...... two things we thought would help were opening the bar on non-show nights (we can't drink yet and know nothing about bars around here or competition) which I suppose is similar to the Latin dance night. The other idea we had was club merch. There are 930 club shirts and wristbands and such, I'd wear a Jaxx shirt or buy a Jaxx poster and I'm sure lots of other people would.
Excellent ideas. The Jaxx merch idea has been thrown around a bit before but with no real enthusiasm. We'd have to have a certain number of items in a certain size run in order to accommodate sales, and the three big issues is (a) cost of production, (b) storing inventory, and (c) actual demand. It would cost a bit to have good quality shirts and such made, and that is an overhead cost that can't be supported right now. Storing the items where the bartenders can get to them without the items getting in the way is problematic because the bars have enough stuff behind them as it is, and storing them elsewhere and having someone get them when needed can be touch because we're all super busy on big show nights. And, in real life novelty logo items don't tend to sell very well unless you're the Hard Rock Cafe franchise. We could sell possibly 25 shirts off the bat when we introduce the products, but when the novelty wears off we're stuck with a lot of stuff we can no longer sell except every now and again. It doesn't really make a lot of financial sense right now. Because really, unless you're staff, how many people do you see wearing 930 Club shirts? They sell their own merch, and at a show people tend to spend that extra $25 on a band shirt instead of a venue shirt.
As for other nights the bar is open, you have to figure operational costs versus money coming into the club. It takes a ton to heat and cool the building, you have to pay personnel, etc. We have acoustic open mic nights on most Tuesdays where just the lounge bar is open and it's a really nice, laid back atmosphere. Unfortunately, this is a 21 and over only event, so if you're under 21 it's not an option.
As for an "area" to order food, it's not possible with the current building configurations. To construct something like a special area to order food (like 930 Club) would facilitate a building reconstruction project that is so cost prohibitive it is not even worth considering. You have to "yell" at the bartenders to get a drink. Just add a burger and fries to that long island iced tea order and you can have your dinner and enjoy a good show.
