Tick Tock Tavern II: Progress, Predictions, A Point of View

When the Tick Tock Tavern closed in 1994, the original pricing signage was left hanging just inside the doorway. It’ll be hung there again, soon, a nod to the old joint. But those prices will be displayed for nostalgia’s sake only; the 85-cent drafts, most notably, are a thing of the past. And the selection will be expanded, in the amount of “a lot.” In 1994, in South City, a beer lineup that pretty much relied on the many offerings of Anheuser-Busch was sufficient. Today, the big brewery just east of us will have a lessened, but still very important role.

People’s tastes have radically changed in the last two decades. Needs and wants are precise and customers are darned specific in requesting what they want from a new tavern. They’re also vocal in expressing their likes, social media allowing for an interesting testing lab. The old Tick Tock menu had a line item named “Glass of Wine,” a description which wouldn’t exactly fly in today’s headier nightlife culture.

Some weeks back, we asked people subscribing to our Facebook page what they’d want to see offered, if they were able to place a few selections on the upcoming liquor and beer lists. The results were an enjoyably-mixed bag. From Genesee Cream Ale to bottled seltzer water to Zima, a wealth of niche options were registered, as were more mainstream picks. What gets tricky these days is that there’s a large audience out there wanting very-specific call brands and microbrews.

It’s a giant puzzle and the pieces can feel like jagged fits. 

The first decision, clearly, is to delineate what you are and what you are not.

The old Tick Tock was a sleepy, corner bar. (As in, we’ve heard plenty of stories about people actually falling asleep at the bar. That tradition, like the pee wee nuts and pay phone, are of the historical type, only.) The neighborhood surrounding T3 has changed over the prevailing years, with an immediate base of clients that’s black and white, gay and straight, young and old, working class and wealthy. So how do you find selections and picks that make sense for everyone?

Make a list!

* The Tick Tock Tavern won’t feature “a beverage program.” It’s great that the term exists and that St. Louis is rife with quality places that serve nine-ingredient cocktails. Date night bars are copious in the City, even the South Side, and that’s a solid trend. But the Tick Tock’s list will be a pared-down affair, concentrating on classic, simple, affordable mixed drinks and a beer list that’ll run heavily towards the local. Vodka infusions? Maybe a couple. Twenty kinds of flavored rum? No. The newest, trendiest bourbon distilled by yogis on a Vermont ashram? Unlikely.

* Space plays a role in some of this. Regarding draughts, for example, the plan calls for 11 tap handles; that’s neither a paucity nor a wealth. The number suggests that we can try to represent all the major/popular brewing styles (lagers, sessions, ciders, IPAs) while also satisfying those who clamor for a porter or stout. And the backbar itself is tiny; the T3 has room for about 45 brands from across all the flavor spectrum, so that’ll be a limiter to how crazy selections can get.

* There’s a time-specific element to all this, too. The bar, itself, looks like one that closed in 1994. In keeping many of the original touches - then adding to those with period-appropriate renovations - the bar’s got a look’n’feel that says 1979 Happened Here and Was Lived Well. To that end, why not bring in a few selections that rocked your parents’ worlds back in the day? Care for something to sip? May we offer you a Cutty Sark on the rocks? Wanna start your weekend off right? Why not pour a Michelob? And here we take time out to discuss A-B…

* In reading various histories about A-B and the family at the center of the brewing giant, I’ve come away with the idea that the place has changed in a million ways and that St. Louis’ connection to the business has shifted radically. It strikes me that there was a point in time during which A-B wouldn’t have let a little spot open in its shadows without wanting to make a mark. For us, our affordable can will be Busch Bavarian and our discount bottle will be Michelob, the two titles that we’re offering from that big-ol’ list of A-B products. We’d love to let the people know that.

For example, we have an elevated, corner hanger, where a double-sided Busch sign once swayed in the South City breeze. We wouldn’t be opposed to having another, but find it odd that we’d have to buy one off of Craigslist. As a retro bar, we could find a home for figurines of Spuds McKenzie or the Bud Ice Penguin. Meanwhile, a brand with outta town roots, PBR, is an aggressive suitor for branding placement. As any South Citian knows, Pabst is a marketing machine, as aggressive as a shark, or a tornado, or a tornado full of sharks. If you want signage, events, point-of-sale-items-of-all-kinds, they’re a company to call on.

A-B? Well, we’re open to the love. ‘Cause we know that other brand wants to do more than cuddle.

We could envision a little, simple something, a welcome-to-the-neighborhood-type present from The Brewery. It’d be easy to pull off. (Well…) Imagine this: the Clydesdales come trotting out of their paddock yard, straight up Pestalozzi, through the Benton Park and Tower Grove East neighborhoods. The team pulls a quick right-turn on Arkansas, and, voila!. The horses, riders, spotted dogs and first shipment of Michelob’s brown bottled goodness land right on our summer patio. What a vision! What a tie to traditional, old-school St. Louis!

I can dare to dream. And dare to hint, very, very, broadly. Can’t I?

Thomas Crone, along with Fred Hessel and Steven Fitzpatrick Smith, are partners in renovating the storied Tick Tock Tavern at 3459 Magnolia, slated to open in mid-August 2014. Monitor the progress on Facebook, here.