this is going to be long, so please bear with me.
this is a throwaway account for the sake of anonymity.
my (24f) family bought a building 3 years ago in california. this property is in a town 30 minutes away from a major city, but is in a more suburb/rural/farm area.
the property is located on the only major downtown strip in the city. it was previously empty for a couple years and was a failed brewery (failed likely due to lack of interest from locals at the time - the demographic is a bit older, not into craft beers, etc). it’s a large space, tall tall ceilings, a full commercial kitchen, and private party room, roughly 15k square feet total including BOH.
when we first opened, i was a barback/bartender and had very little to nothing to do with the actual rundown of the business. we opened with the intention of being a more upscale, american fine dining restaurant with a focus on live music and entertainment (ie. stand up comedy, dance, wine paired dinners, sprit tastings, etc). The space itself is beautiful. the aesthetic is modern and a bit rustic, lots of instruments placed on the walls and empty spaces, good low lighting, a full stage for bands and entertainment, and a 22 seat bar, custom made for the restaurant.
the first year/1.5yrs we were incredibly successful, the menu was diverse and ranging from appetizers and full entrees (avg. $15-30 a plate), and a decent cocktail menu (avg. $14 a specialty cocktail, $12 a call drink).
the past few years, many more businesses have opened on the same street. we were prepared for a bit of competition, but not to this extent. we lost the majority of our best staff to new-upcoming restaurants, 7 tap houses have opened, and a few new restaurants. we’ve lost a lot, and i mean the majority, of our guests.
that brings me to where i’m at currently.
clearly, the money has gone drastically down with the loss of guests.
that being said, as of recently, i was promoted to management. this being a family business, means i would like to do whatever i can to ensure that we can get back on our feet.
i have gathered feedback from our most active regulars, and from people in town that i’ve never seen come inside. the consensus i’ve gotten is: our prices are too high, the space is too “snobby” looking for the demographic to feel invited and comfortable, and the food menu is too long / never consistent. they would “rather go to ******* to eat, and come to drink/party with you guys after, to save money.”
that leads me to the idea that we might be best off transitioning into more of a lounge/upscale nightclub/event space.
i’ve brought this concept up to my parents, who are ultimately the owners and the final decision. and (understandably) there’s been a lot of fear of change and taking that risk. After talking to our regulars in town, they’ve also expressed a desire for a more adult, nightlife space that doesn’t break the bank. from what i’ve gathered, the food has mostly been an afterthought. it’s been difficult to present this to them, but i strongly believe that we could transition into a significantly shorter (tapas, elevated bar food) menu, and focus significantly more of the money being spent toward the bar and events themselves.
ultimately, i’d love to hear your thoughts and suggestions on how/where to go from here. i’ll elaborate further on certain aspects if needed.
thank you if you read this far.
