one day per week?
no Monday Night Football? no Thursday Night Football? no Saturday Football during playoffs? no college ball?
- Thread starter SKY
- Start date
Rocky's Aqua End of the Line
- Status
one day per week?
no Monday Night Football? no Thursday Night Football? no Saturday Football during playoffs? no college ball?
The sports bar concept is a good concept. Besides American football, you have college and professional basketball, the Sweet 16, A baseball season that lasts for 2-years (feels like it) before the World series, a hockey season that lasts 25-years (feels like it) before the final, and numerous UFC and Boxing matches (UFC matches seem to go on for 2-whole days before the main event) And then you have European soccer and over 25,000 teams (feels like it) that play for decades before there is any final.
And we haven't even gotten into the Formula 1, Nascar for rednecks, motoGp, and 10,000 other races--including horse racing.
There's simply too many sports to even begin to cover here before coffee. So, yes, the sports bar concept is tried and proven over and over. It can be good formula if done right.
The sports bar at the Hard Rock hotel in Punta Cana does it right, and Sky knows all about it.
And we haven't even gotten into the Formula 1, Nascar for rednecks, motoGp, and 10,000 other races--including horse racing.
There's simply too many sports to even begin to cover here before coffee. So, yes, the sports bar concept is tried and proven over and over. It can be good formula if done right.
The sports bar at the Hard Rock hotel in Punta Cana does it right, and Sky knows all about it.
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My understanding is this is a business dispute between Big Frank and Rocky.
I fail to understand why this rapidly becoming a personal dispute between Little Frank and Sky.
At some point in time, there will be an ultimate resolution, and life will go on. The staff have been properly compensated, so now it's about principals moving buckets of cash around, nothing personal.
Besides, it's a beach bar, not the Nuremberg Trials. I went because of Frank, and Frank, not because I loved the idea of an Irish Pub on the beach. Or, whatever Rocky's was supposed to be.
I fail to understand why this rapidly becoming a personal dispute between Little Frank and Sky.
At some point in time, there will be an ultimate resolution, and life will go on. The staff have been properly compensated, so now it's about principals moving buckets of cash around, nothing personal.
Besides, it's a beach bar, not the Nuremberg Trials. I went because of Frank, and Frank, not because I loved the idea of an Irish Pub on the beach. Or, whatever Rocky's was supposed to be.
Some valid points on the trade offs of having more clientele regardless of the reason. Most establishments would consider more clients as a good thing to have to deal with. Yes there is complexity. So many places start out well and then fizzle out here. I would not wish owning a bar business on a friend of mine. Being in a band close enough to herding cats.
The Lazy Dog did very well for quite a while. Well enough that the owners were able to "franchise" their concept to at least three other locations based upon that success. Those locations unfortunately did not do well and all failed quickly. None of the other locations tried to have live music that I know of.
Now with the owner out of the country, the business is not run in the same manner as it was previously. The current situation is not because of live music, but in spite of it. They did well during the high season when the band I am currently in played there. Then things continued to unravel. The spot they are in now will be hard to overcome.
Now, any news on the court case at Rocky's?
Sports bars have a downside: wimminz don't much care for them.
Most sports bars, even successful ones, are like Man Caves.
.........but this Sports Bar will be in Sosua (wink-wink)....... so if the wimminz know the men are there they will come.
This discussion as with most discussions here lately seems to focus on the American perspective. A focus which glosses over the likelihood that the majority of foreigners of all other nationalities outnumbers Americans - Are there enough American sports fans to support a US style sports bar year round? Those who enjoy sports come from many countries but not with the same level of interest that is demonstrated by US fans for US sports. I don't see locals patronizing gringo bars in great numbers nor do I see those not interested in sports inhabiting these places just for the ambiance.
Excepting the Super Bowl and the other major championships I would be surprised if there is sufficient interest in putting down roots in a bar to stare at a TV screen week after week as we progress through the various sports seasons. If I wish to watch a sporting event, I am more likely to do so at home, where I can surround myself with my friends (if I so choose), the costs of refreshments and snacks is much more economical and where I can see and hear the TV much better than I can over the exuberance or protestations of someone who has misplaced their sense of public decorum.
I wouldn't think there is enough of a fan base locally to support a true sports bar year round in this neck of the woods based on an arbitrary percentage of the total available population to do so. The chances of someone coming from Puerto Plata or from the east to Sosua/Cabarete to watch an average event on TV and socialize, I would think I should be able to count on one hand. The vast majority won't sit and drink for three hours and then drive home, so the majority of the clientele for this type of establishment needs to be local, within walking or taxi distance. My general rule, if there is more than one TV tuned to a sports channel, I go elsewhere. I'm not into sports in that way and prefer to engage with people whose attention doesn't dart from me to a TV and back again. Something akin to someone picking up their phone mid sentence to see what useless tweet someone they have never met has just sent out.
