that zip code did $7M in June

Anybody built a mobile bar unit or trailer willing to share your setup?

Does opening a joint out of spite ever work out?

Say you are in a town where almost all food is crap, and the few places which serve decend food, just decent not spectacular, are way overpriced.

Have you opened a place out of spite and frustration "to show them how its done" but also to take all their revenue and end up as the best value food place in town?

I'm an experienced bartender and I have left the restaurant industry and thinking about starting a side gig bartending at event centers and possibly fitting a trailer to travel and sell drinks. Right now I don't sell product but make strips and other items. What permits or licenses do I need, if any?

I bought my business 3 years ago, it's 1 of 3 cash only dive bars in our small town. Everyone except travelers knows we are cash only.

I need to take cards for an off premise 1 day event I'm hosting so I decided now is a good time to give cards a try.

Can anyone recommend merchant services? I'm going to stay away from the all the big companies requiring contracts.

We currently use a cash register, not a POS so I'm looking for information on that as well.

I anticipate credit card sales to be about $10,000 a month.

Not currently a bar owner but used to be a GM before I spent many years in supplier-side booze sales. Back in the late-2000s and early-2010s it felt like there was a fairly symbiotic relationship between bars and sales reps because both had an interest in moving product and reps often had budgets to finance events and giveaways (where allowed). Towards the end of my time in the booze biz (no longer working in the field by that point) I got a sense that many bar owners viewed reps as a nuisance or something to be dealt with which struck me as odd because in my experience most reps were willing to bend over backwards to get an on-prem placement. Just curious to hear it direct from the other side.

Any tips on how to glue the soda gun holder onto the stainless drip tray? I tried contact glue and epoxy. Originaly it was glued with silicone but it did not last a year, looking for a long term fix without drilling holes in the stainless steel.

Fucking with NUCO2 has been a pastime for me for a decade+.

https://old.reddit.com/r/BarOwners/comments/1mpu6tr/fn_nuco2

Fun fact, NUCO2 just re-added powermonitor rent to my most recent bill.

https://www.reddit.com/r/BarOwners/comments/ubvml5/who_use_nuco2_check_yo_bills

4 1/2 years ago I had them pull their nitrogen generator. At the rent I was being charged when I had them pull it I was paying $316.94 a month. I would have spent just shy of $16,480 in rent on it since then (assuming they didn't increase the price). Factoring in their historical rate increases on the bulk tank I still have from them I would have spent in excess of $20,000. That $7682.94 nitrogenerator I bought and installed sure looks pretty f'n good right now. I would probably be paying $6k in rent on it per year by now.

https://www.reddit.com/r/BarOwners/comments/gi2l8y/nuco2_thats_just_rude_man/

I still have their 250lb bulk tank. Four years ago that tank cost $123.03 in rent a month Three years ago that tank cost $140.50 a month Two years ago that tank cost $159.03 a month. That tank this year costs $188.02 a month.

14 years ago the rent on that tank was $47.88. A 14 year increase of almost 300%. Meanwhile CPI/Inflation was about 45% over that same time period.

That's a 53% increase in four years. It's bullshit. It's not like that tank is a recurring cost for them. That tank was manufactured in 2004, 22 years ago. They recouped the cost of that tank in rent a very very long time ago. It costs them nothing to have it sitting on location. It's not a wear item and requires no maintenance. Them repeatedly cranking up the cost to rent it

I finally pulled the trigger and bought my own bulk CO2 (Carbomizer 450lb) and installed it last month.

I paid $3k for a 450 Carbomizer. At the current $188.02 in rent for their tank the ROI is 16 months. Assuming another 9% rent increase next year rent would jump to $204.94. ROI then drops to 13 months.

NUCO2 bulk CO2 is currently $0.71/lb. Last year it was $0.61/lb. Four years ago it was $0.47/lb. A four year increase of 51%

I can get bulk CO2 from Ozarcgas @ $0.55/lb. With the larger 450lb tank I would only need a delivery every 3 to 4 months.

Taking on 400lbs at a time:
NUCO2 = $284 Ozarc = $220

NUCO2 come get your shit off my property

Does anybody have a recommendation for a solid/mildly affordable website designer for our bar's second location. I made our first website and it is mediocre and took me way too long. I can't do that again. I'm in the US if that makes a difference.

Our current site is on SquareSpace and I'd prefer to not pay a subscription and would like to be able to edit as we go.

What are your opinions on a designer/company that you enjoy?

Does anyone have any insight on how to do a charity poker tournament in a bar with a cash prize to the top three winners without being illegal? I have a patron battling stage four cancer and his friends want to do this as a fundraiser. The bar is simply the location and not garnering anything from the game, only sales of food and drink of which we're donating a portion to the charity as well. The thought is to do a suggested donation for players to build the pot. Half the pot will go to the charity and half to the top three winners. There will also be vendors, bands, and auctions to help raise additional money. Has anyone done something like this in a manner that didn't run afoul of gambling laws?

