Opinion about opening up a pub/bar & grill

[ffwife0311]

My husband is a FT paid FF and has always had a side job on his days off. I work full time too but we have always wanted to own our own business. I have this wonderful idea of opening a emergency personel pub or bar & grill in our town. The "downtown" part of our town, very historical is really growing in businesses and restuarants and I think it would be ideal to open one up downtown, which is just a few minutes away from the police dept, FD HQ and 911 command center. What do you fellas think about this. I thought about opening it up as a FF pub, but I think we will get more business if we open it up to all emergency personnel. We would serve lunch to start with, then progress with dinner, a bar with all different kinds of beer and hopefully have breakfast one day for those on the run on the way to and from work.

Give me your hones opinion and what you think about it. I of course would have to find a good investor, as we all know how firemen get paid, but I really think it could work.

[Resq1scnd2none]

I'd go...just have to keep it simple. And keep out the "riff-raff". To many bars/pubs today are trying to do to much.

[lvwrench]

Try going for a SBA loan under yourself as a woman owned and operated by you which should make getting a loan a little easier. I assume the interior will be decorated with police, firefighter stuff and such. I agree to keep the riff/raff out.

[ffwife0311]

Thanks for the suggestions. I do want to keep the rif raff out and I don't mind the public but want to keep it a clean joint. Kind of an upscale pub so to speak, but still a place to have an off colored joke when needed late at night or a place to share a bad/good call, etc. Just a place for men to be men! Yes, we would have it decorated with FF/EMS/Police memorabilia. I would even welcome any donations of photgraphs, etc. We have collected some antiques and will put those in there. I just might have to look into that SBA loan thing. Might be a way to go at it.

Keep the suggestions coming. I can use all of them. THANKS!!

[LeuitEFDems]

Sounds like a GREAT idea. I know I would frequent one alot if there was such a thing around here...just an "average joe" type of place...To help keep the riff raff out, plan your entertainment very seriously if you have any...keep it low key. If you have a hard rock band with "$1 body shots..." you're in for it...

[superchef]

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[ffwife0311]

There is one sports oriented bar and grill due to open next week which will have pool tables, etc. That will be the only "real" competition in the downtown area. All other restuaruants are formal or semi-formal with unique cuisine. A lot of the guys are looking for some regular down home cooking with a side of grease every now and then. We would of course, have some things for the more healthy conscious folks, but things that you guys love to eat, just never get the time to. They have a real interest in getting more people to come downtown and they are having almost all of the businesses open up in the evenings on the 1st friday of every month, including light bands on the streets, etc. It's really warm and inviting.

I am anxious to get more ideas. This is just a start, but it will be a work in progress, I hope.

[FlyingKiwi]

Which city are you in.

I need to know how far to swim / walk.

[firetruckred]

I have a friend who is a Capt. He has been in the Fire Service 29 yrs. His dream is to open up a FF/emt/pd bar as well. I mentioned opening a bar the other day. One thing of caution he says is he needs and wants to put it in a remote location. I am all for it and can't wait. I want to help decorate. I love the idea. We talked about names like Hook and Ladder or Halligans. I know there is one already named Halligans.

My old boyfriend who was from Ireland ran an Irish Pub. That was a blast. He did not own it, his best friend did. His other best friend was a cop, so ofcourse this was a good thing when he had to close for the night and every one wanted a pint of Guinness. Some of the people from his Dept would come up but not many. (the boyfriend was not a FF by the way.)

Why put it in a remote location you ask? Two reasons.

Emergency personnal need somewhere where they can relax and talk about things. If they were in a bar full of people that are not part of the field there could be alot of harm done. We all know lose lips happen after a few beers.
This could cause trouble if the wrong person here's about an accident or fire.

We all know the saying if you want news to travel fast tell a fireman. News of the place would be word of mouth so no need for a place in a busy area and wood keep the riff-raff out.

This is HIS opinion. I think they are good points, true and something to consider. Would I do it this way? Not sure. I would make sure of is that it's in a safe area with alot of lights.

One more thing. The old boyfriend who ran the bar, ran it in the downtown area. The same people used to run the first Irish pub in our town. At first word of mouth spread and it did well for a while because the same people who frequented the other pub would come to this pub. The sad fact is since it was downtown there were alot young people, ravers, who would also show up. This was a turn off to the frequent bar flys (the old but true irish drinking men, the lifelong customers) and soon they flew away because there was no privacy. Eventually new rules were made for Downtown establishments and they no longer could stay open on their own terms. Politics. They end up selling part of it and this changed everything. Eventually they closed down due to disputes on how to run it. (This was over a five year period) Investors play a big role in things so you have watch out. The first irish Pub in the town is still opened. I think cause it was always family owned. It was and still is a dive but the locals don't care. Just my two cents.

[backsteprescue123]

Open it up!

I would be a frequent customer if you were in my area. There is one about 45-60 minutes away that is alright. It's called Firehouse 47. The lights above tables are shells of helmets that have a light in them. They also have plenty of firefighting memorabilia. But, it is a little far to frequent.