Should I open gay bar or club when Covid is over

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

https://www.eater.com/2019/7/5/20682333/tallywackers-hooters-men-dallas-texas

 

 

As someone who went there, it was a true shithole.

 

They hired rough trade who had zero clue how to wait tables.

[+ blondeq]

I looked at investing in a gay bar in 2012. I didn’t/don’t have any experience in hospitality but I do have a strong background in marketing. The demographic trends are indisputable. The number of people identifying as LGBT continues to rise while patronage at marketed gay bars continues to fall. I think the only way to make the investment is in a niche market of gay destination(s), such as, Palm Springs or Key West. Even in the destination centers, local ordinance and liability issues are likely to kill any potential business plan before earning your first dollar.

[+ blondeq]

I looked at investing in a gay bar in 2012. I didn’t/don’t have any experience in hospitality but I do have a strong background in marketing. The demographic trends are indisputable. The number of people identifying as LGBT continues to rise while patronage at marketed gay bars continues to fall. I think the only way to make the investment is in a niche market of gay destination(s), such as, Palm Springs or Key West. Even in the destination centers, local ordinance and liability issues are likely to kill any potential business plan before earning your first dollar.

[BSR]

As someone who went there, it was a true shithole.

 

They hired rough trade who had zero clue how to wait tables.

Thanks for the insight. So it wasn't the concept, but rather the execution. Perhaps one day ...

[BSR]

As someone who went there, it was a true shithole.

 

They hired rough trade who had zero clue how to wait tables.

Thanks for the insight. So it wasn't the concept, but rather the execution. Perhaps one day ...

[kingsley88]

I agree with other comments. Before covid the only time I went to a gay bar (I'm in my 30s) was for a friend's bday or if a friend wanted to go out. One thing I would do if I had the money and time is open up an lgbt friendly coffeehouse. I went to school in NYC and fondly remember the BIG CUP. It was the only place where gay teenagers without fake ID can hangout in other than the piers. My friends and I loved going there. I know competition is tough with Starbucks and other coffee places but I think independent coffeehouses have a niche and can succeed in certain neighborhoods.

[kingsley88]

I agree with other comments. Before covid the only time I went to a gay bar (I'm in my 30s) was for a friend's bday or if a friend wanted to go out. One thing I would do if I had the money and time is open up an lgbt friendly coffeehouse. I went to school in NYC and fondly remember the BIG CUP. It was the only place where gay teenagers without fake ID can hangout in other than the piers. My friends and I loved going there. I know competition is tough with Starbucks and other coffee places but I think independent coffeehouses have a niche and can succeed in certain neighborhoods.

[rvwnsd]

I agree with other comments. Before covid the only time I went to a gay bar (I'm in my 30s) was for a friend's bday or if a friend wanted to go out. One thing I would do if I had the money and time is open up an lgbt friendly coffeehouse. I went to school in NYC and fondly remember the BIG CUP. It was the only place where gay teenagers without fake ID can hangout in other than the piers. My friends and I loved going there. I know competition is tough with Starbucks and other coffee places but I think independent coffeehouses have a niche and can succeed in certain neighborhoods.

Roscoe's, the venerable gay bar in Chicago, had a very popular coffee shop adjacent to the bar back in the 90's. It was awesome! They closed it to expand the bar. I fondly remember it. San Diego and Phoenix both have very active coffeehouse scenes despite the proliferation of Starbucks. They can co-exist because they serve different purposes. You don't hang out at Starbucks because it isn't comfortable to do so (despite their best efforts).

[alrajee]

I don’t know; bars and clubs seem to be at a perilous place nowadays because of the pandemic, and just-surviving pre-Covid.

 

One thing I wish Philadelphia has is a gay strip club akin to Montreal’s Stock and Campus, for those times when I want to drink, eat, and just be a passive audience-member (sure, being hit up for lap dances is part of the package too but at least I can refuse). I do acknowledge that I know nothing about the city ordinances and the logistics of setting up one to comment on whether it’s even possible.

