Nobody's Bringing Their Friends to See the Walmart

Gas hits your wallet at the pump, but it also hits your pint glass before most people notice. We start with the mood swing of coming home relaxed from a Michigan ski trip and instantly feeling the stress rise again, because running bars means the projects never stop. From there we get real about how inflation and fuel costs pressure the restaurant industry, what that could mean for summer tourism around Sandusky and Cedar Point, and why even a “small” fill-up can signal bigger changes in cost of goods and margins.

We also dig into bar and beverage news, including a headline about a fast-growing American whiskey brand defaulting on massive loans and what that teaches about scaling too fast. Then we zoom out to drinking trends: Americans reporting lower alcohol use, Gen Z leaning into moderation, and the surge in non-alcoholic beer and NA spirits. The nuance matters, and we talk about what it looks like when customers aren’t quitting, they’re mixing it up. On top of that, we vent about Ohio’s THC drink rollback and why it feels like the market is getting steered by lobbying instead of voters.

Finally, we bring it back to the day-to-day: Tique's is moving fast with construction, plumbing, equipment orders, and the stressful “hurry up and wait” of food and liquor licensing. Paddle Bar adds hours, we shout out a new bartender, plug the final Drunk History night, and talk merch. We wrap with the stuff only bar owners truly understand: fixing doors, re-fixing toilets, debating ice cube size, watching fast food prices creep up, and why downtown “retail pioneers” keep doing it anyway. Subscribe, share Barpod with a friend, and leave a review so more people who love bars, restaurants, and small business can find us.

Transcript

Welcome Back And Season Plan

SPEAKER_02 0:17

This is how it is.

SPEAKER_01 0:25

Many stores to flow.

SPEAKER_00 0:29

Good vibes. Big laps. Let's go. Let's go.

SPEAKER_03 0:36

Hey, here we are. It's Barbot. You came in hot. I know. I know. It was getting a little loose for me. I don't know what's going on. I just got ready. I'm a couple days off. Hey, everybody, I'm all full. You're full of it. I drank a lot of coffee this morning and I gotta be honest. I I you know I had a couple days off in Michigan and went and did some skiing, and I I I uh I came back uh and I was really relaxed, and then as I got to about 15 miles away from home, I could just feel my anxiety and stress level go up with all these projects. Holy crap. Anyway, you got some color on your face. I did, but I got wind burned. I was skiing fast, bud. It was good snow up there. You'll do that. Good snow uh in uh Boyne and Nubs Nub. We'll talk about that. We've got to be able to do that. Nubs nub sounds like a porn named Nubs. We talked about that. Nubs nubs. It does. Uh anyway, Barpod episode 12. We are 12 in the books for Barpod, I think.

unknown 1:24

What?

SPEAKER_03 1:25

A dozen. Well, let's get going here. Let's get right into it. All right. Um and uh what do you think? Do you how do we do we've so season one, yeah, episode 12. I think we do a couple more episodes. Okay. Maybe 15. Fift fifty stop at 15 and then and then take like two or three weeks off. Okay. Get ready to get these these puppies going, these bars rocking. So a little spring cleaning. Once a little spring cleaning, then once the weather starts getting warm, we start getting going again, then we'll then we'll start season two. So I think seasons are 15 episodes long every week. Continuing that.

SPEAKER_06 1:57

I like that. You know what that coincides well with is uh two. Oh, you got a vacation coming up. Well, my vacation and um pretty soon after that, we have a trip to we have our uh employee trip to Putnam Bay.

SPEAKER_03 2:08

Oh yeah, taking them to Whiskey Light at the end this year. Oh boy. So we have the roundhouse bar. I don't want to, you know, pat myself on the back, but we're pretty good bosses taking their employees to South Bass Island.

SPEAKER_06 2:19

Well, are we though? Because, you know, that's kind of like the it's like a Christmas one that we like.

SPEAKER_03 2:25

Well, yeah, but there's nothing going on during Christmas. You gotta have some fun here. And everybody has a Christmas party. We're close around Christmas party.

SPEAKER_06 2:30

And everybody has a Christmas party. Let's get all let's have fun in the spring.

SPEAKER_03 2:33

Screw that. Spring parties is what I say.

