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GatoradeNipples t1_jdzl0vn wrote

I feel like this is possibly the worst match of "location" and "business concept" in the history of moneymaking.

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Rosebunse t1_jdzrre5 wrote

Not necessarily, it is a way to be different. The problem is that for many of us who don't drink, we like to do more than just go to a bar. And for those who do drink, they want alcohol. This might appeal to alcoholics whos are recovering, except many doctors are saying that even pretend alcohol can cause people to relapse, so they might need to avoid bars completely depending on what they are going through.

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Jairlyn t1_je04wfk wrote

Their point is that if there were many of you in Dublin, this place wouldn’t have failed. Yes there are those who don’t want to drink like you lost but are there enough to make a successful business?

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Calamitous_Stars t1_je05qvg wrote

There are a lot of businesses that don't serve alcohol though...?

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keyserv t1_je0aagx wrote

Yes and they usually have some other service or product to sell. That much should be obvious.

A person that doesn't drink alcohol can still definitely go to a bar.

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Calamitous_Stars t1_je0hx94 wrote

That wasn't a part of the question i was replying to..

They had asked whether or not there were enough people who don't drink at every location they shop at to justify a business not serving alcohol..

To which my answer was a reminder that many non-alcohol related businesses do in fact exist and many are quite profitable.

IOW: pedantry for the sake of a mildly amusing loophole in grammar.

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Jairlyn t1_je1n435 wrote

No I absolutely wasn’t talking about every location people shop in any type of business. We are talking only about alcohol free bars. The rest of us understood that just fine.

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Calamitous_Stars t1_je1npl1 wrote

That was the joke... do you not understand what "pedantry for humor" means??

My question is: why does this topic have your panties in a knot?

Gotta turn off notifications for reddit- I forgot how prickly y'all are. Life's more enjoyable if you learn how to relax. The people who got the joke laughed, you don't gotta get mad about it.

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Jairlyn t1_je21fia wrote

Ah yes the popular “it was just a prank bro” defense followed up with the equally popular acquisition that I am emotionally out of control.

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Calamitous_Stars t1_je22co4 wrote

If you say so- my first reply after my joke mentioned how it was a joke and what i found funny, but reading too hard, i understand.

Why are you this sensitive? Look at my first Response in this thread. The people who understood the joke laughed(or at least did that slight smile with a sharp nose exhale). Just because you didnt get it, doesnt mean it wasnt there. You could just be an alcoholic.

Like you're trying to argue, but I keep telling you there's no argument to be had and you still dont get it.. like it's oddly personal for you somehow?

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Jairlyn t1_je1m8ri wrote

Nobody is denying that there are businesses that don’t serve alcohol.

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ThatsMrDickfaceToYou t1_je238oa wrote

No, it would still fail. Drinkers buy 4-15 drinks a night. No one’s dropping $50 on non-alcoholic drinks.

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GatoradeNipples t1_je205zq wrote

You're misunderstanding me.

I'm not saying the concept is bad, in and of itself. I'm saying putting it in Dublin, a city particularly known for its drinking culture within a country particularly known for its drinking culture, is more or less just asking to lose money.

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Rosebunse t1_je234xp wrote

I think that is probably why they thought it could work. It could, you know, stand out.

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Thercon_Jair t1_je0ih1n wrote

"Pretend alcohol" generally still has a low amount of alcohol in it. So no, you wouldn't want an (ex-)alcoholic to try it.

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KittyBizkit t1_je0qdl6 wrote

As a recovering alcoholic I can tell you that NA beers have been critical to me getting sober. I still felt compelled to drink something at night and NA beers really scratched the itch in a way other options simply couldn’t. I am 5.5 months sober and don’t think I would have made it this far without them.

Also, it’s worth pointing out that orange juice contains more alcohol than many NA beers. So does a ripe banana. And even bread can contain much more alcohol than an NA beer.

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Wisco1856 t1_je0shr6 wrote

Keep up the good work. I drink NA beers and NA spirits to maintain my sobriety as well.

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Mutive t1_je19fli wrote

Yeah. It's always weird to me when people freak out about the negligible amount of alcohol in NA beverages. Like, there are small amounts of alcohol in practically everything. But it's not really an issue to slam 0.5% NA beer (or kombacha or orange juice) because the amount it would take to have a noticable amount on almost any human is enormous.

