I found out today that Burig's is closed (or closing). I really like playing there. Great staff, good beer, clean, big, and were willing to pay a respectable rate. Gonna miss Burgi's.
Are you sure they are closing? I talked to Jess last week and she said they wanted to run without bands until at least March to compare business with and without bands. I didn't get the impression that they were closing their doors.
...Oh, the freedom of the day that yielded to no rule or time...
shredder138 wrote:What's the deal with that place? Everytime I've driven past there it was jam packed. Wonder why they can't keep it up and running?
Visions of grandeur and too much money to burn can result in poor judgement with real estate development. The almost unused racks of equipment and EAW cabinets hanging from the ceiling just screams: "DON'T WORRY ABOUT THE COST". Well, when you go into business, ya gotta worry about the cost and the overhead on that place is probably astronomical.
Never EVER build a brand new level 1 brick building for commercial use in Blair County unless its on one of the busiest intersections in central PA (see Champs and Zachs). They will absolutely kill you on taxes. Line the walls with windows and you will have to take out a mortgage with the gas company.
Howard Hughes built something like that called the Spruce Goose. Biggest plane ever made at the time and it flew....once.
...Oh, the freedom of the day that yielded to no rule or time...
I personally find it a shame that a place like that is closed but so many other local dives stay open. Yeah, they spent money on it, and it showed. It's new, clean and comfortable. I really like the fact that the PA equipment is less than 25 years old and not some second-hand, improperly grounded outdoor rig like you find in other places. I felt good about inviting friends and family there.
I'm sure they did. The original PA system install had to be a hundred grand alone. Even the smallest existing foodservice kitchen will fetch a few hundred thousand, and Burgie's has a very nice kitchen. I seem to remember it being offered for $2 million-plus when the church was looking at the building, but I wouldn't swear to that.
I suspect the cause of the closure is Altoonitis, more than anything. I come from Southern Huntingdon County, and we grew up thinking 25 miles was a short drive. In Altoona, it's hard to get anyone to drive to Hollidaysburg. It's a real shame, other than the atrocious room-sound (which was not architecturally designed or tuned for live music), it made for a nice bar.
Well said, songsmith. When I lived in LA, we'd drive 45 minutes (without traffic) just to eat dinner. Around here, people act Cresson is a long excursion.