HGTV Budgets And Real Work

SPEAKER_06 2:35

Um let can I fire something up with a little funny thing that I thought.

SPEAKER_03 2:38

Yeah, you get it going.

SPEAKER_06 2:39

Um anybody who's m likely married and has a wife who in our house, we always joke about this, but if I have control of TV, it's usually some sporting thing. Sure. Golf, uh, basketball, whatever, baseball. Um if Amber has control of the TV, it's uh it's on HD TV. HD TV. It's just that's it's known in our house. That's what we're doing. And I always tell Amber the Is that the Property Brothers? Yeah, yeah, you got I think they're on there. They're on there. Uh it used to be um um Chip and Joanna, they have their own thing now. All right. Anyway, but uh one sh the the one she watches, a lot of them are when they go in and say, Okay, we're gonna redo this house. No demo reno, all this stuff, right? We're gonna redo your house. And HTTP, it'll they'll put the little uh the little graphic up on Zoom.

SPEAKER_03 3:27

What's a no demo rent? Does that mean no demolition renovation? Correct. That sounds like an oxymoron.

SPEAKER_06 3:32

I know I think they just don't knock down walls, I think. Oh, okay. Anyway, that's just an example. But all of them, when they're doing these renovation projects, they throw a little graphic up on the bottom, right? And it says, you know, Jim and Karen. And it has the list of what they do for jobs. Yeah. And then they'll say, What's your budget for this project? And they'll be like, 1.4 million. And you're going, wait, what? And on the bottom, it'll always say what their profession is, and it's always something that doesn't match the budget.

SPEAKER_03 4:00

You mean like like like your notes here are pretty funny.

SPEAKER_06 4:04

Exactly. It'll say, it'll say, it'll say, Okay, Jim uh breeds lizards, and Karen sells bespoke coffee filters. And you're like, I always think to myself, like, what? Breeds, this guy breeds lizards, and she sells coffee filters, and they have a$1.4 million budget. I know somebody you will identify with this. It happens almost every day.

SPEAKER_03 4:23

And you're you're like, what the hell? We're over here, you know, cleaning toilets and fixing doors.

SPEAKER_06 4:27

Exactly. These guys are breeding litters and selling lizards and selling filters, and uh, and they've got a$1.4 million budget. I somebody will laugh at this because it's it's ridiculous and it's every time.

SPEAKER_03 4:37

That's the uh what's that's not cool. That's not fair. How are they doing that? I don't know, but I don't know. I don't have a$1.4 million. Sure don't.

Bowling Green Night Out Rituals

SPEAKER_06 4:44

Sure don't. But I thought that was funny.

SPEAKER_03 4:46

So uh well, I'll tell you what, I'll catch up a little bit like what's kind of been going on. You can tell me what's going on with you. I'll tell you what's been gone. They did a little trip to uh Bowling Green, Ohio last Thursday. Like uh yeah. Uh met Dave and Jody and Greg up there, and we had uh some good beers at uh Juniper Brewing. Of course, we carry their beer here once in a while.

SPEAKER_06 5:05

Yep, we're getting some this week, actually.

SPEAKER_03 5:06

Oh, good. Um, and uh yeah, and then we went out to dinner and just had a great time. I walked around campus and waxed uh about the old days and you know poetic. Mackenzie, I think, was getting sick of me talking about. I used to do this at this building, and I would done this is where I walked, and I'm pretty sure she was indulging me, but I think she was tired of listening to me.

SPEAKER_06 5:23

Do they still have uh what's the steak place with the brown jug steak?

SPEAKER_03 5:26

Uh Trotter's. That's still there. Yeah, that's still there. Uh that place is cool. Uh we went to Sam B's, which is uh which has been there for a while. They changed locations, good food. Um, but you know, I will say, you know, I did in the morning, but I didn't get up early. Uh I went to Waffle House. The only green is there's not too many college campuses with the Waffle House, I don't think. I don't know the stats on that, but in Ohio I think BG is the only one.

SPEAKER_06 5:47

You remember Anthony Bourdain was a big big guy. He was a he loved.

SPEAKER_03 5:51

It was great. There was an old guy sitting there just waiting to talk to people. You know, you could tell he was just waiting and smiling, having a good time. How do you do how do you take your hash browns at the Waffle House? What's your move? Usually mine are smothered covered. Okay. Mine are smothered, covered, and capped.

