Quote Originally Posted by 313rd View Post
"I think anything on that strip of Michigan will do well"

Not so quick....Mercury Bar ring a bell? Not everything is a gold mine.

Location is one part of the big overall picture. Also, remember wasn't this the guy who ran a couple of fundraisers just to get this business going?

I love that strip of Michigan Ave. Makes you wonder if Oblivions will open back up for breakfast, stay later for drinks? Casey' s still for sale?
You know, there are some bars and restaurants around town that aren't doing well while others are setting records. Some of these struggling establishments just seem tired. Their decor is faded and worn. Their food is mediocre. Their staff and owners seem aloof and detached. They aren't making any effort to reach out to new patrons. They don't offer any new deals, gimmicks, or drink specials, and the loop the same whiny, depressing music in the background. Now, I hang out at a lot of places that fit this description because I normally enjoy the same crusty company, you know, the 3 to 4 regulars who sit belly up to the bar night after night, keeping the place in business by a thread.

However, if some of these places do not make it, I may shed a tear, but I'm not going to be surprised. I know times have been tough and business has been down for many years, but other bars and restaurants are thriving in this town. These 'old dog' bars need to learn some new tricks and up their game. They need to self-inject a shot of adrenaline. Seriously, do some renovations, paint the place purple, hire a peppy new bartender. Create some themed nights, like Karaoke, trivia, or corn-hole. Introduce some live music or even a jukebox. Add some creative new things to the menu other than the same deep-fried junk.

If you want to survive in a dynamic city, you either have to be so legendary of an establishment that you are immortal, or you have to be dynamic and reinvent yourself every so often so people know you're not a rotting corpse of a bar. By god, at least dust the cobwebs off the corners of doors and pluck the fruit flies out of the Tanqueray.