Sure different strokes for different folks, but a decent marketing study would clearly show that there is not enough "die hard" patrons to support this type of venture day after day with any sort of profitable consistency. On a beach strip where the pricing is similar and the choice of atmospheres diverse, It must be a hard row to hoe to entice a critical mass of patrons to stop and consume enough to keep a specialty establishment profitable yet there needs to be something to keep the chairs full. I don't think any of the owners are banking profits that far exceed expenses or are sufficient to offer a significant return to investors for their start up capital. Just scraping by can be a precarious situation to be in if market conditions suddenly change.
It seems to me that that there are only so many business establishments of any kind that the population is able to support, therefore, any number over and above this number will not succeed or will drive the less enticing establishments out of business in a never ending game of "snare the gringo and his wallet".
I assume that part of the motivation for the original sale of O'Shay's was that the profit margin was not large enough to entice that owner to keep going. The new owner, likewise was not able to capture enough clients to come to the conclusion that avoiding foreclosure was in their best interest. We don't have to go back and forth and round and round to see that neither owner was able to completely realize their goals and this probably has lots to do with the number of consumer choices readily available on that beach and the fact that there was nothing unique and in demand on offer - the one pie is being cut into X number of slices each day and all things being equal, that pie is not big enough to satisfy the appetites of all those establishments all the time and forever more.
This establishment failed, another will fail in due course, something will replace each one eventually. If nothing else changes, this cycle on Cabarete Beach will repeat itself endlessly.
Excepting the Super Bowl and the other major championships I would be surprised if there is sufficient interest in putting down roots in a bar to stare at a TV screen week after week as we progress through the various sports seasons. If I wish to watch a sporting event, I am more likely to do so at home, where I can surround myself with my friends (if I so choose), the costs of refreshments and snacks is much more economical and where I can see and hear the TV much better than I can over the exuberance or protestations of someone who has misplaced their sense of public decorum.
I wouldn't think there is enough of a fan base locally to support a true sports bar year round in this neck of the woods based on an arbitrary percentage of the total available population to do so. The chances of someone coming from Puerto Plata or from the east to Sosua/Cabarete to watch an average event on TV and socialize, I would think I should be able to count on one hand. The vast majority won't sit and drink for three hours and then drive home, so the majority of the clientele for this type of establishment needs to be local, within walking or taxi distance. My general rule, if there is more than one TV tuned to a sports channel, I go elsewhere. I'm not into sports in that way and prefer to engage with people whose attention doesn't dart from me to a TV and back again. Something akin to someone picking up their phone mid sentence to see what useless tweet someone they have never met has just sent out.
Sure different strokes for different folks, but a decent marketing study would clearly show that there is not enough "die hard" patrons to support this type of venture day after day with any sort of profitable consistency. On a beach strip where the pricing is similar and the choice of atmospheres diverse, It must be a hard row to hoe to entice a critical mass of patrons to stop and consume enough to keep a specialty establishment profitable yet there needs to be something to keep the chairs full. I don't think any of the owners are banking profits that far exceed expenses or are sufficient to offer a significant return to investors for their start up capital. Just scraping by can be a precarious situation to be in if market conditions suddenly change.
It seems to me that that there are only so many business establishments of any kind that the population is able to support, therefore, any number over and above this number will not succeed or will drive the less enticing establishments out of business in a never ending game of "snare the gringo and his wallet".
I assume that part of the motivation for the original sale of O'Shay's was that the profit margin was not large enough to entice that owner to keep going. The new owner, likewise was not able to capture enough clients to come to the conclusion that avoiding foreclosure was in their best interest. We don't have to go back and forth and round and round to see that neither owner was able to completely realize their goals and this probably has lots to do with the number of consumer choices readily available on that beach and the fact that there was nothing unique and in demand on offer - the one pie is being cut into X number of slices each day and all things being equal, that pie is not big enough to satisfy the appetites of all those establishments all the time and forever more.
This establishment failed, another will fail in due course, something will replace each one eventually. If nothing else changes, this cycle on Cabarete Beach will repeat itself endlessly.