SPEAKER_06 6:05

Smothered, oh, mushrooms.

SPEAKER_03 6:06

Add the mushrooms, and I put a little hot sauce on there, and I'm good to go.

SPEAKER_06 6:09

Don't you, don't you love? That's genius. That's the genius of Waffle House. Everyone who has been or goes to Waffle House knows, like you just said, how do you get it there?

SPEAKER_04 6:17

You know?

SPEAKER_06 6:17

You don't say that about your you don't say that about Bob Evans. Always Cracker Barrel. You don't say smothered, covered, capped. Like that's that's genius.

Northern Michigan Ski Trip Takeaways

SPEAKER_03 6:25

It is, it is. It's uh, you know, I'm not a normally a big chain restaurant person uh when it comes to anything. Uh but Waffle House, uh, it's an institution does it. I used to, you know, of course it probably has something to do with being there at three in the morning after being at the bars in Bowling Green, but that's a whole nother story. Waffle House is um an institution. And then uh just got back from northern Michigan. Nice. Uh did some skiing up there, went to some really uh great uh bars and restaurants. Uh and then mom and dad met us up there uh the day after, so we skied Boeing um Boeing Mountain first, and Boeing Mountain is definitely more of a uh you know, you can tell they've got like it's the it's more of a corporate, but in a good way. I mean it was it was a slush cup, uh, but they had like a a uh a full-on igloo ice bar up top, like full-on walk inside an igloo. It's an ice bar playing house music and stuff, you know. That's you know, that's that's what they do in uh Europe.

SPEAKER_06 7:18

Hey, little little little budget-friendly advice here for our seasoned listeners. Uh has free tickets for uh 65 and above. 70 and above. 70 above.

SPEAKER_03 7:27

70 above. And I'll tell you what, I skipped. In the sp in the spring only. In the spring only, I believe. Free tickets. Uh free tickets if you if you're going skiing. As a matter of fact, uh, we skied there yesterday uh with mom and dad, and uh I tell you what, I felt like I was skiing at a uh retirement home. Did you? There were, I mean, I was the youngest person. Careful now.

SPEAKER_06 7:44

That I tried to keep it PC and said experienced listeners.

SPEAKER_03 7:46

That's not being a retirement. I want to, but here's what I want to tell you. There were some rippers. I mean, there were some old guys crushing it. Well, there were groups of, I mean, it was just I was impressed. Good skiers. Our parents being too. And I'm I'm going, I'm going. This is my retirement plan. This is where I want to be. Listen, northern Michigan's awesome. You know, you can boat in the summertime, golf. There's golf courses everywhere for you. I know. And then uh ski in the wintertime.

SPEAKER_06 8:08

There's hiking spots here.

SPEAKER_03 8:09

Hiking spots, what else are you gonna do? It's perfect.

SPEAKER_06 8:10

I know, I know. It's a mini college.

SPEAKER_03 8:12

Northern Michigan. Then we stopped at a uh cool brewery on the way back in Brighton, Michigan, and I am blanking on the name right now. But it was very friendly, met the owners, one of the owners. Restaurant? Uh it was a brewery, restaurant, hangout pizza. I will bring it up on the next episode. Nice. Or maybe like put it in the show notes or something.

SPEAKER_05 8:28

You say in Brighton?

SPEAKER_03 8:29

Brighton, Michigan.

SPEAKER_05 8:29

From where Aspen Stream is right.

SPEAKER_03 8:32

I think I saw TJ and Dex sitting in there having a beer. We're not the best skiers on the mountain. We're we're skiing 250 feet of landfill. What else do you got going on besides HTTP?

SPEAKER_06 8:41

Real quick before I forget, what are you drinking? Uh it's a North High Irish Red, I think. Is that what you poured me? Yeah, North High Irish Red. I am drinking the Schnitz Celtic Symphony. I think we brought up, brought up Schnitz Brewery um like on episode one, I think, or two.

SPEAKER_03 8:55

We did. But their beer is phenomenal. Yeah, they're they're in the uh, is it Akron area? Akron Canton area. Parma. Parma, yeah, Parma. And these guys, North High, these guys are in Columbus. Columbus. So both great beers. Both good beers. Uh, we're trying to drink a little red beer because it's after St. Patrick's Day, but that never means it's too late to drink some red beer. No, it's tasty. Irish beer all. They're good at it.

