What to do when hell breaks loose

[Lisa]

Ok....this cover charge thing is out of control. Remember..we have two bars. We had live entertainment downstairs. We had a $2 cover charge (and it was a good band that I would have paid $5). At 11:00pm, we had about 6 people downstairs listening to the band and two people upstairs. We decided to move our paid bartender downstairs to the bigger numbers and start the closing process for upstairs. Around 11:15-:30ish, 3 men come in the upstairs bar. I let him know that we are closing it up and that everyone else is downstairs with the band...(one was a member of another band). I joked that if they wanted to drink they had to go there...as they were leaving, told them that if they want, I can serve them upstairs...after all there were still two others up there finishing up. They said no, that they would go downstairs. When they walked in downstairs, the bartender told them there was a $2 cover charge....well, rumor has it that even though they left...it was not them that chased others away...but another local man who just flat out refused to pay. The three were part of a bigger group who was on four wheelers. This club comes every month and has their meetings and were to have their xmas banquet with us last week...only half of them showed up...apparantly because that one man decided to black ball us...he's going around saying that we were charging a cover charge at 1:30 in the morning...there is a lot of evidence showing that it was no later than 11:30 when we told them there was a cover...and at midnight we stopped the cover. I do owe an apology to band member who I accused earlier. Its funny how things get all twisted. But I'm so upset that we are being 'blacked balled' for something that isn't true. Locals want live entertainment but they do not want to help the bars pay for it. If a venue closes, who's to blame.

[cruseaudio]

Well here is the thing, People who wanted to see a band 20 years ago paid 5 bucks to get in the door. Inflation apparently doesn't work for local entertainment. You used to go to a concert for about 25 bucks at the time, and now you cant even get lawn tickets for that price.

Patrons are consumers, and consumers ALWAYS bitch about prices, but they haven't stopped buying anything else have they?

So why do we people in the music biz around here feel that we have to give into these people when obviously NO other business does?

We, by giving them a reply when they bitch about covers, are telling them they are right! I think that everyone needs to ban together and tell those type of people that it isn't 1975 anymore and if they don't want to pay the proper price for this service that they should go home and pull on themselves for free.

Ok it is still in the AM so forgive me, but you know I am right but it requires people in this biz to agree on something and we know that isn't goin to happen any time soon.

[Asundor]

In that case what really sucks is that, the person your talking about was someone who always comes to your bar so right away you would assume they would try and support not only The bar, or yourself, but like you said people want bars to bring live intertainment but at the same time wanna bitch about having to pay a simple $2.00 cover. Are these people that poor, or are they that big of alcoholics that the figure If they spend two dollars that might be an extra beer for them. It's sad it really is. The real bad thing is normally you pay more than $2.00 somewhere so they have no reason to bitch over a few bucks. Jason/CYPHIN

[jangel]

this is part of the business that you have to get used to. you are not going to satisfy everyone....there are a lot of cheap asses that think they should get a free ride on entertainment. 30 yrs ago bars charged $2 cover for bands.... I guess that sticks in their brain forever. we all have that problem with customers (some customers). If you are going to run entertainment you have several options a. no cover charge.. raise the price of drinks b. cover charge....keep drink prices regular price c. cover...and raise drink prices......c usually will work after you have established yourself with good entertainment that brings in a following.

[songsmith]

I'd be willing to bet that your ATV'ers were visibly drunk anyway. if people don't go in because ONE GUY says they shouldn't, they're either wusses, or following the drunken pack mentality.
My wife and I once tossed the idea around of purchasing one of the plentiful Altoona corner-bars and opening a small listening room for acoustic folk, blues, and such. Then I remembered: I f*cking hate drunks. Why anyone would overdo alcohol on purpose eludes me. With weed, you laugh, you eat stuff, you wind up sitting in a chair. With the booze, you throw up, you act like a d*ckhead, you lose consciousness. Booze: Two Car Crash Kills Family Of Four. Weed: Local Man Forgets Garage Door Is Closed, Drives Through.
Anyway, that kind of audience drives me nuts. Just because karaoke is so bad nobody will pay to see it, they think bands should be free. Maybe go for a different clientele.-------->JMS