If the recent closing of Fox and Hound and last years closing of Stoney's has taught us anything, it's that nothing lasts forever...well unless you're on Franklin or Main.

It's hard to be a bar in Evansville when you have not one, but two dominant blocks stacked with long running establishments and a steady customer base. So how can they measure up to the allure of the Franklin Bar Crawl, or the convenience of being across the street when you leave an Icemen game? I have a few ideas.

 

1.Promote And Deliver The Best Live Music.

While a couple bars on the strips do this right now, I don't think either is well equipped to be doing so. When a band plays in a bar and wants the crowd to have an enjoyable experience they need either...

  • A large amount of space

or...

  • The sense to turn it the f*** down.

Blasting the band out into the bar annoys patrons and makes the band sound like crap. This is one of the advantages I would say KC's Timeout Lounge has over most locales on the strip. Yes the bands are loud, but there is ample space for people to dance, enjoy, and if they so choose escape the music. Try doing that on the strips and you're going to have a bad time, and likely going to get more than a few beers spilled on you.

Bands will go frequent places that have a receiving crowd, and don't make them sound like s***...so if you have a band take note.

2. No Cover

I know...I know. This is more of a personal pipe-dream than anything and sometimes there's no avoiding it, but unless it's a holiday outsider bars have to understand they are at the disadvantage here. Why go to "X" when someone can travel downtown and walk to five different places?! One word, Cover.  Covers are a pretty common fixture regardless of weekend on Franklin and Main nowadays, and when you hit up more than one place a night it adds up.

No cover brings in the cheapskates who will more often than not drink ten fold whatever money they would've spent at the door. Throw a dollar sign at the entrance and you get nothing from them.

3. Be Your Best On Event Nights

Events are good! Events are great! Events get me paid and bars lots of money and fresh faces possibly making their first appearance in the establishment. This is a double edged sword. Pack the house and people may get the impression it's a happening place and come back often...provided they're getting served. If bar traffic is substantially higher on nights when you're hosting a wet t-shirt contest...best believe you better spend the cash to accommodate the large crowd otherwise you might never see those newcomers again. When a bar operates outside of the strips, this can be a matter of life and death.

 

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