SPEAKER_06 9:13

It is tasty. Um, as far as other things I've got going on, um, you know, I was a man in the ship while you were gone for a couple days. Um, I've got my Hilton Head trip with the kids coming up.

SPEAKER_03 9:23

Good luck with us. Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 9:25

We're driving.

SPEAKER_03 9:26

Driving? Yeah, we're driving.

SPEAKER_06 9:27

Your kids are good in the car. They are, dude. You you set them up with uh, you know, snack. Amber's really good about setting up with snacks and like a snack box. She made a snacks. She made like a snack box last time. Yeah. Um, and it was sweet. So you hook them up with uh movies and stuff. We do a good job. We stop a little bit, run around.

SPEAKER_03 9:43

Run around with kids. Get the ants out of the pants.

SPEAKER_06 9:46

Amber, we're on our new schedule at home now because Amber started her new full-time gig at the hospital. Um, she took the a charge nurse position for three different levels. That's awesome. Yeah, and she's crushing it. So yeah, just getting used to the new new scheduling. Yeah. New scheduling. And I'll give a shout-out to my uh our parents because when they're not here, they're up in Nubs Nob right now, obviously. Yeah. Um, my job is way harder with the kids because I don't have I don't have backup.

unknown 10:10

Right.

SPEAKER_06 10:10

You can't just be like, hey, I gotta run this, I gotta go do this. Yeah, yeah. Can you watch kids for you know two hours? You can't do it. Yeah, so it makes it a little tougher. Foster helped me do inventory on Monday, which was awesome. Yeah, yeah, he likes this part. He does. He loves this.

SPEAKER_03 10:21

Um very cool.

SPEAKER_06 10:23

Oh schnitz, that is phenomenal. That is good beer.

SPEAKER_03 10:25

What else you got?

Gas Prices Airports And Summer Tourism

SPEAKER_06 10:26

Um You know, uh I I had uh I had I had one more thing I was gonna talk about. I you know, I don't even know if I want to talk about it, honestly. I filled up my car the other day with gas. Oh what? What? Now granted, now I'm an idiot because your car takes premium only. It takes premium only. So I want to. It's like five dollars a gallon, right? Yeah, right, yeah. Now it is. But I think it was$4.79 when I filled up. And my car's small, dude. It's a Volkswagen GTI. It's like a golf. It was$54, dude. That's hot. For my car, that's hot. I know there's other people going, well, mine was$78,$97. But for my car,$54 to fill up a tank.

SPEAKER_03 11:06

Yeah, I can't imagine filling up a you know an F F-150 or you know, one of those right now. That's gotta be tough. Or a big, big truck or diesel, let alone diesel trucks would be tough.

SPEAKER_06 11:14

So get the straight of four boos under control.

SPEAKER_03 11:16

Figure it out. My concern, obviously, there, and we've talked about this before, we don't need to go into it, is what is that gonna do to uh our cost of goods in the bar business, restaurant business. Pretty much any business, the cost of goods are gonna go up. You saw United just announced today, as a matter of fact, that the uh cost of airline tickets are going up 20% based on fuel prices. I'm sure the other air airlines are gonna follow suit. That being said, that's if you can go through an airport without getting shot at.

SPEAKER_06 11:38

Right. And you've got other you've got other airlines just straight up canceling routes now? Yeah. Uh southwesters.

SPEAKER_03 11:44

They're they're gonna, I mean, that's what that's what big companies do. You know, you you look in the middle, you go, where can I cut? What can I do? And you're gonna start with the low-hanging fruit, and that's routes that aren't as popular and stuff. So it's it's gonna limit everything that we do. Um I don't you know one thing I don't like about now. You got me going here.

SPEAKER_06 11:58

I see it.

SPEAKER_03 11:59

Uh with the uh with the uh ice folks in the airport. You remember when you used to fly? I flew a lot, I went to a lot of places. I went to I went to Mexico, Colombia, like I was all other places. I remember, and it's never a problem, but I remember flying into like you know international airports and you see guys with Uzies and you're like makes you feel uncomfortable. I don't like this. And that's what we're doing here now. I know. Let's not do that. I saw some of that. Let's just not do that.

