off season and it was busy.

[MacGyver]

I did the wiring for Anduzzi's (http://www.anduzzis.com/) second bar here in Appleton. The first was in Green Bay. The owner is young and never works. He spends all his free time hunting all over the country. Like you said, you'll never know until you've tried.

[fund razor]

I hate to ever tell anyone that directly.

I should have known that before I took you with me boat shopping. :D :D

On topic, I think that she got some very pragmatic advice. That's probably a good balance to go with the youthful enthusiasm.

I agree that if she has the skills, attitude, drive and capital to start investing in new business models, there are certainly many options with less known and predictable hazards.

[.38Special]

Trust me, dealing with a franchise can be a nightmare.

[THEJOKER]

Trust me, dealing with a franchise can be a nightmare. Been there done that! They really stick it to you.

[Chris]

Just to share an observation...

Most cities and towns have areas of prime commercial real estate. Predominantly retail. A large percentage of this real estate is occupied by restaurants and other businesses that are mostly franchises. I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest this isn't because they're historically big money losing propositions.

Franchising is highly regulated. Each state has multitudes of laws regarding disclosures of information. If you're looking at a franchise, you're going to be afforded pretty much an open book look at the operation. Hiding bad news isn't a civil issue, it's criminal.

There are franchises and then there are franchises. The top end is occupied by some of the most successful coprporations in the world. Then you have a multitude of bad business ideas. Franchises typically appeal to people that don't have tha million-dollar epiphany to invest their life savings in. And sometimes that's good. Because many times the guy with what he thinks is a million-dollar epiphany is just a guy that lacks the experience, skills and knowledge to discern the difference between genius and something that he just really likes the sound of. Buying a franchise is no different than starting your own business. If you make a bad choice in choosing a franchise, if you fail to ask enough of the right questions of the people you should be asking them of, you'll probabaly do the same with your own ideas.

As far as franchise fees, startup costs and ongoing royalties...
Many times these are forced disciplines. If the company is dictating what equipment you're required to have, where you are permitted to locate and so on, it's because they know what works and they know that shortcuts in these areas are harmful to the bottom line. You may view them as unnecessary- if so, that may be a good indicator to you. The franchisor has done this in lots of other places before. That's whay they were able to show you a portfolio of thriving franchisees with a very tiny number of failures. If they didn't do that, why are you this far with them anyway? On initial purchase, most times those fees cover what it costs for their personnel to teach you the intricacies of their business. There's little profit to be made. Many franchises have ad group requirements. If you're opposed to being forced to participate in advertising, you're probably better off being employed by someone. Going light on promotion of your business is a leading cause of failure. Most amateurs don't believe that. They go on hope that their business will catch on. Advertising is an intangible to them and often looks like a waste of money. In reality, it's expensive to obtain customers. There's no way around it. There's a huge competition for a consumer's attention. If you think of all the businesses you patronize, it cost each of them a significant sum to get you there and keep you there. Now think of every business you drive by every day, never visiting. They probably spent money on you. It didn't work. Welcome to business. So now we have franchise royalties. That percentage every month you have to kick back. This is essentially business insurance. Remember when we were talking about keeping those customers interested and keeping them coming back. About occasionally reinventing your business to keep it fresh? Now you have someone doing that for you. They're doing market research, focus group testing and beta testing that you could never dream of doing. They're going to hand-deliver new products, new marketing and new looks to you with tested success. That's not free.

Franchising may not be for everyone. And undoubtably, there are some out there you should probably stay away from. But dismissing them out of hand is turning your back on a fairly decent sized chunk of our national economy.

[hotjava66]

Lots of good info here, I have always wanted to do something like this. I have lots of ideas about bar/food joint, but every time I get serious about it I run the numbers, I cant make it work as a second business. These guys are right, you WILL have to be there ALL the time, thats the nature of the game according to most successful owners I know. Or you have to get a manager that knows their stuff, is trustworthy, and doesnt want to be paid big money, tough find IMO. The keys to this business is location, atmosphere, constant promotion and reinventing as needed while keeping the core stuff everyone likes. If you want the right crowd(money) it revolves around the help you get. Nice looking, talkative, quick, friendly help keeps people in the place. Most guys would rather sit all day and be served by the super nice girl next door than some hot chick with an attitude. If you can combine both you will have guys sitting all day. Simple easy to make food that everyone likes but you dont need a kitchen and chef for is a must. You will have to get used to the lifesyle, but since you are a woman you probably wont be banging the help and getting in trouble like lots of bar owners I know lol. If it is something you really want to do, and you can put together a business plan that works and is vetted well, with lots of contingency and money set aside for unforseens I say go for it. But only if it is 100% what you want to do. You prob wont have time for other ventures for a while.

