sounds like the payscale in your area is the same as it is in Baltimore--low. Top resturants pay $150 for Fridays and Saturdays, $100 to $125 for weeknights, and some are down to $75 because cut-throat part-timers will play for that or even less. Makes it difficult to make a living some days. That's one of the many reasons I no longer do the nite-club scene.

Gary

russ,are you buying this outright or lease? i would rather pay 500 dollars a week to the bank which in time it would be mine,rather than pay 300 dollars a week for a lease which reduces each year,,,,a lot of people get fed up with their jobs,moaning bosses etc, and decide to work for themselves,my wife and i run our own business for 3 years,would i do it again? no,the pressure was just too much,what you are considering seems ok this fella has been there 30 years so hes making a living, just make sure you do all your homework and tick all the boxes,and good luck,mike

I leased a lounge in the Best Western Motel here for seven years. It was very successful. The main problem is the government. Taxes, fees, licenses, on and on.
Still, I made more money than I was making playing full time outside. Number one thing you have to worry about is employee theft. You must have good people you can trust, and then you don't really trust them. You must keep daily inventory.
My friend Hank The Lurker also had a successful lounge for ten years or so. He then had another one. In both cases he would have been even more successful if his employees hadn't stolen. And they were some of his best friends.
If I ever get back into the business, it will be in the extremely high-end part. Cater to the rich people. They have the money and will pay for top-quality entertainment, food, drinks, etc.
DonM

Russ I won't be much help, cause I'm sitting here shaking just thinking about what you’re thinking about doing. You won’t be able to enjoy your music! You’ll be too busy either counting money or counting losses, mopping the floors, fixing the toilet, fixing the roof, replacing the floor and the list goes on and on and on.

I had my hands full just putting up with 3 or 4 drunks laying brick for me and they were to lazy to steal my brick because they are heavy. That money that’s supposed to go into your cash register is very light. I bet any body here on the forum could carry off a couple million with no problem what so ever. What a nightmare!

I had payroll, workmen's comp, County license, building dept for permits, the folks at the brickyard, the only one in town, weren't very friendly then, the contractor I worked for, the people watching me lay the brick that were buying the house from the contractor, and I didn't even have to put up with the County Inspector that inspects restaurant food, the dept that inspects the kitchen and such Whew!! SCARY! SCARY! SCARY!

Maybe I shouldn’t have said all of this and maybe it’s a good thing. Again, I hope I haven’t offended anyone.

"A local bar/grill is for sale. Until now, I would never have even considered owning one."

The ONLY thing I can say about this...however much an issue getting a Liquor License Beer License is should point out if you want to try this or not. The state of the basic equipment of the place should be a factor as well. Getting the building inspected will also be a factor. The parking...and so on.



"I have a marketing/advertising/music/accounting background, was a bartender in college and have owned my communications company for years."

Well, you have a solid background for sure...just the day to day operations of a bar/grill are gonna toss all kinds of creative problems your way. Problems Im sure you noticed when being a bartender.

"Any experience or advice? "

This stuff changes around so much with so many little things, the only advice I could give...only do it if your willing to completely throw yourself in it for the next X amount of years.

I have had two friends, co-workers is probably more appropo, who made a ton of money during the Internet boom and both (independent of each other) decided to buy a restaurant. They had no experience in that marketplace whatsoever. Both very brilliant minds, great business people in their field (high-end networking equipment) and both failed miserably. One actually went bankrupt and the other sold his restaurant for a major loss.

My brothers and I always thought we might one day own a nice little Italian place. Boy did I learn a lesson.

Tommy

I don't even want to think about getting stuck for some strange reason with having to do the dishes and clean the grill do the toilet la da la da la da!

Capt. Russ....I own and manage my restaurant bar here in Cozumel Mexico for 20 years...and have been in the restaurant and entertainment business all of my life in one way or another....I can concur with the folks
that say it's a full time job...I'm here 16-18 hours a day every day, sometimes more...if
you want any kind of family or normal life, stay out of this business...some folks are of a different breed and need this type of
activity in thier lives....I will give you a little personal history....My place is now for sale also, it has been for the last two months..I AM TIRED and Sick.I'm going throught the prostrate problem and it's taking it's toll...I'm 65 years old and I have two children my son is 5 and my daughter is 6 and they need time with me which I can't give because of this business,
I need time with them which I can't get because of this business...I sing and perform here about 4 hours a night every nighttill closing....I'm here in the morning
doing inventory for ordering for the day...
then into the kitchen to prepare all of the sauces we use, I can't trust anyone else to do it and get the same results...before anyone says to delegate or get a manager or
find someone to trust, let me say, it is impossible....if you are 25-30 years old, go for it...if not, forget it...I won't go on to
make this longer, if anyone wants the long version, e-mail me...Good Luck Capt. Russ..
think hard my friend.....

[This message has been edited by Tony Rome (edited 01-05-2005).]

My family and I have always been pondering on getting a restraunt. But unless my folks get layed off, i dont think its going to ever happen.

just about everything relys on location, the rest is offering something unique, something that people want, but dont have, or the nearest one is far away.

Starting one is a large risk, reason being is most of them fail, a good way to survive is to join a franchise, but, you have to be loaded.

Also, prepare for late nights. On a positive side, if it's a success, you will have plenty of moola!

Phil

[This message has been edited by Pennywizz6 (edited 01-05-2005).]

I owned two bar /restaurants.I played in them.Lived above them and worked 14to16 hours a day seven days a week.The only time I made any real money was when I leasted my last one to a guy for five years.He eventually bought it.I owned the building outright,so I had no rent overhead or mortgage.Its an incredibly tough business and if you are going to do a lot of food you should know something about the kitchen.Otherwise you can find yourself at the mercy of your chef/cooks who are as unpredictable as some musicians.I am back playing music full time and thankful of getting out of the restaurant business finacially intact.If you do it I wish you every success,but think long and hard and do all your homework first.Terry