SPEAKER_06 12:19

I saw some of that in Costa Rica. All right. Uh uh one more thing. Uh, and I don't know. You tell me maybe you have some insight on this. Um I am, I don't want to be alarmist, but I am a little bit nervous about this summer and what it's gonna do to tourism. Um, that being said, I hate to even like spin it positive for us because I don't it feels kind of greasy, but oh, the the regional versus well, uh yeah, there's there's there's yeah if people aren't gonna travel as much nationally and internationally. Right, does that mean they're gonna go to Cedar Point?

SPEAKER_03 12:49

If they're from Chicago, there's a better chance they're gonna come here than going on the Disney.

SPEAKER_06 12:52

So is so is regional tourism gonna cover up that lapse in national tourism?

SPEAKER_03 12:56

I don't know. I that's a good question. We'll know that at the end of the year. That'll be in bar pod episode 42.

SPEAKER_06 13:00

But as I sit here and say that, gas prices can deter that as well.

Whiskey Implosion And Drinking Trends

SPEAKER_03 13:04

Right. And also and also the international world thinks we're a bunch of assholes right now. So that's not gonna, that's they're not gonna come here. I mean, Canadian, um, I think last year Canadian visitation was down like almost 50% in this area, something like that. And by the way, if any Canadians are watching or anybody that's anywhere in the world, yeah, we love you here at BarPod and we love you at Battle Bar and Volsid Bar and Teaks. Let's just all be nice to each other. Right? You know? Love thy neighbor, man. God, I love Canadian. Is that a biblical quote? Love thy neighbor? Yeah, I think it is. Maybe. All right. Anyway, that's uh that's uh the world around us. Uh and this is not a political podcast, so we are not gonna get into any of that stuff. What do you have on the surface area?

SPEAKER_06 13:42

What do you have going on here for the whiskey implosion?

SPEAKER_03 13:44

Yeah, you know, so this I just kind of printed out some bar news and uh Uncle Nearest Whiskey Implosion, the fastest growing American whiskey. Forge called them just two years ago, defaulted on$108 million in loans.

SPEAKER_06 13:57

Well, that's interesting.

SPEAKER_03 13:58

And receivership.

SPEAKER_06 13:59

Our government's insolvent as well.

SPEAKER_03 14:00

Um I solved just today. That's not good today. Yeah, it can't be good. Um weaver. So sanctions, bad whiskey. Uh, this company is taking a crap. And what can that say? I mean, all it is is that's part of the economy we're dealing with right now. Yeah. Um, you know, and is it is it part of the people less drinking? And now we've gone to the little bit, not not necessarily less drinking. Um, they're less drinking at home, but people are still going to bar. So it just kind of depends on where they're at. Yeah. But that does show you the thing that I always concerned about, and I'm a little nervous right now as we're adding this uh adding TEAKS uh bar over in Bay View at the Cedar scaling too fast and losing control of your brand. Well and that that they might have got too big too fast. And you've seen that story from a small business um to you know major, major c companies.

SPEAKER_06 14:47

Well, again, and we've brought this up before. Lucky for us, while you're starting TEAKS, um, you know, I can I I'm able to be the anchor here while you're over there. But some people don't have that uh some people don't have that luxury, you know, if they're trying to do things on their own. Right. Or um so yeah, I I get it. That's uh I think that place is gonna crush it over there, but yeah, I get what you're saying.

SPEAKER_03 15:09

Yeah, I think I think we're gonna do all right. Um, but you know, I'm also being very I'm scaling up as small as possible. Taking as l I mean, it's risky as always, any business venture is, but I'm trying to take as little risk as possible. Um but that being said, uh you have a uh extra basement room if things really go bad. Um and then you know, this is kind of what we're talking about. Here's another little stat about the Americans drinking less thing. And I know we talk about it a lot, but we have to, it's part of our business. It is. Um, 54%. This is a Gallup poll, 54% of US adults now say they drink alcohol. That's the lowest since they started tracking in 1939. Gen Z is leading the charge. 65% say they plan to drink less. Well, everybody says that, so whatever. Uh, non-alcoholic spirits are 925 million in off-premise sales last year, which is a 22% growth off prevens, but 92% of people buying NA options also still buy fully proof stuff. They're not quitting, they're moderating.

