Nightclub ideas

[Roy]

Re: "hip hop night" sounding "extremely pedestrian and amateur," I actually completely agree but don't have any other way to refer to it right now.  When you've got a salsa band one night, a trance dj the next, and a hip hop lyricist on the third, then I'm stuck batting around terms like salsa night and hip hop night.  All advertising would refer to the acts themselves, not the theme.  

Heh, no NFL banners, no Bud Light banners.  I'd rather have a circus clown walking on his hands tending the bar than a sign that says BUD LIGHT IS SOOO COOL WE NEED MORE STRIPED SHIRT GUYS.....

BTW it's a lot easier for a guy to buy a $900 bottle of Cristal for a group of girls if he's actually able to sit down and talk to them.  I'm just sayin'...

Don't get me wrong I love the thought of being able to go hit up Montreal, but my free time is limited.  I can go to Amsterdam for a night but coming to this side of the pond takes some major planning and prioritizing.

If you come to Amsterdam, send me a message and maybe we can hook up.

 

[PHV]

Re: "hip hop night" sounding "extremely pedestrian and amateur," I actually completely agree but don't have any other way to refer to it right now.  When you've got a salsa band one night, a trance dj the next, and a hip hop lyricist on the third, then I'm stuck batting around terms like salsa night and hip hop night.  All advertising would refer to the acts themselves, not the theme.  

Heh, no NFL banners, no Bud Light banners.  I'd rather have a circus clown walking on his hands tending the bar than a sign that says BUD LIGHT IS SOOO COOL WE NEED MORE STRIPED SHIRT GUYS.....

BTW it's a lot easier for a guy to buy a $900 bottle of Cristal for a group of girls if he's actually able to sit down and talk to them.  I'm just sayin'...

Don't get me wrong I love the thought of being able to go hit up Montreal, but my free time is limited.  I can go to Amsterdam for a night but coming to this side of the pond takes some major planning and prioritizing.

Well most top clubs have a lot of seating area, but a dance floor is also a must.

The only clubs that I know of with membership benefits are strip clubs, because in Ontario they have banned smoking indoors, and only allow it if the place is a private club.

Be careful with tabs, because tourists will try to screw you.

 

[Brian SD]

Music and atmosphere are what bring me and all my friends into clubs. I agree all my favorite places I've ever been to have been really relaxed, and there's a feeling of seperation. To explain: I like it when I feel like I can be seperated from the drunk idiots who just want some head secured for them when they head home (no pun intended). All the good clubs, this is achieved easily - different rooms, seating areas, "sattelite bars," outdoor smoking areas, etc. and MOST IMPORTANTLY, good music. All the really crappy bars, I walk in and I feel like I'm a part of the Am Jackass crowd until the minute I leave. I hate that. You don't even necessarily have to have live bands, but get some cool local DJs hooked up around there. There's a lot of really awesome dance music coming out of NYC right now that make for some great nights. I like it when DJs do mashups and live mixing as well. I just saw some DJ at an art gallery mix Elliot Smith with some amazingly well-matched up break beats and he got the crowd moving SO fast. At an art gallery. Maybe this is more of a rant than it is a suggestion - hopefully you can pull something useful out of this post, tiger

Is arrogant banned yet, btw?

 

[Roy]

BTW, if you want, I have the adress of someone who has done the interior for a few of the best clubs in Amsterdam (Jimmy Woo for example) and even worldwide. Here are some photo's, http://www.par31.com/gallery....79&sp=0 This is the designer's website: http://www.binc.nl/enter.html

 

[tiger02]

Roy-nice. friend of yours? If so I'd love to talk to him. If not, probably can't afford him just yet

Brian, do you have or know of any recordings that are coming out of NYC, the type you're talking about? I am so woefully out of touch with what is hip, unless you're talking about what is hip to the 16 year old russian croud in my little town. Ugh. It just goes to show you that Germans really do love David Hasselhof. I'm glad to hear all the reinforcements for my top ideas--sectioning the space, good atmosphere trumps all but you can't beat good music, that kind of thing. Now, are there enough of us with the same tastes to be profitable, or are we too self-selecting on this forum? Man, my future co-founder is a flake. Anyone want to take his place? Tom

 

[PHV]

Roy-nice. Â friend of yours? Â If so I'd love to talk to him. Â If not, probably can't afford him just yet Â

Brian, do you have or know of any recordings that are coming out of NYC, the type you're talking about? Â I am so woefully out of touch with what is hip, unless you're talking about what is hip to the 16 year old russian croud in my little town. Â Ugh. Â It just goes to show you that Germans really do love David Hasselhof. Â I'm glad to hear all the reinforcements for my top ideas--sectioning the space, good atmosphere trumps all but you can't beat good music, that kind of thing. Â Now, are there enough of us with the same tastes to be profitable, or are we too self-selecting on this forum? Man, my future co-founder is a flake. Â Anyone want to take his place? Tom

Tiger, I would advise that you strongly reconsider entering in a partnership unless you and him complement each other wonderfully and are on the same page. Clubs being such a volatile industry, you might not want to take a leap of faith with someone you haven't been in the trenches with... at least that's how I would approach such a venture. Also, with interior design, especially if you are planning on catering to perhaps more quality clients than quantity, you can't afford not to have a good designer. Simple things... pick a place with 30ft ceilings, get a lighting expert, a top notch sound system is a must. I just go to clubs, I don't run them. To be honest I don't think I'd ever want to get into the business given the volatility, but if you can establish a loyal and quality clientel, you're in the money. It's not uncommon to have people spending an average of $500 a table with god knows how much liquor sales going on at the actual bar. It all depends on what clientel you are looking into. If you're into booking bands, better get someone who is an expert, and plan on having some dead nights, because you won't be able to book hipster magnets like The Killers every night. If you want to go for volume and open a 2000 person capacity club, you will make tons of money, but your logistics will be a nightmare, and since you aren't catering to quality clientel, you'll be having security issues. With quality clientel there are its own problems... all things you have to consider.