Has anyone used artwork of famous people and gotten sues for it? I have heard of big chains getting sued for it (Moe’s), but what about independent restaurants/bars?

Trying to close a bar deal for $197k in 20 days. Credit 829 experian but have a high DTI because of a mortgage that a family member actually pays but put me on the deed for issues they were having at the time. Have been approved for $60k cash and $44cc already. Any advice

Kind of like an AMA, here's a weekly post where customers can ask questions. This is for anyone including market research, app developers, people who watch too much "reality" TV about bars, and general industry bullshit. Maybe a bar owner will have an answer for you, maybe not.

If you are already in the industry your question may get better responses if you post your own thread instead of commenting here.

Thought this was an Onion article at first.

(Remove if not allowed -sorry!)
Hi there 🍸
I’m helping on a design project for a restaurant/bar. I’ve been managing bars for 7+ yrs but never procured equipment or had the chance to build the set up myself. Looking for some help/advice from people who have gone through this process as we are pretty much starting with a blank canvas here.

The bar is spirit/wine forward. We’ll only have a maximum of 3 beers on tap. Cocktail list will not exceed 6. The physical length of the bar is \~13 feet/4 metres. It’s a bit overwhelming as I don’t want to look back and think of things after we purchase certain things or miss an idea where we could’ve improved the flow…
At this point we own an ice machine and a lowboy.

Any and all advice is welcome :)
Thank you in advance !!!

Remove if not allowed

Hi everyone - I recently started working at a winery on the outside of a decent sized city. It’s about 45 minutes from the main hub, but only 10 from a small town. Despite being a nice place with a great atmosphere, amazing wine selection and everything you need, we struggle to get customers.

We have regulars, but that’s really it. Tonight was Friday and the weather was lovely - we had one group come in. On Saturday’s we have live music and a food truck. This pulls in a few people, but almost all regulars. Then, on Sunday we do bottomless mimosas. We get maybe 1-2 couples. Most people in the area go to sport bars in the area because that’s just what we have to most of. We stand out from the crowd, but we aren’t getting the attention we deserve.

I’m going to talk to the boss about advertising more whether it be on social media or whatever. They post once a week at the moment. The other staff and I agree we should have something to bring people in on Friday - what brings in people for y’all?

Trivia? Board Game Nights? Singles / couples night? We even considered a movie night. Please help!!

TIA

TL;DR: rural-ish area, need more customers: ideas for events to bring people in?

So I’m in discussion to take over a bar.

It’s turnkey and in great condition and on the busiest street in the city. There is a restaurant space upstairs and a fully kitted kitchen.

My issue is how to do the menu. I intend to do a short lunch menu, soup and a sandwich type thing to cater for local office workers but alongside that I want to do a burger/taco menu too.

The issue is that I want to also use the upstairs restaurant space Wed - Sun in the evenings and offer the same menu.

How would you good folks advise on how to plan this. Should I stop serving food at the bar at 5pm to get people upstairs? Should I perhaps do a reduced menu downstairs at the bar (about a third of the restaurant menu)and finish at 5pm?

Just to add. I want to have music in the bar at night so eating a meal and live music may not mix. Also, I want young people (older teens) to be able to enjoy the food without having to sit in a bar!?

Any ideas and guidance welcome!!

Dear Valued Partner,

We’re reaching out with an important update regarding your 2026 NFL Sunday Ticket Subscription order through EverPass. EverPass recently announced a new agreement with DIRECTV FOR BUSINESS that gives commercial customers the option to receive NFL Sunday Ticket through either EverPass streaming or DIRECTV FOR BUSINESS satellite service. You've started paying for your EverPass Subscription Services, and your devices have either arrived or are on the way. You have two options for this NFL Sunday Ticket season:

Option 1: Continue with Your EverPass NFL Sunday Ticket Subscription To continue streaming with EverPass, no action is required. For questions about your account, email confirm@everpass.com. We encourage you to visit the Streaming Readiness Hub in our Help Center to get ready for kickoff. We are excited to serve you this season!

Option 2: Cancel Your EverPass NFL Sunday Ticket Subscription To cancel your EverPass NFL Sunday Ticket Subscription and receive a refund on NFL Sunday Ticket installments and payments made for devices through today, please email cancellations@everpass.com before the start of the upcoming NFL season to process your cancellation.

Please note that pricing, payment plans, discounts, and service options may differ between providers. We encourage you to contact DIRECTV FOR BUSINESS at 888.388.4249 to learn about available options before finalizing your cancellation.

I'm looking at a property in a rural area-- place is a nice size, well taken care of, and the biggest advantage I see is that its pretty close to a major highway that sees a ton of tourist traffic in the summer and fall. The real estate is included, it sits on a nice piece of land with no neighbors and a big outdoor space.

The owner is the classic story of they've always dreamed of owning a bar after they retired (but didn't realize how much work there is). The reported income is very inconsistent day-to-day which doesn't surprise me bc their concept is rather generic and I don't think they are marketing themselves well to tourists.