SPEAKER_06 16:05

You know, I I can identify with that because sometimes I when I see an NA beer at the grocery store that I like or or want to try, I'll snag it. Yeah. Because what if I want a beer on a Tuesday night when I don't feel like drinking, I drink an NA beer.

SPEAKER_03 16:17

Yeah, and I've been doing the same thing. Yeah, yeah. So I, you know, it's it'll be interesting to see how it all plays out. I'm not as concerned about that as I am concerned about cost of goods and like the margins in this industry are tough. You saw the lime situation last week. I didn't. Oh, well, because you were gone, I picked them up.

SPEAKER_06 16:32

Oh, were they out of control? Yeah, I didn't do the, I didn't look at the books and stuff. Oh, yeah, they've gone up.

SPEAKER_03 16:36

Limes have gone up, you know, 14% or whatever.

SPEAKER_00 16:38

That's great.

Teeks Build Timeline And Red Tape

SPEAKER_03 16:39

Yeah. That's great. You remember the lime? That was a while ago. There was a lime thing. There was a bunch of cartels or something hijacking lime trucks a while ago. All right. Uh, so let me give you uh moving to updates uh with Teeks. Um, dude, moving quickly over there all of a sudden, and that's why I'm freaking out. I was over there this morning. Uh it's now my daily, go over there every morning, figure out what's going on, what's changed, but I mean they are the water's back on in the back room. Uh they're digging the trenches uh for the new bathrooms. They're putting up the all the plumbing is going up in the uh uh in the bar. Uh restaurant equipment is ordered. That gets delivered in two weeks. Um so once that happens, you're making me anxious. Then it's time, I know, dude. And then it's time, and then it's time to um uh then it's time to you know do the do the paperwork, get the food license, then get the liquor license, and that actually can be some of the most challenging stuff because you're at the whim of of these inspectors. And uh so but that is the thing. So we're we're rocking and rolling. I you know have said my goal is Memorial Day for Teeks. I I'm not don't hold me to that yet um until you know you have that liquor license in hand. But once you do, hey, and then you're then you're good to go.

SPEAKER_06 17:47

Fire it up. Uh I see, you know, real quick, I see something that's not on here that we should probably update because we're moving on to uh Afro Man?

SPEAKER_03 17:53

Have you followed? Oh my god, the the Afro Man thing is hilarious, dude. Mama's pound cake. I'm sorry. I don't even know why I went that way, but man, it's been hilarious. If you're not following what has happened with Afro Man, I'm sorry to go off with a tangent here, but it's so good.

SPEAKER_06 18:06

We don't even need to like talk that much about it, but just look up Afro Man, just type it into Google or whatever you do.

SPEAKER_03 18:12

They try, yeah, they went after him. Ice went after him. And and he I don't think it was ice, was it? Was it not ice? No, I think it was just like no, I don't think it was shivers or something. Yeah, I mean, and you know, they were just doing their job, but like they broke into his house, right? Somebody suspected him of like like kidnapping or something, and so they broke into his house, and the one guy wanted some of the pound cake that was on the table, and so he wrote songs about it. And what's the do you know the PR value of Afroman right now?

SPEAKER_06 18:38

They made him relevant again, dude.

SPEAKER_03 18:39

He is so relevant now. I went back and I'm listening to it.

SPEAKER_06 18:41

What's what's the chorus of the song that he sang? I can't. I was singing it the other day and I couldn't stop. Foster looked at me. He goes, What are you doing?

SPEAKER_03 18:47

Oh, it's so funny. I forgot it's just look it up. Just look it up. I mean, he's from Ohio, by the way. Um matter of fact, I saw him in two places. I once saw Afro Man in Breckenridge, Colorado, and in Bowling Green, Ohio. Two zigzags.

SPEAKER_06 18:58

That's all we need. Maybe that's all we need.

SPEAKER_03 19:01

Think about when he wrote that song, Weed Was Illegal.

SPEAKER_06 19:03

Dog smoke. Think about that. Tumble weed.