One thing about a beach business to remember is that the sea deteriorates everything. Electrical wiring, all metal things, refrigerators, televisions and everything does not last that long. Even the wiring if you put them in tubes gets salty and wet/damp and should be changed every five to ten years... So the cost of operating a beach bar business is a lot more expensive than a bar located on the other side of the street. A sports bar on the beach requires a lot of electronics, wiring, antennas and televisions. They get exposed to the sea air and depending upon their exposure to the wind, they will last from a few months to maybe two years. It was obvious that O'Shays needed a lot of updating when sold and that a big investment was needed.
The costs...and therefore the risk...will be much lower in Sosua because the property is far less valuable.
I assume BF knows what he is doing.
Will Big Frank be buying or leasing the location in Sosua?
Same with any location near the water.
I lived on the water in St. Pete Beach (Pass-a-Grille/Vina del Mar) for many years and had properties within a block of the beach or open water. The maintenance on anything metal was huge, and electronics even worse.
The location where Big Frank (so much talk about him almost feel like I know him) wants to open is NOT on the beach but on the strip in the center of town. When Lou ran the place it was almost like a miniature sports bar...….. and Lou could whip up some darn good food.
Plenty of weekend sports minded warriors to keep the place busy.
This thread is about the old O'Shay's location and I am trying to stick to that and also offer some insight into some of the issues there. I know Lou's old location and I did not mention that in my post because this thread is about the Old O'Shays location.
You obviously have not hung out in Sosua much ..
lol
in Sosua.. Man Caves ATTRACT something else .. and next thing you know, guys are buying these type of Wimmins DRINKS, round and round it goes ...
I just spoke to Big Frank. I'm flying down next week and helping him get his TV's & Satellites in order. He already has a lot of crazy stories and the place hasn't even opened up yet. He says the place is in bad shape, but he already has guys working 12-hours a day on it. The kitchen is a disaster.
I highly recommend anyone who likes to be entertained and hear some crazy, but highly entertaining funny restaurant & bar stories to stop by and see him. He's owned Irish pubs for over 50yrs.
I'll be there next week for a few days.
He's leasing.
I highly recommend anyone who likes to be entertained and hear some crazy, but highly entertaining funny restaurant & bar stories to stop by and see him. He's owned Irish pubs for over 50yrs.
I'll be there next week for a few days.
He's leasing.
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In case you were referring to me .. not sure if you were.
Feeling is mutual, and although we have our disagreements I have ALWAYS said you are a GREAT HOST, and we never even talked about Politics .. Have never said a bad word about the place... so how could i possibly have hurt your business ??
To be honest .. my only " angle" is trying to understand how 2 guys who KNOW the Restaurant Business.. one in CT and one on the Island ... could enter a DEAL to purchase a Bar which is ESTABLISHED, and Making MONEY...
They do the deal... and then less than 2 years later the place is SHUT DOWN..
My angle is ,, if 2 experienced guys cant make a DEAL where a TURN KEY Restaurant Can stay OPEN... How can anyone else possibly think that THEY can make a GO of it in the Restaurant ./ Bar Business in Cabarete, or Sosua, or anywhere on the North Coast..
not trying to HURT anyones Feelings..
but I also think the guy who is going to take a huge BATH financially is not so much worried about who is doing Monday morning QB Talking about his BAR which was SHUT down & Repo'd , and all Employees now without a Job ..
Not a single person here even has the ability to hurt the situation more than it already is ..
Im kind of Stunned that you would point the Finger at us .. for trying to do the "forensics" on what Possibly went so very wrong here .. Something obviously DID
and it was certainly NOT the Customers Fault ...
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Why does Frank12 have to write a god damned Master's thesis with photos with lines, and arrows, and circles, and a story at the bottom of each one for every¹ post he makes in this forum. He says to-may-to you² say to-mah-to. Why does it have to be so complicated. Many of Frank12's posts are too long as it is and he shouldn't be encouraged in this direction.
1. Every post used in place of an inordinate portion of his posts for brevity.
2. You is used in the plural sense and not directed at SKY personally.
Exactly, I already write way too much as it is! I do not need to be wasting my day writing a Master Thesis on things that no one here knows any details about....especially when there is coffee & donuts waiting to be eaten!
LOL, I hear you but this thread has turned into a talk about whatever you like thread. Bands, contracts, sportsbar, blue roof,,,, you name it, you can talk about it.
If not the ownership then it had to be the management. In a cash business if the owner is not the manager then there is a very high probability of stealing.
Its human nature. Even more so Dominican nature.
Yes. I have owned a bar.
Its human nature. Even more so Dominican nature.
Yes. I have owned a bar.
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