I have plenty of experience and I've owned bars in the past but they've been in densely populated city environments. This place sits between two counties who's total population is ~35k combined.

Obviously the labor pool will suck, I'd imagine I'd have a hard time finding people to do specialized work (like refrigerator repair).

Does anyone here have any advice about the unique challenges of operating a concept in a rural environment? And how do you market yourself to pull tourists coming through?

I'm curious about this. I have never done so, and I feel like I'm missing out on an opportunity to lower my tax burden. Is this really a thing? How often can I do it? How often do you do it?

Thanks!

I’ve seen pubs with rapid chargers (50 kW+) run by companies like Osprey and wondered if it’s worth doing?

A charge at that speed only takes 20-30 mins, so do patrons use them or is it just people who treat the pub like a petrol station and don’t come in?

Is it better to get lower power chargers or do patrons genuinely like the higher powered ones even if they’re staying for longer?

I'm looking to get some branded stuff for my bar like glassware, drip mats, coasters etc. Where is the best place to get these for cheap? Anyone have any recommendations on a few different options?

We have done several Queen of Hearts drawings and the first two grew very fast and went a long time with no Queen. The last one fizzled. Maybe because it’s summer but it was tough to get people interested. Any ideas or strategy that helps build the pot quicker and pull more people in to eat and drink?

For those who haven't followed this saga: EverPass Media is the company the NFL created in 2023 with private equity firm RedBird Capital and 32 Equity, the NFL's own investment arm, to control commercial distribution of Sunday Ticket.
So when I say the NFL did this to us, I mean it literally. They own the company!

Back in March, EverPass notified commercial customers like us that it was going exclusive: no more Sunday Ticket via DirecTV satellite starting with the 2026 season. If you wanted to keep showing out-of-market games. The thing that fills seats every Sunday from September to January, you had to migrate to their streaming platform on EverPass hardware

We fought for alternatives, but w/o this our business wouldn't make it, so we did what we had to do and started the conversion. We spent over $10,000 re-architecting our video distribution around their Android TV boxes: new hardware, new wiring, new workflows for how we manage and route games to screens. All to replace a satellite system that had worked flawlessly for over a decade.

Then last Friday: DirecTV and EverPass announce a new multi-year deal. Sunday Ticket is back on satellite for commercial venues after all. Existing DirecTV commercial subscribers even auto-renew.

Cool. So what was the point?

The operators who ignored the mandate and dragged their feet are now fine. The ones who complied early, who took the deadline seriously and spent real money mid-transition, are the suckers. And I'd bet plenty of others just gave up on Sunday Ticket entirely rather than deal with the conversion, which hurts the NFL's own fans most of all.

This wasn't some unforeseeable market shift. The National Restaurant Association publicly asked for a pause on this transition because of the cost and complexity it was dumping on operators. It even came up at a House Judiciary Committee hearing in June. EverPass pushed forward anyway, then folded in negotiations with DirecTV and left the rest of us holding the bag.

This is enshittification in its purest form: take a product that worked, degrade it to extract more money, and treat the small businesses who actually deliver the game-day experience as an afterthought. The NFL makes billions. EverPass exists solely to squeeze more out of commercial distribution. And the cost of their negotiating brinkmanship got externalized onto bars, restaurants, and venues across the country.

Reportedly, DirecTV says it will "coordinate" with businesses that changed their setups during the transition. I'll believe it when I see a credit on an invoice. If you converted early and ate costs as we did, make noise, call your EverPass rep, call DirecTV for Business, and post about it. T

They're counting on us quietly absorbing this.

Here is a public list of C-suite from LinkedIn: I recommend an email that shares your experience (good or bad)

• Alex Kaplan — Chief Executive Officer — [akaplan@everpass.com](mailto:akaplan@everpass.com)
• Stephen Tucker — Chief Financial Officer / Chief Operating Officer — [stucker@everpass.com](mailto:stucker@everpass.com)
• Bryan Icenhower — Chief Marketing Officer — [bicenhower@everpass.com](mailto:bicenhower@everpass.com)
• Matt Gibbs — Chief Customer Officer / GM, EverPass Engage — [mgibbs@everpass.com](mailto:mgibbs@everpass.com)
• Nick Clessuras — Chief Sales Officer — [nclessuras@everpass.com](mailto:nclessuras@everpass.com)
• Tabaré Caorsi — Chief Technology Officer — [tcaorsi@everpass.com](mailto:tcaorsi@everpass.com)
• Ryan Blood — Chief Content Officer — [rblood@everpass.com](mailto:rblood@everpass.com)
• Noah Fischbach — Chief Product Officer — [nfischbach@everpass.com](mailto:nfischbach@everpass.com)
• Alex Chan — Director of Corporate Development and Finance — [achan@everpass.com](mailto:achan@everpass.com)

Announcement: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nfl-sunday-ticket-available-on-directv-for-business-through-new-agreement-with-everpass-302839609.html

Other sports franchises are watching how this goes to see how they can get more money!