SPEAKER_03 19:07

Weed was illegal when he wrote that song. And interestingly enough, uh, you saw that here in Ohio. Colt 45 and two zigzags. Colt 45 and two zigzags, and of course, then I got high, which of course the the the best one. Um speaking of you know, weed. Um, and it's interesting because my take on it is absolutely weed should be legal, THC drinks should be legal. Oh, yeah. Um, we voted for it in Ohio, it's been taken away, bars can no longer serve THC drinks anymore. We just had to purge our purge our THC drinks, which I think is bullshit. It's not what the people voted for. Follow, I don't why. Um, and but I did find out not only is it it's it's unfortunately it's business, uh, big businesses that we drink in Bev and a lot of and courses, lobbyists were pushing to get they don't want it because it's competition for them, and I'm sorry. Why don't they just competition for us too, but you know what? If that's what the people want, that's what the people should get. So stop fucking around. Yeah, free market might be. Free market is the way it should be.

Paddle Bar News Merch And Events

SPEAKER_06 20:04

Little tiny, little tiny uh awesome update here. Today is the day that paddle bar is open on Tuesdays. Um, we're opening tonight. So, dude, uh we're warmer weather is on the horizon.

SPEAKER_03 20:15

I gotta check something out here real quick.

SPEAKER_06 20:16

What do you got?

SPEAKER_03 20:17

Nope, just gonna make sure that we're that I got it updated. Did I have it updated? You put a post up about it. Oh, good. No, that was McKenzie. She was McKenzie.

SPEAKER_06 20:23

Nice. And uh Alexis is the new bartender that we're excited to have on board, and she starts tonight too.

SPEAKER_03 20:28

So yeah, Alexis is gonna be awesome, I think. We're gonna have fun with that. Um, and then we did do um some uh drunk history uh last week, and then we have the last one uh this week, uh tomorrow, and uh Molly Sampson from the Maritime Museum is gonna be here talking a little bit about women in World War II and tying it locally. So that's interesting. That's very interesting stuff. So that's happening uh Wednesday at uh 7 p.m. And that's the last of the drunk history.

SPEAKER_06 20:56

Yeah, the last drunk history, which has been a phenomenal thing.

SPEAKER_03 20:59

Uh it's really been good.

SPEAKER_06 21:00

Gets us through some of these cold months. It sucks. I had some stuff with the kids, but I missed Tom Horseman. I am bummed about that. I think it was awesome.

SPEAKER_03 21:05

Yeah, he was good. He talked a lot, a lot of cool stuff.

SPEAKER_06 21:07

Um merch update. Merch? Merch update. Here's what's going on. Here's what's gonna happen. Tell me. Uh in the next week or so, I am gonna move the t-shirt print. We have a t-shirt printed on here. We haven't used it enough. We need to stock, we need to step it up. Yeah, um, that's on me. I'm gonna take it home and start printing some stuff. Some of that stuff is gonna be barpod t-shirts. Oh, I love it. We need a barpod. We do need barpod t-shirts, yeah. You know, I think people would dig that. We would dig that. I want to wear it. Yeah, barpod hats. Um, but yeah, as far as that goes, Amber is going to, you said McKenzie helps out a lot. Amber does too. She's going to start um kind of ordering some spring merch.

SPEAKER_03 21:42

Yeah, I'm glad that that uh Amber's uh get involved with her merch game. She's good at it, she can help us out a lot. Um yeah, I was kind of like we're already we're like out of like larges and stuff, and we gotta get her because people are asking. It's time to get it in spring. It's like holy crap, I forgot to do that.

Downtown Retail Pioneers Vs 250

SPEAKER_06 21:55

This happens every year when spring rolls around all of a sudden, because here's the here's the thing, right? It may be thirty six degrees today. But pretty soon it's you're gonna see these mid-60s and then boom, it's summer. It's just on you quickly. Anybody who you know runs restaurants or bars knows this.

