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Running/owning a bar in a resort.....

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
A couple of weeks ago, while enjoying the amazing conditions in Val Thorens, a bunch of us were sat in the Frog at the end of the day, and conversation turned to what it would be like to have our own bar in such a place (the Top Gear phrase of 'How hard can it be?' was used rather recklessly I believe!).

So, my question is this... How hard can it be? Running a place that sells beer in pints (and the compulsory Jagermiester), provides some decent food, and has live music?

Has anyone had any experience of anything like this, and have any horror/success stories, or should we just forget the conversation ever happened so that our illusions (and no doubt finances) are not shattered. The thought of leaving behind the dreary life in the UK, living in the mountains, and being able to do plenty of boarding (alas, only when not working in said bar) is a thoroughly tempting one.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
As a bar/restaurant manager in Scotland it's not a particualrly hard thing to do it is however very time consuming. I can work anything up to 70 hours weeks which i don't mind because it pays for my holidays away to the snow but can you imagine how hard it would be to wake up see perfect powder and have to go to work knowing you won't have time to enjoy the snow.

It's also getting harder to make decent money now. Customers are looking for much more value for money so i wouldn't expect to make an easy buck doing it but if your rich enough to potentially lose a bit following a dream then you never know it might work and if it does i'll send you my CV wink
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
I would imagine the hardest part would be having to inform the poor customer that that watered down pint has just cost them €8!!! Twisted Evil
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jonnyboy93, I've had that same conversation a few times over the years and the more I drank the more of a great idea it became. One year, two of those involved in that type of chat, even went as far as identifying the property in Zell am See they wanted to rent and drew up plans etc. They could afford to take a punt and still decided against it in the end. It's hard enough making a success of a bar in your own country, let alone out there where all the locally-owned bars will have it in for you, put pressure on suppliers not to supply etc. I say nah.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
In places like Val Thorens it might work OK - but in a smaller French resort, like ours, anybody who was not "du coin" would struggle, I'm sure. And being from another part of France - even as far away as - for example - Grenoble wink would not be much better than being British. Maybe worse.

the people who make money tend to do so, I suspect, by NOT having paid employees. They seem to work all hours during the season, leaving precious little time for snowboarding and calling in family members when things are busy.

Last sunday afternoon, when the lunchtime rush had died down, our local restaurateur/bar keeper spent the entire afternoon shovelling snow off the roof, whilst his son was preparing alone for the evening service.
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Quote:

the people who make money tend to do so, I suspect, by NOT having paid employees.

and some bar staff like getting paid twice if you know what I mean!
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Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
I find deciding what to call the bar and then what "theme" to go for takes up most of our drunken "dude we should TOTALLY buy a bar!!!" discussions... Plus there's what beers you want to sell, what food to provide........ The important things of course.

GF used to work in a pub and the assistant managers there put in ludicrous hours for poor money (given the time commitment and responsibility). Not for me.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Bode Swiller, when I worked in the uni bar for conferences and so on we imposed an idiot tax for sure...
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bobmcstuff, ah, that makes it three times... one by the owner, once helping themselves or "over changing" friends and once over charging punters. A friend runs a festival bar each year. Last year the festival went all electronic and no cash was accepted... takings nearly doubled, go figure.
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jonnyboy93, Main consideration will be that you will not get to ski/snowboard as you will be working or sleeping.
Bode Swiller, speaks wise words.
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Boredsurfing, a first time for everything
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 And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
jonnyboy93, Way to proceed might be this - most bars fail and the owner takes a financial bath. If you agree with that, just take the money you think you might have lost and spend it doing a season without any stress and more time for what you went out for in the first place. Warped logic but it gets you out there.
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So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Quote:

jonnyboy93, Way to proceed might be this - most bars fail and the owner takes a financial bath. If you agree with that, just take the money you think you might have lost and spend it doing a season without any stress and more time for what you went out for in the first place. Warped logic but it gets you out there.


