Exactly as the title says...

Curious if it's a big PITA, or if it's not too terribly bad.

Any stories? Experiences?

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-Justin

91 560 SEC AMG - other dogs dd
01 Honda S2000 - dogs dd
07 MB ML320 CDI - dd
16 Lexus IS250 - wifes dd

it's automatic.

Gotta at least be able to sleep late and stay up most of the night.

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Jim

Most have a bout with booze and drugs sooner or later...don't forget the liability law suits.....

I owned the liquor license and operated the bar portion of a Mexican restaurant for 3 years in the late 90s. I'm now silent partners with a friend who has a beer bar in an up and coming community nearby. I'm his license agent. I'm also active at a wine tasting room connected to a vineyard. The vineyard has a long term lease for grapes on some of my property so I'm a partner. None of these is a full cocktails bar but they have many of the same issues. First and foremost is the lifestyle and the various traps it offers you.
If you imagine yourself being the jovial bon-vivant; buying rounds for all your pals, keep in mind that the only time they'll drink is when you're buying. If you imagine yourself an absentee owner leaving your bar in the hands of employees, be prepared to watch your profits go right into their pockets. You MUST be on-site all the time or at least during the busy times. Late nights, breathing smoke all the time.
Liability issues are enormous. If your bar is popular with the young set, you WILL have issues and your state liquor license and control agents WILL come to see you often. Expect close scrutiny from the tax fellows.
It can make you a fair amount of money, but you will EARN every penny of it.

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You're a daisy if you do.
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84 Euro 240D 4spd. 220.5k sold
04 Honda Element AWD
1985 F150 XLT 4x4, 351W with 270k miles, hay hauler
1997 Suzuki Sidekick 4x4
1993 Toyota 4wd Pickup 226K and counting

Good point El.....buddy has a bar and he's always getting ripped off one way or another and the stooges moving dope in the bathroom which is very hard to control, fights...every year there's a fresh crop of 21 yr olds.

It's a tough, physically taxing and essentially unhealthy business. Making it work and keeping one's health can be a real bltch, especially for someone young and immortal. I've loved the biz for a long time but am real happy to not be in the full bar game any more. I show up when I need and want to, not because I have to.

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You're a daisy if you do.
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84 Euro 240D 4spd. 220.5k sold
04 Honda Element AWD
1985 F150 XLT 4x4, 351W with 270k miles, hay hauler
1997 Suzuki Sidekick 4x4
1993 Toyota 4wd Pickup 226K and counting

I might have paid for a few, but never got title

If you want to run a business plan on being there 14-16 hours every day if you want it to be successful.

I would assume that most bars end up dealing with booze, yes...

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"Senior Luna, your sense of humor is still loco... but we love it, anyway." -rickymay ____ "Your sense of humor is still loco... " -MBeige ____ "Señor Luna, your sense of humor is quite järjetön" -Delibes

1982 300SD -- 211k, Texas car, tranny issues ____ 1979 240D 4-speed 234k -- turbo and tuned IP, third world taxi hot rod

2 Samuel 12:13: "David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die."

Speaking from experience?

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-Justin

91 560 SEC AMG - other dogs dd
01 Honda S2000 - dogs dd
07 MB ML320 CDI - dd
16 Lexus IS250 - wifes dd

it's automatic.

I'd love to open one at some point.

The hours are tough, and you deal with a lot of idiots. Drugs, alcohol abuse, fights, etc.

But the money can be good.

Also as said above and from what I have seen if you or a trusted manager with firing power are not around the employees will rip you off.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

Road House (1/11) Movie CLIP - Three Simple Rules (1989) HD - YouTube

"Roadhouse" (1989)

His car is a diamond blue '89 560 SEC with Lorinsers

Road House Mercedes - YouTube

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1991 560 SEC AMG, 199k <---- 300 hp 10:1 ECE euro HV ...

1995 E 420, 170k "The Red Plum" (sold)

2015 BMW 535i xdrive awd Stage 1 DINAN, 6k, <----364 hp

1967 Mercury Cougar, 49k

2013 Jaguar XF, 20k <----340 hp Supercharged, All Wheel Drive (sold)

got a friend who partial owns one in brooklyn. cant speak to the management side apart from having to be heavily involved with it, as in less than 2 years hes been through i think 4 or 5 managers, stealing, drugs, incompetence, ect.

his mistake was that it was a side venture from his main business, and he stupidly went into it with 5 other guys who all put money in, and NO operating agreement because i dont think sny of them were truly serious at first. it turned out their bar is a commercial success, so now that theres money, theres fighting about who gets it. my friend does 98% of the work making it run.

its been a dramatic seriez of fights and lawsuits to put an operating agreement together that should have been done in the first place. totally avoidable mess

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The small business owners I know are there everyday from open to close. They told me that it's the only way to keep the business in the green until they are established and not going anywhere. You can't just set it and forget it.

Plus thing again about a bar. You've got liquor licenses, health inspector, drunks( liabilities on the bar owner in some states if I'm not mistaken)...

I'd stay away from starting a bar.

My uncle does a great job of it, but he's a very active owner. Always coming up with some gimmick to get people to come back.

His day ends every day at 4am as he closes it down. Probably the only way to make sure he doesn't get skimmed on the cash or booze. When he does take a vacation, he has his computer linked to security cameras so he can watch everything.

Anti smoking laws scare him. His best bar is a college bar, which had been in business decades before he bought it. His other new startup original bar catered to adults does not do as well despite the larger size, more upscale interior, and higher traffic location.

Neither are clubs, just nice places to hang out, watch the game, have fun with some event like trivia night or a chili cookoff. He seems to do well, ups and downs like any small business. He worked for bars as either a bartender or manager for several years before going on his own, so he knew what he was doing when he ventured on his own.

Did you have a theme in mind?

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1985 500SL Euro w/ AMG bits 130k
1984 300SD Turbodiesel 192k
1980 240D Stick China 188k
2001 CLK55 AMG 101k
2007 S600 Biturbo 149k Overheated Project, IT'S ALIVE!!!