Opening bar in Hawaii?

[whynot?]

Just a thought from a (not-that) old advertising and marketing person, but you might want to consider taking a job at a bar that is as similar as possible to what you have in mind, learning the tricks of the trade (in Hawai'i, with our laws and customs), and looking at all pros and cons before you latch on to this. Don't want to shoot your idea down, and I love the idea of following one's bliss, but why not start at someone else's expense?

Best of luck.

[alex7777]

Originally Posted by HaoleFromCalifornia

Sounds like you are on your way, I just want to put in one last bit of caution. Keep in mind that making people happy with booze can get out of hand from time to time. I quit working in bars because at least once a night I would have to bounce someone from the bar (restaurants tend to be better I've found). You do it enough or watch enough fights break out and it loses it's appeal real fast. You might think this won't happen at your establishment but most customers expect to get what they want and don't take kindly to being cut off. Also in Hawaii, as opposed to other states I've worked in, people who are visibly intoxicated have to leave the premises. So if you cut someone off you also have to bounce them, even if they are still behaving nicely. Also don't forget the bartender's greatest fear: If someone you served gets in a wreck or has an accident because they were wasted you can be held liable, since they should has been cut off before getting to that point.

Despite all this I still bartend and maybe you will too. Interested to hear what you end up doing and good luck if you pursue it!

Thanks for the tips, good points.

[alex7777]

Originally Posted by whynot?

Just a thought from a (not-that) old advertising and marketing person, but you might want to consider taking a job at a bar that is as similar as possible to what you have in mind, learning the tricks of the trade (in Hawai'i, with our laws and customs), and looking at all pros and cons before you latch on to this. Don't want to shoot your idea down, and I love the idea of following one's bliss, but why not start at someone else's expense?

Best of luck.

Good idea. I'm actually thinking of approaching an established bar with a partnership offer -- basically I would offer the owner a certain amount of cash for a certain percentage of the bar, with proportional profits disbursed monthly. I would make the offer conditional on / subject to a probationary period, however (maybe a couple months), where I would work in the bar, learn the ropes, and get a sense of whether it was for me (and whether it was profitable, etc.). At the end of the period, I would either finalize the agreement, or walk away with my cash. If it liked it and stayed in, I could eventually buy larger percentages down the road if desired. But the risk would be small, especially initially.

I imagine a decent amount of owners would be interested in getting some quick cash (and decreased responsibility), with no real risk of loss.

[whynot?]

Unless the current owner renegotiates the lease (unlikely the property is fee-simple owned outright), he/she will be responsible for the rent, but you will be share-proportionally responsible for generating the revenue to pay it. Cover yourself legally on both sides. Working *for* someone for a while has a lot fewer repercussions.

Just a thought.

[Kona Sun]

Be cautious warning AGAIN. These are tough times and many businesses, including two local restaurant bars (Jamisons & Drysdales) have recently closed up shop on the Big Island. It's spendier to run a business here because so much of what you need is NOT available locally...and the same for anyone you employ, etc... It's really an expensive undertaking without the government stuff. And, you have to pass those costs on to customers or quickly run yourself out of whatever business you have.

[terracore]

I have owned several businesses throughout the years including two that I participate in now. The most important thing you need to do to pursue this dream is work in a bar first. If you don't hate it, go to a trade show and make contacts. I live in Alaska and Hawaii and people make a big deal about how you can't get anything locally and it all has to be shipped in. It's not that big of a deal, it just takes more expense and planning. Expenses are passed on, it doesn't really "cost" you anything more except for startup. Usually the thing that kills your type of business idea is the rent/lease costs. You need to make X amount of money per square foot in order to turn a profit and empty tables and chairs won't earn you any money. Some of the best bars I've been to were little hole-in-the wall places that didn't need a lot of customers or employees to turn a profit.

Unfortunately, the worst part of every business is dealing with drunk people- you'll be dealing with it every day at a bar.

[alex7777]

Originally Posted by whynot?

Unless the current owner renegotiates the lease (unlikely the property is fee-simple owned outright), he/she will be responsible for the rent, but you will be share-proportionally responsible for generating the revenue to pay it. Cover yourself legally on both sides. Working *for* someone for a while has a lot fewer repercussions.
Just a thought.

Good point, but I guess it would come down to the specific partnership agreement. I'll keep that in mind.

The problem with simply working *for* someone is that:

1. Working for someone else usually sucks, especially in the service industry.

2. From everything I've heard, it takes a long time to actually get behind the bar. (Usually have to serve for awhile first, etc.) Would be a lot easier to simply get behind there as a part-owner, have people strongly motivated to train you, etc.

Obviously a good idea for a younger person who's thinking 10 years down the road, though.

[alex7777]

[quote=terracore;20560873]I have owned several businesses throughout the years including two that I participate in now. The most important thing you need to do to pursue this dream is work in a bar first. If you don't hate it, go to a trade show and make contacts. I live in Alaska and Hawaii and people make a big deal about how you can't get anything locally and it all has to be shipped in. It's not that big of a deal, it just takes more expense and planning. Expenses are passed on, it doesn't really "cost" you anything more except for startup. Usually the thing that kills your type of business idea is the rent/lease costs. You need to make X amount of money per square foot in order to turn a profit and empty tables and chairs won't earn you any money. Some of the best bars I've been to were little hole-in-the wall places that didn't need a lot of customers or employees to turn a profit.
QUOTE]

This is exactly what I'm looking for: low-overhead, small, etc. I want to keep things as simple as possible, and ultimately own the space as well if I decide to stay in the business. If I do that (maybe live above it), I won't need much business at all to stay open. Shorter commute too.

Maybe I'll institute an automatic drink maximum to reduce the drunk issue. Or just keep a breathalyzer on site to resolve disputes. Those are pretty cheap these days.

[hotzcatz]

How about a video arcade instead of a bar? You could sell food and drink and have a customer base who doesn't drink alcohol so no drunks. There isn't a lot of stuff for younger folks to do, so some sort of arcade would go over well, I'd think. We had one in our town several years ago and it was thriving however the owners were Canadian and had to move back to Canada eventually. Some sort of visa issue.

[alex7777]

I really like the bar atmosphere, drunks and all. I like the (adult) social aspect of it. Arcade might be good for someone else, though.