Nice idea! Very Happy
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Ha! I shall now consider my illusions totally shattered, and consign this idea to that fanciful idea once or twice a year after a couple of beers that in reality is not going to happen, and direct my mates who shared in this discussion towards this thread!
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
davejsy wrote:
I would imagine the hardest part would be having to inform the poor customer that that watered down pint has just cost them €8!!! Twisted Evil


last week first time in austria.. feeling like i'm not being ripped off and laughed at, at the same time was interesting..

bye bye france
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
bobmcstuff wrote:
I find deciding what to call the bar and then what "theme" to go for takes up most of our drunken "dude we should TOTALLY buy a bar!!!" discussions... Plus there's what beers you want to sell, what food to provide........ The important things of course.


In the early noughties I went out for a few days to Prague. My friends and I decided that we'd open a Czech themed bar in the UK on our return, and we would call it "Czech Us Out".

We did go one step further and decided our non PC employment policy would be to employ attractive young Czech ladies and pay them the minimum wage. We'd also sell a few other beers than just Staropramen and Pilsner Urquell. And would also sell those giant pretzels.

We'd've been millionaires by now had we gone through with it wink
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
I still maintain the dream that I could make out like a bandit in US ski resorts by opening a chain of combined Princess Diana theme pubs/curry houses. All the bases covered.
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Enough capital to buy somewhere with a decent location, with enough left to make it a little different (a bit like this place: http://www.thedukeleamington.co.uk/) and I think it would be relatively easy to make decent money (although still a lot of hours a week). Depending where you go, the locals won't necessarily be dicks to you either.

The new owners of Underbar in Saalbach seem to be doing pretty well, place is always busy. The three of them do have experience of running bars in Magaluf though so kinda know what they're doing.
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I know plenty of people who own/run bars in various French resorts. They do a lot of work and don't ski very much, if at all. I could also give you several examples of TOs which have taken on bars and failed spectacularly because they thought it would be easy.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
jonnyboy93 wrote:
Ha! I shall now consider my illusions totally shattered, and consign this idea to that fanciful idea once or twice a year after a couple of beers that in reality is not going to happen, and direct my mates who shared in this discussion towards this thread!


No need to direct me here, I've already found it.

Started reading your first post, and thought 'this sounds like a conversation we had', then noticed it was you who posted.
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jonnyboy93 wrote:
A couple of weeks ago, while enjoying the amazing conditions in Val Thorens, a bunch of us were sat in the Frog at the end of the day, and conversation turned to what it would be like to have our own bar in such a place (the Top Gear phrase of 'How hard can it be?' was used rather recklessly I believe!).

So, my question is this... How hard can it be? Running a place that sells beer in pints (and the compulsory Jagermiester), provides some decent food, and has live music?



Did you ever walk out of the Frog, turn left and walk past the Irish bar a few doors down? I did a couple of times when I was in VT pre-xmas and it was deader than the proverbial parrott. It could just be that they hadn't signed up to the seasonnaire wrist band club which seemed to be the order of the day but I didn't look that closely.

I have heard a bar owner remark a couple of years ago .."people get pissed in their chalets/appts now and ight make it out just for a couple'...
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Main consideration is that you have to make a 12 month turnover (and profit) in 4 months.
Don't forget that the mortgage / rent / council/local taxes are 12 months....... the income is 4 months.
Maybe thats why a coffee is £3.50 wink
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Boredsurfing, gosh, the voice of reason. WTF are you doing on here? Laughing

Actually, you have February and Christmas/New Year in which to make the vast majority of your profit. If vacances scolaires go badly it's more or less game over for the season.
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Lizzard,
Like you I know a few bar/restaurant operators.
The other factor is staffing, the French 35 hour week isn't exactly helpful either.............
Ironically the French locals in Montalbert reckon an English themed restaurant and menu would be succesful / popular with the French ( I blame Brake France ) Shocked
I think they are taking the mic out of Les Rostbif!
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Boredsurfing running a bar in france theres only one word for that " TAX" oh and more TAX and just to add to it "TAX" forgot to mention TAX !!!! Smile Smile
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 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
cockofthenorth, Toofy Grin Oh yes! But surely the Monkey bar doesn't make enough to pay tax Confused
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 And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
Boredsurfing, 35 hours doesn't apply to bars/restauration.
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Boredsurfing, running a chalet as you know you need a restaurant licence, which then you get into all types of rules and regs !!! rolling eyes rolling eyes
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