 

[shoreman1782]

It's not uncommon to have people spending an average of $500 a table with god knows how much liquor sales going on at the actual bar.

I don't know about Tampa, but there are few US cities that can support this kind of club - let alone multiple clubs of this type.

hipster magnets like The Killers

The Killers are Sassy-magazine reader magnets.

 

[PHV]

Quote:

It's not uncommon to have people spending an average of $500 a table with god knows how much liquor sales going on at the actual bar.
I don't know about Tampa, but there are few US cities that can support this kind of club - let alone multiple clubs of this type.

hipster magnets like The Killers

The Killers are Sassy-magazine reader magnets.
Montreal isn't that big, and it has like 5 of them. Clubbing is like diamonds, you create the need. In reality it's quite worthless, you're literally pissing away money. You create the need to be seen there, and the need to party there. Any city where there's a business district with young lawyers, kids with trust funds, etc... there is a market for that.

 

[tgfny]

I had a club in NYC that was extremely popular and profitable. Also opened a few in Europe. The key is to mazimize the value of every dollar that you put into the club. Halo, which was big in the late 90's was opened for $60K. Find the right space and work within it. Get the right people in and the others will follow. Happy to give you some advice if you'd like it.

 

[PHV]

I had a club in NYC that was extremely popular and profitable. Also opened a few in Europe. The key is to mazimize the value of every dollar that you put into the club. Halo, which was big in the late 90's was opened for $60K. Find the right space and work within it. Get the right people in and the others will follow. Happy to give you some advice if you'd like it.

Why is all this in the past tense?

 

[tgfny]

Quote:

(tgfny @ June 27 2005,19:17) I had a club in NYC that was extremely popular and profitable. Also opened a few in Europe. The key is to mazimize the value of every dollar that you put into the club. Halo, which was big in the late 90's was opened for $60K. Find the right space and work within it. Get the right people in and the others will follow. Happy to give you some advice if you'd like it.
Why is all this in the past tense?
Bloomberg decided to target us and was raiding us every night. Eventually we lost our court battle because we were licensed as a "family restaurant." NYC's oversaturated and with the exception of Marquee, which is run by our old employees, no one is really making money right now.

 

[PhiloVance]

Amusing nightclub/lounge story . . . I was out on friday night for a farewell party for a college friend of mine moving from NYC to LA. Apparently, as she explained to me later, the owner had been giving some of her guests a hardtime at the door all night, as the club's policy was no timberland boots and no nike air force one sneakers (any other sneaker was absolutely fine). I would almost rather they just say no black people, at least I would have more respect for them Anyway, by the time my little group arrived, there were already at least 5-7 people hanging out in front of the club because they couldn't get in, with about 10-15 already inside. The funny part was this place had an open front, with this girl's party right by the window area, so it was really funny to see the people at the tables just talking to the people outside.
So they wouldn't let a few of the people I was with in, which I think was the last string for the girl, so she pulled her entire party and we went down to the coffee shop by union square. Now, wouldn't it just have been easier to let the people in and spend their money, as there were at least 15-20 people there willing to spend money? Also, what possible logical explanation is there to let in a white guy with raggedy pumas on, but not let in a black guy with brand new air force ones on? After seeing this pathetic example of how not to run a nightclub, it is easy to agree with the earlier statement that the majority of clubs in NYC do not make a profit.
Also, before anyone asks anything silly, try to imagine a large group of (for the most part, I think anyway) well-dressed Ivy League graduates, 3/4 of which were graduates from Cornell's Hotel and Architecture schools. I think it was pretty obvious these ruffnecks weren't gonna tear the club up
Finally, it might also be easier in the future if you tell people about the "dresscode" in advance (not sure if that was the club's fault or the girl's fault, though).

 

[Stazy]

tiger02, still planning on opening a club now that you're done with the army?

 

[tiger02]

Jeez dude, way to rub in that my dreams are amounting to nothing

Like I said somewhere in this thread, the guy I was going to do it with is a flake. So, the plans are on hold for now, until I can make enough money to do it myself. I haven't decided exactly on the genre or the place yet. Since this thread, I've seen a lot more interesting food/drink/dance places in eastern Europe that I like a better than your average meat market in the midwest, so I might try to go more that route if I can make it work.

So for now, still a pipe dream, but thanks for keeping up!

Tom

 

[designprofessor]

curved walls and flat color via Dr. Suess call it "Thing 1"
should you open a second- "Thing 2"

Or something slightly sinister in 70's blob shapes via "Clockwork Orange"

Or look at a Bosch painting and start building the interior.