Night Clubs

[Turtle]

There's a very big reason there are no clubs in SoMd. It's called CASH!! Your popular clubs are not very profitable. Why?(Now don't take offense) Young people have no money. How do I know this? I worked for years in the industry as a bartender and a DJ. With a young crowd, a tip is something you get on where to shop or where the party is after the bar closes. They think the guy/girl behind the bar has replaced there mother, who swore to serve them no matter how obnoxious they are. Also, younger crowds tend to bring attitudes, fights, drugs, POLICE. Not a good calling card.

After graduating college with a BS in Electrical Engineering and Mathematics, I continued working as a bartender. Why? I was making twice the amount of money as my fellow grads. Where? At a very low key bar that catered to the older crowd. They had money and didn't mind spending on good service.

My advice? If you want cheap drinks, no closing time, and eardrum breaking music, rent a barn and invite all your friends. Damn, but that would involve the rent for the barn and somebody has to pay for the booze. See? CASH!! Never mind the clean up.

 

[Aimhigh2000]

Cash?

Wow, I thought this thread was dead. Well, I know that St Mary's is behind the modern technology a bit (Burger King doesn't take credit/debit?) But, running a tab is not out of the question. And it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that young people don't have that much cash, however........If hundreds can pay 15-20 bux a week to get into Cubik@Nation in DC, then I am sure they could spring for a 5-8 buck cover down here. And being a former beverage manager for a hotel and conference center, I know what the per shot mark up is, so in reality, it isnt that hard. And no one says that you have to pay bartenders below minimum wage plus tips. Don't under estimate southern md. Just when ya think you know them, they can fool ya. While it is true that some older people can be good tippers, I would rather be bartending in a fun atmosphere than a bar. Just my preference.

 

[Password]

Re: Cash?

Originally posted by Aimhigh2000
young people don't have that much cash........being a former beverage manager for a hotel and conference center.........no one says that you have to pay bartenders below minimum wage

Where were you a beverage manager? I'm assuming this means, bartenders' supervisor?

While places don't have to pay below minimum wage, they do, because, like you said, young people don't have that much cash to spend. Furthermore, most business owners want to make money, and lots of it.

 

[Tonio]

Re: Cash?

Originally posted by Aimhigh2000
Wow, I thought this thread was dead. Mary's is behind the modern technology a bit (Burger King doesn't take credit/debit?)

I thought Wendy's was the only US fast food chain that accepted plastic.

Sure, there are a few Mom & Pop convenience stores that don't accept credit cards, but they're mostly in the outlying areas like the 7th District and Ridge.

 

[sleuth]

Re: Re: Cash?

Originally posted by Tonio
I thought Wendy's was the only US fast food chain that accepted plastic.

Sure, there are a few Mom & Pop convenience stores that don't accept credit cards, but they're mostly in the outlying areas like the 7th District and Ridge.

Subway takes credit.

Here in Texas, Whataburger, Wendy's, Jack in the Box, Chic-Filet, Arby's, and McDonalds all take credit.

 

[Toxick]

Re: Re: Cash?

Originally posted by Tonio
I thought Wendy's was the only US fast food chain that accepted plastic.

I know that KFC and Taco Hell both take plastic.

 

[SOCIO]

It aint a cash thing. People don't go to the bar or a club becasue they have extra cash lying around, they find the money for entertainment. There arent any electronic clubs in SoMd becasue theis just sin't the place. I wouldn't invest in a techno club in SoMd, If I wanted to do it right I'd go to where the culture already is, not try to import it or transform the surroundings...That's a long shot

 

[DoWhat]

Originally posted by cariblue
Hate to say it, but he has a point.

Tiki: DUMP
Catamarans: DUMP
Brass Rail: DUMP
Green Door: DUMP
Monk Inn: DUMP
Northridge: CLOSED DUMP

Anyone see a pattern here?

When did Northridge close?

 

[sleuth]

Originally posted by cariblue
Hate to say it, but he has a point.

Tiki: DUMP
Catamarans: DUMP
Brass Rail: DUMP
Green Door: DUMP
Monk Inn: DUMP
Northridge: CLOSED DUMP

Anyone see a pattern here?

