Bar Hopping & Bar Hoping
My heart may be "as cold as hockey gloves" (to quote one of the most underrated street poets of the last two decades) but as longtime readers are aware, I hold a special place in that frigid domain for restaurants and bars.
As recently as 2016, I was a mainstay at nearly every local establishment. That partly reflected the fact that moving from Manhattan to a smaller island dramatically circumscribed my options. It's easy to be a "regular" when there are only a half-dozen open doors.
No matter
Mainly, as the owner of a DelLorean, I appreciate that you have not managed to make Delorean not just a Who and a What, but it is also now a HOW. So, kudos to you. With the car being seen so often, I would think that at some point they would go up in value, but that has not yet been the case.
Great column! Well said.
As a traveling musician (not any more) I’ve been to every state in America, except Hawaii. A creature of the night, one-nighters and sit-downs, for 28 years. The people I met were basically all the same, only the faces and the names changed. It’ll take time, but they’ll be back.
In my world, the people that I know are either drinking more than they were pre-covid (it is SO easy to make a cocktail, pour a glass of wine or open a beer at home- even starting around 11am), or they are spending way more mental energy (compared to pre-covid) trying to keep alcohol consumption in check.
Caveat- this is not a statistically valid sample (haha), however, I do think that alcohol consumption is up in America compared to pre-covid.
My daughter is in the wine biz- sales/profits are up as DTC/retail sales have more than made up for sales to restaurants- scary!!
My guess is that once restaurants and bars reopen, America will rise to the occasion and support the industry.
Good one H….written by a true professional…..rusty nailed it.
and the wife is soo ready to go out to a nice restaurant.
Great article, H. Poignant and to the point. As if bars had enough challenges, there is also inflation on cost in restocking inventories. While admittedly anecdotal, a bottle of Blanton’s has nearly tripled in price in the past year at the local liquor store. If that is the case with other spirits, it will probably alter behavior for what would normally be the goods where the greatest margin can be achieved.
H
If I didn’t think I knew better, it almost feels like there’s a book coming on down in your island Eden. Enjoy it. Even a bad one is fun to do. I fancy your “voice” would sound a bit like my favorite rebel, Kinky Friedman (no offense meant).
I, too, hope a book is forthcoming.
However, and I mean this in the most complimentary way possible, I see you more as an Anthony Bourdain.
Everybody wants a book. It’s a complicated decision calculus. I think a collection of semi-autobiographical short stories is more likely. At least when it comes to something that may see the light of day this year.
YES! Please do!
… ahhh!! … hope springs eternal … and memories still alive of smoky ol’ blues bars with the world’s finest bbq …