Message 6529 of 22774 in Behind the Bar

Share on Facebook |  Save to del.icio.us

> "Top 40" bars that serve anyone anything anywhere anytime don't 
> really develop unique atmospheres of their own.

Your examples of uniques bars with atmosphere are great, but the personality 
of a bar is many things - music, decor, staff, location, gimmicks - long 
before what is on their bar menu.
Jeez, what sort of graphic design and paper quality the menu is made of says 
more about a place than what's actually on the list sometimes.
Whether the recipes are correct tells me what I want to know about the 
service to expect. What they have chosen to list is of interest to me only 
in a professional sense, and of almost no significance to the general public.

> a fellow breezes in in flip flops and a t-shirt being loud, and obnoxious
> and asking for a jaeger bomb or a red-headed slut.

And your specific problem with this personality is that you don't think much 
of his drink of choice? Yet if he ordered an import beer or scotch on the 
rocks all would be peachy?
Of course not. If you want to discourage this guy, do it with your prices. Or 
a dress code. Or a bouncer.

I realize I've been talking about the cocktail menu, but your point holds up 
better when talking about the general range of drinks you offer. 
Number of tap beers, 
Number of RTDs in the fridge, 
Quality of your well liquor, 
Wine list.
... this is what really makes up the available menu, and this DOES go some way 
to "Defining the establishment"

We choose not to stock certain pre-mixes. We choose not to stock cans. That 
cuts down on a certain brand of undesirables.
We choose not to stock a great range of wines, for economic reasons. This 
disappoints a certain group of desirables.
We don't serve jugs. This is one of the things that makes us appear slightly 
upscale from our neighbours.
We have a respectable "Name Brand" well, no generics.

These "menu choices" may say something about the character of the place we 
want to put across, but they could all be reversed and the Music, Dress code, 
Staff and Security would still be the 'definition' of the place. (and crowd, 
but that reasoning could get recursive)
I could throw out the cocktail list tomorrow, or steal one from the 
neighbours, and nobody would care, because they could trust that I can make 
them a drink if they want a drink.

Last night I did a "Fluffy Duck" - first time in years. The woman was puzzling 
at the menu a little (it wasn't listed) but all I had to do was ask. She 
beamed and ordered 4 throughout the night.
- She stopped beaming for a second when I mentioned it being a "Great old 80's 
cocktail" and she heard "great old ladies cocktail" ... but we laughed.

.dan.