If you haven’t figured it out already, Beer and Blog takes direction from what the community wants. There’s nobody in charge dictating the when and the where. The goal is to make as many people happy and comfortable so that we can focus on far more important things… like beering and blogging.
Last Thursday we ventured outside of the Freakin’ Frog to try out a new place; Bar Louie. We had a pretty decent turn-out with 25-30 people drifting in and out all evening long. Everybody seemed to have had a good time (I know I did). We did run in to an issue with the fact that they put our entire group on one tab making it a little confusing for who owed what at the end of the night. But aside from that, all the comments I received about the place were positive.
At the beginning of the evening I spoke with the manager about possibly moving our weekly meeting to Bar Louie. He said that if we had a set day and time (we do), he would be more than happy to set up reserved tables for us and would even include power strips for the laptop users. I will be speaking with the manager again today to discuss the issue with putting the entire group on one tab and I’m sure he’ll be more than happy to comply with our need for separate checks.
So, assuming the issue with the check is a non-issue, Bar Louie seemed like a pretty nice fit. But, like I said, this is more about what the community as a whole would like to do. So, I ask you, Where do you want to meet? If you don’t care for Freakin’ Frog or Bar Louie and have a suggestion for another location, please leave a comment on the post or in the poll.
Justin Kistner
Jacqueline Mason
John Hawkins
Sara Mooney
Michael Wilder
Michelle Fox
Bar Louie was fun and a nice change of pace but I like the frog too. I’d actually be open to us keeping one place as ‘home’ for bnblv but doing a field trip once a month. That way we could mix it up, try new neighborhoods, help support our local businesses and still get together.
Although I wasn’t there last night, I have been to Bar Louie before and think it could be a good location for us. It’s nice that it’s in Town Square Mall because people can easily go do other things (see a movie, shop, etc.) afterward (and have a little more time to sober up before they drive).
Alos, I’m concerned about continuing to meet at the Freakin’ Frog while the owner is reportedly having problems paying his employees:
http://unlvrebelyell.com/2009/04/16/local-bbq-place-in-pits/
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2009/apr/22/more-say-we-didnt-pay-them-cause-we-cant/)
I wrote the original post where I was trying to stay as neutral as possible… Now for my personal comments.
Assuming the multiple-check thing isn’t an issue after today, my vote is to move to Bar Louie as a permanent home. Here are a few reasons why:
- Centrally located
- Close to the freeway making it easier for people who have to make a longer trek
- Good food
- Good drink prices
- Quieter than the Frog making it much easier to have conversations
- Manager willing to set up tables with power outlets for us
In theory the idea of switching locations once a month sounds like a cool idea, I don’t agree with it. The main reason is, it’s difficult to inform EVERYBODY where the event is going to be each week. Even though we blogged and tweeted about it relentlessly for the week leading up to the move to Bar Louie, I still had questions about where it was going to be on Thursday afternoon. I think this is especially key for people who may be new to finding the group. If they show up at spot X on the week that we moved to spot Y, it’s going to be difficult to get them to “try again” the following week.
So for what it’s worth, I’m casting my vote for Bar Louie.
I agree that we need to be at the same place every week or we will lose people — that has been my experience for every other regular group I’ve been a part of.
I didn’t make it last night, but Bar Louie gets my vote. I’ve never been a huge fan of the Frog, and their ’specials’ aren’t that great since they always run out any decent half-priced bottled beer before I can get to round three.
The location at Bar Louie is much better, too.
Also, do they have wifi? I’m assuming they do, since they’re willing to put in power strips for us.
I’m all for Bar Louie.
Mikey, to answer your question about WiFi, the actual answer is “No, they don’t”. But, Town Square does have WiFi and I was able to connect. The connection wasn’t great, but it was passable.
I like Bar Louie because it’s in Town Square. So I can get my buzz on then go shopping at Sephora, H&M, bebe, Aldo…. I vote for Bar Louie, which should be re-named to Bar Lollie! xoxo
I definitely liked Bar Louie better than the Frog, but thought the set up was a bit cramped. Hopefully the table arrangement with the power strips will be a bit better. I still think we should find an outside spot by a pool with patio furniture arranged in conversation setting with misters and a nice fire pit. It has to exist somewhere, right?