[Chris]

Hiring good help...

With our kids off at school, we like to eat out a few times a week. We enjoy trying new places. We seem to be on a string of bad waitresses. The one we're experiencing now is the waitress that "shares" We had one the other night that wouldn't leave the side of the table. She droned on and on about HER HUSBAND. Where he worked, what he did, how wonderful he was, their hobbies. We almost left in the middle of our mea. It was like that obnoxious person you can't shake at a party. Nice girl. But I wanted to spend dinner with someone else. The person I brought.

We had another that was telling us all about her dog. Now maybe I'm just odd, but I reaaly don't want to hear about our waitresses dog's worm condition and subsequent diharrrea WHILE I'M EATING.

I think this is a symptom of our new-found obsession with sharing. The under-30 crowd has become so used to spending all their time sharing every second of their lives via cellphone, Facebook, twitter and such that when disconnected they frantically grasp for reconnection.

[hotjava66]

Hiring good help is the toughest part of being in business, and each business needs a different breed of help. If there is one part about having a business I hate it is employee related stuff, second only to the battle to get paid for work. At least in retail/service you are paid at the time of sale.

[hotjava66]

Hiring good help...

With our kids off at school, we like to eat out a few times a week. We enjoy trying new places. We seem to be on a string of bad waitresses. The one we're experiencing now is the waitress that "shares" We had one the other night that wouldn't leave the side of the table. She droned on and on about HER HUSBAND. Where he worked, what he did, how wonderful he was, their hobbies. We almost left in the middle of our mea. It was like that obnoxious person you can't shake at a party. Nice girl. But I wanted to spend dinner with someone else. The person I brought.

We had another that was telling us all about her dog. Now maybe I'm just odd, but I reaaly don't want to hear about our waitresses dog's worm condition and subsequent diharrrea WHILE I'M EATING.

I think this is a symptom of our new-found obsession with sharing. The under-30 crowd has become so used to spending all their time sharing every second of their lives via cellphone, Facebook, twitter and such that when disconnected they frantically grasp for reconnection.

Wow, never had anything that bad, but nothing suprises me these days. You must be one of those nice people who look like a good listener lol.

[JupiterSunsation]

You must be one of those nice people who look like a good listener lol.

I got the serial killer vibe, like he was imagining how you would look in a "gimp suit" or better yet screaming for you to "PUT ON THE LOTION!"
:D :D :D

[Chris]

You must be one of those nice people who look like a good listener lol.

Yeah. Not really.

[LadyDaze]

It's called Five Guys. They have hamburgers and fries. You can't get into the parking lot at lunch or dinner time and they're steady all day long.

That place does that well down here in the St Pete area. I salivate everytime Nick brings a burger home (on the way from the marina no less)
I choose not to eat from there because the place is FULL of peanuts and they use peanut oil in the fryer's. I unfortunately developed a nut allergy; maybe a blessing in disguise the way the scrumptious burgers look; :drool5:

We know the franchise owner from the St Pete location from our marina bar...he still looks extremely tired all the time, and just shared a story with me the other night. He got a call from the store location and one of his new hires passed out in the dining room. What a downer for the patrons. He suspected the guys was doing drugs earlier in the day...Needless to say, even with a less risky start up (i.e. not a bar) you still have to worry about the staff...ugh!!!!

I slung drinks/food through school, great quick, easy gas money. All the owners I knew were shady and or drunk all the time. My grandmother owned restaurants and bars...she died of cirrhosis at a young age; never drank until she got into that biz...and it all happened rather quickly

There is lots to think about, and many situations to consider. I wish you lots of luck SammyB!

[MarylandMark]

There's a new franchise out there that's absolutely booming. It's called Five Guys.

My #1 vice!! They got their start in my area over 25 years ago. In my late teens and early 20's we would drive 40 minutes each way 1-2 times a month to eat there. 40 minutes is not far to drive to a good restaurant but kind of a lot for 'just' a burger and fries.


They opened one in the next town.........not terribly impressed. It all was greasy and expensive for $hitty food!

Not normal- try them again after they get the kinks worked out (guessing it is a new franchise). I use to love Fuddruckers, they aren't even close to as good.