I can see how NA beer might be triggering to some. But I love the idea of an alcohol free bar. (I remember seeing such things in the Middle East and loving them. I also like that there are more and more non-alcoholic mocktails on menus at normal bars. It's great being able to go out and not drink if I don't feel like it.)

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itskdog t1_je3yak6 wrote

I don't drink by choice - don't see what's so special about alcoholic drinks - and I too appreciate when there's a good selection of Mocktails. Saves having to stick with the same old cola or lemonade.

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Mutive t1_je577qk wrote

Me too. I really loathe going out to a bar with friends and having like, tap water (or a sprite - I can't drink caffeine at night if I want to sleep which rules out a ton of beverages) while everyone else is having something fancy. While I love going to a nearby bar and sipping on a mocktail while listening to live music. It's nice having alcohol free options. (And I say this as someone who also enjoys options with alcohol. I think it's great having both!)

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eLishus t1_je0d9ft wrote

Possibly, and adding that what makes bars profitable is the incredible markup of alcoholic beverages. A single served drink costs as much as ½ a bottle in many cases. And even normal bars close all the time, especially in this financial environment. Not to mention, I assume they’re serving “mocktails”, of which people will buy (maaaybe two) vs people drinking regular cocktails will have multiple drinks. There needs to be another form of service (i.e., food) or entertainment (i.e., live music) to keep something like this afloat.

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Bumish1 t1_je15i04 wrote

That's called a restaurant or a music venue.

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eLishus t1_je1kheo wrote

Those all serve alcohol and their main component is food or music, not an accompaniment to socializing (when was the last time you went to a restaurant to socialize with people you didn’t already know?). The concept is a place to gather that doesn’t have the vice of alcohol but still has an element to inspire social interaction. Without the addition of alcohol for entertainment and to loosen inhibitions, bars are generally boring. Something with rotating themes might work well. Open mic nights (poems, comedy, acoustic guitar), food truck Fridays, taco Tuesdays, etc, would add an element besides non-alcoholic beverages. Hell, people might even love a booze free sports “bar”.

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limpingdba t1_je1levf wrote

Most/many bars in Dublin sell food and have music. They nearly all serve the same function as somewhere to socialise, have a few drinks, enjoy music and maybe eat some pub grub. They aren't really the distinct activities as you are making out.

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Cynykl t1_je3ucj9 wrote

> Open mic nights (poems, comedy, acoustic guitar), food truck Fridays, taco Tuesdays, etc

That is called a coffee shop.

This is a concept trying to fill roles already filled better by other venues.

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Breadloafs t1_je1s7g2 wrote

Most craft mocktails these days use non-alcoholic distillates which often cost nearly twice as much as the well liquor even higher end bars will use. We have a couple mocktails at the restaurant bar I work at whose ingredients cost more than most of our house cocktails. They're subject to the same bullshit markup as liquor, but our margins on NA drinks are much lower.

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eLishus t1_je29rpt wrote

Yeah I don’t drink booze any more but I bought some of those fake booze things. For one, they’re gross (lol)…but they’re also expensive. And all the added ingredients can add up. So it makes sense that margins are lower, and places like these would have a hard time making ends meet.

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Breadloafs t1_je2diqk wrote

Yeah, stuff like Wilderton can be nasty if you drink it neat. I treat them in the same way I treat Saler's or Campari in that they're strictly mixers.

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eLishus t1_je3288l wrote

I tried a couple of the Seedlip bottles. I was exited to just mix it with some soda water or other general “mixer” but the suggested ingredients in the menu of mocktails was something only a bartender/mixologist would have. It was gross with lemon infused soda water…or at least not something I would drink without the fun part of alcohol lol

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Careless_Relief_1378 t1_je2cpni wrote

You think the mark up on alcohol is absurd but the mark up on mock tails is way way higher.

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TKDbeast t1_je0krcm wrote

Where else is a person going to get a non-alcoholic drink in Dublin? I could see a world where it worked out, but I’m not too surprised it didn’t.

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SnowProkt22 t1_je0uo5o wrote

All bars have non alcoholic options. Water, soda, juice, etc....

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Responsible_Bake_756 t1_je1l3lm wrote

Put it this way man - I live in Dublin and this is the first I’ve heard of the place 😂

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