[+ Pensant]

Roscoe's, the venerable gay bar in Chicago, had a very popular coffee shop adjacent to the bar back in the 90's. It was awesome! They closed it to expand the bar. I fondly remember it. San Diego and Phoenix both have very active coffeehouse scenes despite the proliferation of Starbucks. They can co-exist because they serve different purposes. You don't hang out at Starbucks because it isn't comfortable to do so (despite their best efforts).

And their coffee sucks.

[+ Pensant]

I’m an investor in a restaurant that’s hanging on despite COVID. I never expected it to be a gold mine; however, the demographics of the neighborhood couldn’t be brighter, post-COVID. The majority owner has a strong track record.

[+ IronMaus]

Yes! Gay bars don't hold the same significance or purpose as before, but bars will never go away and gays prefer to drink among their own. Bar closings from the past year have left a vacuum but to what degree we have to see - and I feel Philadelphia could use a resurgence in gay culture/community.

[Merboy]

Every time I would go to a gay bar, I would ask myself the same question - "Why isn't anyone in here talking to one another?" Then after ordering a ginger ale and asking if there was going to be a male stripper (which usually was responded to with "No, I wish") I'd tip the friendly bartender and leave, taking some local gay publications with me as I went out the door.

[marylander1940]

I have entertained the notion that if I won the lottery, I would start up my own strip club (full-monty of course - thongs? pffft). Of course I wouldn't make a dime; quite the opposite, I'd expect to lose money. But I'd hire a damn good manager to stanch the bleeding.

 

I know a retiree who spends a fortune, and I mean a freakin' fortune, on golf (club dues, lessons, traveling all over the world to play on his dream courses). I'm prepared to spend on my retirement "hobby" what he spends on that silly pastime. I mean, come on, what's more fun? Obsessing over a little white ball or obsessing over some young stud's goody package??

 

Considering you live in Vegas why bother with a strip club go for the real deal and own your own brothel in Nevada

 

[BSR]

Considering you live in Vegas why bother with a strip club go for the real deal and own your own brothel in Nevada

 

LOL, true enough. The problem with opening a brothel is that they're only legal in the hinterlands, not in the two big cities (Reno & Las Vegas). I'm a city guy & wouldn't fare well in the middle of nowhere (think Eva Gabor in "Green Acres").

[marylander1940]

LOL, true enough. The problem with opening a brothel is that they're only legal in the hinterlands, not in the two big cities (Reno & Las Vegas). I'm a city guy & wouldn't fare well in the middle of nowhere (think Eva Gabor in "Green Acres").

 

I thought you would move to small town because the nicest people live there or so you said.

[rvwnsd]

Speaking of experiences in bars...

 

Every time I would go to a gay bar, I would ask myself the same question - "Why isn't anyone in here talking to one another?" Then after ordering a ginger ale and asking if there was going to be a male stripper (which usually was responded to with "No, I wish") I'd tip the friendly bartender and leave, taking some local gay publications with me as I went out the door.

Same here. I would order cocktails (took the 'L' and later Uber/Lyft home), but kind of had the same experience. In my case, even when people were talking to each other, a hearing problem in which my ears can't differentiate between someone who is talking to me and the din in the background made for a less-than-fun experience. Happens in crowded restaurants, too.

 

That's NOT why I think opening a bar at this juncture is a bad idea. I just think people don't go out to bars as much as they once did.

[Merboy]

Hi Guys -- Upcoming book about the history and culture of the gay bar - looks interesting!

 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0316458732/?coliid=I95NZO39D7EN4&colid=1OC6HGRPETRJS&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

[VictorXX]

I’d be a patron

[+ Snbrd]

I liked and mostly miss bars. Years ago when I traveled for work stopping in a local bar was a way to learn a bit about the town and pick up the local gay magazine. It all seems so ancient now.

 

The bars that succeed draw a mostly older crowd. Think Twin Peeks in San San Francisco and Martinis in San Diego. Fort Lauderdale presently has a number of functioning bars but it has an older demographic and tourists.

 

A conservative business plan that seeks an older crowd and low overhead (own the building or get a reasonable rent) makes more sense than trying to replicate the big venues of the past.