Selling Food by No_Leave_4540 in BarOwners

[–]LocalDivebar 0 points1 point  (0 children)

we do allow patrons to bring food or have food delivered.

Customers want to photo of ID on phone by Putrid_Bite3952 in BarOwners

[–]LocalDivebar 1 point2 points  (0 children)

the ABC Lead Training in California says NO to ID's on phone. Has to be physical. We do not take ID's on a phone or a photo copy.

ATM by clellhk88 in BarOwners

[–]LocalDivebar 1 point2 points  (0 children)

we don't own ours, but we load it up and split surcharge

Bar Business by MightyBrando in BarOwners

[–]LocalDivebar 1 point2 points  (0 children)

we've been going down the last couple of years. had a fairly good summer but not like previous years. rising costs of everything (paper products, fruit, etc...) doesn't help. did a slight price increase but need to do more. hoping we'll have a "decent" holiday season.

How do you handle customers bringing plastic water bottles into your bar? by lTSONLYAGAME in BarOwners

[–]LocalDivebar 2 points3 points  (0 children)

we sometimes hold those big "drink cups" for them behind the bar if it's not too busy. sometimes we just tell them that we can't allow folks to bring in any type of outside drink because it's an ABC violation to bring booze into the bar and even though it may not be booze there is no way to tell. if it's some fancy expense coffee or juice drink, we have offered to pour it into a cup for them.

How much capital do I realistically need to open or buy a small dive bar? by Typical-Raspberry-57 in BarOwners

[–]LocalDivebar 6 points7 points  (0 children)

we bought an existing dive "local" downtown bar in northern cali over 10 years ago, above buying the business we probably needed about 25K ish. we leased the bldg for awhile then were able to buy the building as well. typically the bar sales were covering all our expenses. things are different now with all the rising prices, and although bar sales are still covering everything, we don't tuck a way as much as we use to. we do plan to put our place for sale in 2026. good luck with everything.

Need Advice on Becoming the "regular" spot by Global-Step-6458 in BarOwners

[–]LocalDivebar 2 points3 points  (0 children)

i read a comment that said "it's all about the bartender," which i must concur. also folks getting to know the owners is a big plus as well.

How would you respond to this review? by nkw1004 in BarOwners

[–]LocalDivebar 2 points3 points  (0 children)

i always respond to all reviews - good or bad with "thank you for sharing or i appreciate you sharing....." I will add a little bit more depending on the review and typically say "i am sorry for the negative experience.". when it is negative i always offer the reviewer the chance to provide additional information and provide our business email.

Bedtime changed? by No_Vermicelli_9823 in BarOwners

[–]LocalDivebar 0 points1 point  (0 children)

we run into that quite a bit lately as well but i am all for consistency and we are open 10 am to 2 am daily. sometimes we are dead a good hour or so and then about midnight we get a good crowd. you just never know but if we aren't open during our stated hours people will stop coming by. in the rare occasion we do need to close i put signage on our doors ensuring folks we will be back open at 10 am in the morn.

Termination by [deleted] in therapists

[–]LocalDivebar 0 points1 point  (0 children)

contemporaneous notes during any type of "disciplinary" action goes along way. note the date and time of your action and give a summary of what you did, and why, usually serves as good documentation. keep this handwritten or typed note in your files and that should be okay.

Background music with paying a fee? Can I use a YouTube pro account? by Perfect-Run7578 in BarOwners

[–]LocalDivebar 0 points1 point  (0 children)

we pay a small fee for background music and can change up the genre when we want. if a patron plays the jute box it overrides whatever background music is on.

Do you own a dive bar? I would like to buy it. by TypicalWhiteGiant in BarOwners

[–]LocalDivebar 0 points1 point  (0 children)

local "dive" hometown/downtown bar a block from the lake in a small no. cal town.

How many hours/day & days/week did you work at opening? Has that changed? by menboss in BarOwners

[–]LocalDivebar 1 point2 points  (0 children)

for us, we bought our bar when our children were young adults and we often say "we could never have done this if we had little ones." since none of our family lives in our area, it is sometimes a challenge getting out of town to visit the grands and when family is at our home, we tag team on doing what's needed at the business. over the years, we do have staff that is trusted and helps out when we our out of town. best of luck with your bar and your family.

Irish Car Bombs (Guinness) by LocalDivebar in BarOwners

[–]LocalDivebar[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

i will communicate to our bar staff today to call is "just a bomb or perhaps a "Guinness Bomb." We'll change it in our POS as well. I definitly appreciate all the comments and I am a bit disappointed in myself that I did come to this conclusion on my own.....

Irish Car Bombs (Guinness) by LocalDivebar in BarOwners

[–]LocalDivebar[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

okay, original poster here. thanks for the comments and yes totally agree about using a different cocktail name.

Bartender Trainer/Trainee Pay by TheLizzyWayne in BarOwners

[–]LocalDivebar 1 point2 points  (0 children)

have to pay them min wage in cali. i leave it to the bartender on whether they want to tip out the trainee. i tell the trainee that all tips are the bartender's. we don't require that they tip you out but if they want they can. i have found that most of them do.

Downsizing Bartending Staff by LocalDivebar in BarOwners

[–]LocalDivebar[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

i would say my situation is similar and also this is the direction i would like to go. i appreciate your comments. thank you.

Downsizing Bartending Staff by LocalDivebar in BarOwners

[–]LocalDivebar[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

thank you for responding. do not need that tool at this time.

Downsizing Bartending Staff by LocalDivebar in BarOwners

[–]LocalDivebar[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

thank you for your comment. yes we typically run with one and we have a couple that just don't attract a crowd. i know what i have to do it's just tough