What changes would you like to see in bars?

My personal favorite "taplist" is the one in my avatar.

 

I agree that TVs at bars are distracting under certain circumstance, but under others they are literally the reason that I go to the bar. The problem here is with me, not the bar. However, I did visit a Buffalo Wild Wings once where a TV seemed to cover every square inch of wall space. That was overkill for me and I haven't been back.

 

I like to have sports on a TV or two at most bars, specifically because sports are one of the few things on TV that you can enjoy casually without sound or focus. I do hate when bars have sitcoms (or really anything else) on, because it just seems like a waste - I can't get enjoyment out of a sitcom without hearing it, and it DOES annoy me when bars put the TV sound feed on for anything besides maybe a really big game involving a local team.

That said, I have no problem with true "craft beer bars" who are focusing on beer leaving TVs out entirely.

 

It's not suicide if you're a beer bar and let people bring in either wine or spirits but not beer, this goes double for places that don't sell wine at all, like some great beer places I know of. Reverse it for a wine bar. I can't be the only guy with a girlfriend who wants wine much more often than beer.

You could also charge a corkage fee if you're really worried about losing money.

 

I've gotten into more conversations (at least with strangers) that started because of something on the television than I ever have staring at a wall.

As to the multiple TVs; It depends. If I am going to watch a Pats game or the like, I like knowing I will be able to see the game regardless of location in the restaurant. So yes when there is a game I want to watch having many options is a bonus. Otherwise you have to get there early and post up near the TV and at a good angle to even have a chance to watch the game.

Other times it depends on the lighting. I have a hard time (headaches and such) when most of the light in a room is sourced from television screens.

 

Interesting. My experience is quite the opposite.

 

I touched on this in my previous post, but I am a big sports fan just as I am a big fan of craft beer. I like having the option to watch a game and also enjoy great beer on draft. I may not be glued to the game the entire time I'm at the bar, but I like being able to glance at it and pay closer attention at certain moments. I don't need wall-to-wall TV's like what you'll find at a place like Buffalo Wild Wings- for instance my regular couple bars have a couple TV's that are strategically placed as to not dominate the environment, but also provide a decent viewing experience. Do I go to a full-blown sports bar like BWW when all I care about is watching the game? Sure, from time to time. But if I just want to casually watch while also enjoying great beer in the process, I'm glad I have that opportunity available.

Like I said, I've ended up in more than my fair share of conversations while watching a game at my beer bars because I happened to share a common interest in sports with the guy next to me. I do agree that showing a sitcom or some other channel with no sound is kind of pointless, and I don't pay attention to the TV if that happens to be the case.

 

THIS. There's a restaurant near me with a decent beer list that will do a 8-oz pour, so I can at least try a couple of things. Better yet are the places (and I can think of 3 or 4 near me) that do the 4 oz pours. So you can try 4 different beers with your meal, and be OK. Of course, I weigh 250 .. .

 

wait 'til you have some kids......

 

Kids don't belong at bars, breweries or nice restaurants. I will add a trend of places that ban kids is growing, which I really hope continues, believe it or not even some hotels ban them. What's so hard about getting a baby sitter, leaving them with your gf, grandma, or friends gf? Please explain to me why a infant or toddler has any business being in a bar, brewery, restaurant (not family restaurant), or nice hotel.

I think it's time we start talking about adult things, in graphic detail loud enough for all the children in the bar to hear, if everyone would do it parents would get the idea, that kids don't belong in places meant for adults. At the very least there should be adults only sections, just like there are non smoking sections, this should go for airplanes and trains too.

 

Its called baby sitters or in-laws

 

Our daughter is now 16 months, and we take her everywhere - went to dinner just one week after the birth and haven't stopped since...

But not to beer bars! I feel comfortable taking her to Fathead's or Melt here in Cleveland all the time (but even then for lunch/early dinner), but would never take her to 90+ rating 'beer bars'. For instance, I was recently in Toronado in SF, and there is never a time I would take her there...that was an adult trip (which included wine country), which would have been unrecognizably different if we took the kids.

As already mentioned it is disrespectful to the bartenders and other patrons - maybe there are folks there that did get a sitter, and this is there night to cut loose?

 

...yes, certain people shouldn't be in places where they aren't liked or tolerated by certain other people....

 

Oh, and any bar blasting the NCAA tourney will kill any bar that is not next weekend, whether they are serving heineken or ZD... its purely dollars and cents.

 

I do, thank you.

 

It's refreshing to see so many people railing on the loud music that you see in bars so often these days. It was the first thing I thought of that I would change and felt like I was the minority on that one. I guess I'm not alone.

 

You do realize things are different all over this great nation right?

Law in my state:

When can minors be in bars?

"There is no NLCC regulation or state statute that prohibits minors from being in a bar at any
time, however their may be some local ordinance that sets specific hours and circumstances were
minors may be in liquor establishments"

 

Not free just very, very cheap from the distributors.

 

You mad, bro?

Okay, somebody asks everyone a hypothetical question, then also shares his answer to said hypothetical question to get the ball rolling, and then you come out of left field ranting like a mad man. Maybe his ideal bar setting would financially work, maybe it wouldn't. I don't personally know, I'm not a bar owner and I don't know of a bar that has tried his hypothetical method. (I would totally go to it regularly, though.) However that's not even the point; if you don't like the exercise because there's not enough "realism" in it, then why even open your mouth in the first place?

Also who, aside from you, says it is inconceivable? Again, I'm not a bar owner, but I don't see his standards being so unrealistic that it's impossible to successfully pull off.

 

Yes, I realize that there are differences based on state and locality, although I'm certainly not aware of what they are. I guess the regulations that you cite would make it easier for parents to bring their kids to bars. I just haven't personally recognized kids in bars as a big problem.