Or you have to get a manager that knows their stuff, is trustworthy, and doesnt want to be paid big money, tough find IMO.

Because IF you found one, you would have to pay them more than you will be making.

[fund razor]

That does it. I am opening a taco joint called "Cinco Hombres."

[flight club]

Is it zoned for topless entertainment?

[DollaBill]

I'm still for the strip club. Can never go wrong with one of those.

[MarylandMark]

Flight Club, Maryland Edition coming soon! :_boobies: :boobflash:

[Chris]

Strip clubs and boats. Two things you're way further ahead if one of your close friends owns it instead of you.

[MarylandMark]

Imagine being best buds with Flight Club! He has both- like 10 times over on one and 10 times that 10 times on the other!

[Chris]

...and probably a pretty long waiting list on the "best buds" thing.

I have an acquaintance that owns clubs in NYC. About the only positive thing he can muster is "great money".

[Expensive Date]

My thoughts as a Franchise owner.I am under an older contract which states"No limits on other products or services that can be provided as long as distributor meets minnumin requirements".You will never see something like that today.And while many are worthwhile the big restaurant chains are more geared toward multiple unit owners.Not the guy with 100k to invest as for failure rate McDonald's as an example the franchise could go out of business every week and you will never know.McDonald's owns the building they will just come in and run it as a company store but there failure rate is pretty low.
On the Five guys thing you are at best looking at 40% profit before expenses.Which include there 6% electric, employees, Workman's comp,payroll taxes etc,restaurant building repairs and cleaning.So when all said and done you might see 6% to 7% total profit before taxes.If the store does 5K a day thats $350.00 a day now if you are a multiple owner and have three stores two with a full time manager and the other two are making $250.00 (less because of the manager) you are up to $850.00 a day if everything goes right...it won't and if 5k a day in sales is right its probably a little high.
You can make money doing anything if its done right but if I was under the current Matco franchise I would not be in the same position I am now.Might want to look a a sub shop Jersey Mikes will be much lower start up costs and get you some restaurant exp.Then you can get something else later and through a manager in the sub shop.

One other thing my deal with Matco is as long as I want it most other current franchises are 10 year terms which means they can change the game after 10 years.Just had a distributor leave in my district last week because he would not sign the new deal.Went to Cornwell they gave him 35k to sign with them.They actually have a decent agreement.But stay away from the tool business.I works for me but its not easy and not for everyone.






http://www.jerseymikes.com/franchise/default.asp

[Expensive Date]

57201


My truck.Wife too

[pullmytrigger]

Could be a Canadian thing but the most succesful bar/restaraunts around here are British Pubs.....I see "clubs" one after another..... completely renovate...open up, go crazy, slow down, close.....then another owner.....same drill.....over and over......then I see these Pubs.....same thing 30 yrs....laugh all the way to the bank.....this one I go to (since I was underage btw and Im 47 now) has a 'quiet" area out front for the older people like a traditional British Pub but in the back they have another closed off room where they have live bands playing for the College crowd.....the best thing is you can stand there and have a drink while in the line up for the back room......perfect!!......the College kids come early, get a stamp for the back room.....get something to eat out front (good menu) then just walk into the back room past the line up when their done...that place has got it covered.... been busy for 35yrs.

[Slandrew]

Booze Food & sluts& gambling is a start:willy_nilly:Sold one years back only because the landlords did not want it!They lost it for taxes owed to State Liquor police:confused:it's a tough buisness to run people get hammered and put your bar @ liability :eek:But if if you have independent wealth put the bar in LLC!

[showtime83]

I have often wondered how some stay in business, college bars mostly, 1$ pitchers is all anyone comes for, the place gets trashed, broken stuff everywhere.

[bulletbob]

Don't do it! It's a crap shoot if it will even take off. there are plenty of other businesses to go into other than bars. the liability can be tremendous. I have had a opportunity to invest and own numerous times. Bars have a shelf life. Like others have said you have to keep reinventing it every couple of yrs. or more. Hope you like managing alcoholics and thieves becuse your "friends/employees" will rob you blind and develop drinking habits. We have two bars in the family and I go in probably twice a year now. It's sad to see the same young faces drinking their lives away. ask my brother in-law he might say otherwise. Ir you were my daughter or friend I would advise you not to. Believe me theres nothing "COOL" about owning a bar. Best of luck what ever decision you make.Bob

[TIKI]

You'll work 80-90 hours a week to make $40k a year. It's not as glamorous as it seems.