At one point in the past year, I was getting annoyed by the service at a bar that I regularly frequented. With a couple of beers in my system, I posted my irritation to Facebook, adding some wry commentary for kicks. I should’ve known the predictable would occur: a pile-on thread, one that escalated quickly. Within a few hours, I was on the phone with the owner of the place, well after the post had been erased. Even though it “lived” online for less than an hour, the minor repercussions of that impetuous moment have been bouncing around ever since (sometimes, almost comically), what with St. Louis being a big-small-town and all. Oy.
As someone involved in the same business, though at a much smaller scale than my online target that night, I should’ve counted to 10 before posting; then, I should’ve hit “delete.” Lesson learned.
In running the Tick Tock Tavern for an exact year, there have been a few of these truths that have come to light, though none as vividly as the one above. Others become clear over time, as opposed to being “aha”-style moments (though a few definitely did come in a flash). Here are some that can be shared with a family-friendly audience.
1. People love their dogs. They want to take them everywhere, even places where the dogs aren’t expressly allowed. The resulting conversations can get weird.
2. Dogs aside, we didn’t ban anyone until 11 months into the endeavor. After that first bit of unpleasantness, the second infraction came within days, suggesting something impish was in the air. A good banning is occasionally a necessity. It seems that with some folks, there’s no amount of “good talking to” that’s going to make things right. Two per year is a rate that we can embrace—though zero’s a nice number to shoot for, too.
3. Things break. Often. Being friendly with the people who have the technical skills that make life easier (and your business work more efficiently) is about the best social investment you can make. Plus, just being a more decent person is a reward in itself.
4. A neighborhood business’ success starts with the folks in the immediate neighborhood. If you’re listening to those neighbors, you’ll learn things about their lives that you’d never expect to learn (or sometimes want to learn). And keeping those things in-house is essential, even if it's tempting to share with friends and co-workers. Discretion, when combined with curiosity, is a virtue. (So are the skills of selective sight and vision. What couple making out in the corner?)
5. It’s great to have standards and rules—but it’s also fun to play with those absolutes. We didn’t plan on featuring live music at The Tick Tock, a plan that was upturned when Clownvis Presley performed a secret set at a birthday party. Once the seal was broken, we mixed in a few events and found the place is perfect for a very specific kind of small-scale show. That was a revelation. Thanks, Clownvis. You showed us the way.
6. Product lines can be seen in very black/white terms. At the start of business, we didn’t stock corner-bar brands like Bud Light, Stag, or PBR. While we still don’t offer PBR, the other two have become big sellers. Stag was brought in for a specific event, a reunion of Frederick’s Music Lounge employees and fans. It isn’t going anywhere soon. Stocking populist beers alongside crafts isn’t a sin. It’s actually good business in the right context.
7. People are gonna drink what they wanna drink. Even in trying to keep the corner-bar aesthetic, folks can get vocal about not stocking, let’s say, grapefruit bitters. Blame blogs, TV, YouTube... Everyone knows a little more about the beverage industry than in the pats, and that’s OK. Just don’t be surprised by the random request for cinnamon salt or parsley as garnish.
8. If you can make it through Restaurant Depot without crying by your third visit, it’s going to get easier. Be patient, be strong, be unafraid to ask a question and, above all, be aware of your neighbors’ cart.
9. Sales folks are great once you’ve established a good, working rapport. But friends who work in the industry are the best resources. Who knew that root beer-flavored everything would sell this summer? (And it probably won’t by fall, but let’s make money in the meantime.)
10. If you put a faux-lightbulb on a beer tap handle, it will help sell beer. It helps when the beer’s really good, of course. Credit Modern Brewery for combining inspiration with perspiration. I can’t count the amount of times I’ve heard, “What’s the lightbulb beer?” As local brands go, none have captured the “it" factor as much.
11. Trying to keep a personal ban on energy drinks and soda is possible. Doing it with weird hours and endless availability of energy drinks and soda is almost impossible.
12. You can do things right at work but still not adapt those behaviors to your personal life. For me, the ability to keep money and bills and other correspondence in the right place at the tavern hasn’t translated to doing the same things at home. It’s some kind of warped compartmentalization. Maybe by year two, it’ll all click.
13. Folks with suggestions are trying to help. Maybe there’s a selfish subtext, but they are trying to do right by ya. Every so often, one of these comments is going to fly, making more sense than you can imagine. A few will be outright duds, worthy of a quick “thank you” and not much more. Accept them with a degree of grace—and try not to post the worst on Facebook.
SLM contributor Thomas Crone manages and co-owns Tick Tock Tavern, which is celebrating a year in business on Tuesday, August 18.