Harbor Sounds: DUMP (but has decent music sometimes)
Cadillac Jacks: DUMP
Neptune's: CLOSED DUMP

 

[sleuth]

Originally posted by cariblue

Northridge: CLOSED DUMP

Didn't know it was closed, but I will say that Northridge was probably the "nicest" bar in St. Mary's that I've been to. What I hated about it was that it was always crammed so full you couldn't move.

 

[Danzig]

Originally posted by cariblue
Hate to say it, but he has a point.

Northridge: CLOSED DUMP

Anyone see a pattern here?

NorthRidge has been taken over by the hotel and I would guess it will be more of 'hotel bar' but I guess we will have to wait and see.

 

[Password]

Originally posted by sleuth14
Harbor Sounds: DUMP (but has decent music sometimes)
Cadillac Jacks: DUMP
Neptune's: CLOSED DUMP

Neptune's is still open, unless it closed over the past 2 weeks.

Driving even further north.....

Calypso Bay: Dump

 

[sleuth]

Originally posted by Password
Neptune's is still open, unless it closed over the past 2 weeks.

I'm talking about Neptune's in St. Mary's County, at the base of the Thomas Johnson bridge.

 

[tipsy mcgee]

There's a reason the places are all dumps. They're just the same businesses rehashed with new names or new management in the same old buildings, and they're all getting old. The Brass Rail is the only one with decent appearance, and that's because they did major renovation 15 years ago or so. There is a place in this county for a bar business if someone with the right idea runs it, has decent food and does something other than DJ music or having Six Gun South every other Saturday night. The food is the key with these businesses because you can't just sell beer and liquor and expect to make a decent profit when you're paying a band over $1,000 to play.

 

[soul4sale]

Re: Re: Cover Charge

Originally posted by Chasey_Lane
You think? They tried that with Club V in Waldorf last year. People became tired of the $10 cover charge and expensive drinks real fast and the place shut down within a matter of months.

Club V could have worked had it not been for its delusions of grandure. Putting aside its spats with the neighbors and U&O permit issues, the club just burned through cash too damn fast. I knew it was doomed when I paid $10 at the door, $4.50 for a domestic beer and $2 for coat check then looked around to see an army of milling, usless security guards dressed like SS shock troops and WHITE walls. Who the hell paints club walls white, with just a hint of gay purple?

On weekend nights, they tried to do the whole multi-room Nation thing, but the rooms suffered from stark decoration (amplified by the white walls), bad sound bleed, and worse music selection. No self-respecting club kid (Club V's professed target) would both to drive down from DC or NOVA for a country band, moldy dance oldies and homosexual club synth. Then again, I doubt many county residents would have put up with the jungle/D&B, trance, hardcore or big-beat house that's played in D.C.

Anyway, the owners (the owner of Catamaran's and a housing developer) should have started small and built some cash flow before trying to make a big splash. They hadn't even met the terms of their U&O when they opened doors. Now, they're in bankruptcy court...

That was a sweet sound system, tho...

 

[Aimhigh2000]

Business 101

Night Clubs are a business that you either know or not. Just because you have a great idea does not really mean it will succees. Clubs are not all about drinking and partying with your friends, they really do take a lot of behind the scenes work to succeed. As more people move into the area, I think a multi-use venue, or dare I suggest, a new ampitheater in the county to attract entertainment. There are many ideas I have, and working with a great team, I am sure we will come up with the best idea. And if it fails, we use it to learn from and press on.

 

[darkriver4362]

 

[Aimhigh2000]

For real Right?

Really, blow it up or something.

 

[Spoiled]

i know you will all hate me for bumping this but what ever... Are there and decent clubs within an hour of the area that an 18 year old can get into¿

 

[Shanobi]

Spoiled...see previous replies....I've only been in SMD 3 years but have not found anything remotely interesting in the way of night life...but I guess it's in the eye of the beholder...Iffin ya like kareokee yer all good. If you wanna hear a skilled DJ who doesn't have to introduce his songs and talk between records to remind you of the dollar shots and other goodies in the back and isn't "punkin' on the decks" then ya gotta go up the road a bit...
But hey...it's all subjective...shop around and see...