SPEAKER_03 22:11

So quick little story of the week here. Um did you read that Substack that I sent you today? I did. I'll uh Jeff friend of ours, Jeff Kerr, wrote that. He uh he's done a lot of things. I mean he was uh he was a he's an architect, uh he did landscape design. Uh now he works for uh the Greater Sandusky Partnership and uh he's the director of planning. So this guy lives and breathes how things work, which actually tied to Tom's uh uh drunk history last week. And he wrote an article about Route 250 versus downtown. And man, it really resonated with me. Um it was about the difference between how hard it is, like it is small retail businesses such as ours, such as all the restaurants downtown, the clothing stores, the folks that are the you know, the the the family-run businesses that are taking a risk on these buildings and these down, and this is not just Sandusky, this is downtown everywhere. Yeah, but like think about the the the entry point. Like I I can't go open an Applebee's odd on 250. But if I could, boy, there's instant profit, there's this, this, and this. Right. I mean 250 is there economically 250 is the perfect model. Right. But you know what it doesn't have? Character. Nobody goes, man, I went to the Applebee's in Sandusky, Ohio, and Orchipoli, and then went back to you know, Madison, Wisconsin and said, I'll tell you what, that was the highlight of my trip. It's the local stuff that matters. And so the irony is is that it's the local, it's the it's the you can it's a little easier. The the gateway to entry to open a business is is is easier here, but it's uh a lot harder to make money and sustain it.

SPEAKER_06 23:43

The line, the line from his piece that struck me and and and and I'll remember is he called people like us, people like all the community around here that has taken a chance on these kind of businesses, retail pioneers. And he said the the thing that I loved is he said they took a chance and developed land that corporate people said was uninhabitable. Right.

SPEAKER_03 24:05

There's a reason you very rarely, other than subways for some reason, you very rarely see uh uh corporate stuff in small towns because they know it doesn't make money, it doesn't make enough for them. There's a there's a there's an algorithm, there's a dynamic that ever they look at and they go this, this, and this, and if it meets these parameters, we can do it. If it does not, we do not. That's where the visionaries and the leaders and the small business owners come in and go, I'm gonna do it. Sometimes, and it's funny, it's a curse sometimes because I look at things now more jaded than I used to. Yeah, right? I used to go, yeah, it's an old building, we're gonna do it. And now I'm like, okay, well, what about this and what about this? And I used to not be. I'm more jaded now than I ever was. Uh which is interesting.

SPEAKER_06 24:41

You know what's tough is is uh you know what else? Read these retail pioneers, they are the embodiment of what it means to be part of part of the American system because we take chances and we have we have what I like to say is capitalism with a conscience. Yes, you know what I mean. Correct. It's all about making as much money as you can about it.

SPEAKER_03 25:01

You are really clicking that mouse today.

SPEAKER_06 25:02

I got excited. I might just smash through it. Yeah, no. Um but you know what I mean? We we we're we're looking to be part of the community and live in the community and and I don't want giving something back, that's not what I mean. But like But it's that third place.

SPEAKER_03 25:14

I mean you're creating the place that you want to go to, I think.

SPEAKER_06 25:17

It's not all about money, that's all there is to it. It's about being part of the community and doing something you love.

SPEAKER_03 25:21

Meanwhile, as a matter of fact, you know what that goes. I I know, I know, I know. That's it, it I got fired. I was reading that this morning and I was just like, oh, I mean, I was going.

SPEAKER_06 25:30

Yeah, it's greater well done, Jeff.

SPEAKER_03 25:32

But you know, nobody's yeah, nobody's bringing their out-of-town friends to see Walmart. That's all there is to it. They're bringing them down here to Paddle Bar. Tell them that story about Applebee's. You know, they're going to clubhouse across the street. That's what they're doing for Temple. Well, we're really going hard against Applebee's.

SPEAKER_06 25:48

I actually like Applebee's.

SPEAKER_03 25:50

The food's fine, whatever.

SPEAKER_06 25:51

Hang on to the bee.

Repairs Staffing And The Saturday Bartender

SPEAKER_03 25:53

Uh so let's go to that brings, you know. So, you know, meanwhile, corporate America is is is crushing it on Route 250. Uh, we got toilets to fix. So that brings us to the repairs of the week.

SPEAKER_06 26:03

Okay, we made this is this is hilarious.

SPEAKER_03 26:05

This is definitely the hit. So, what do we have since last time? I uh I fixed two doors this week, um, which actually the parts coming in today, I think, because I still have to repair a part. What did you do while I was gone?

SPEAKER_06 26:16

Anything break? Uh I had to run for some last minute last minute cucumbers. That sounds hilarious. Um, but the do you remember this comes full circle in the toilet that you fixed two weeks ago? Yeah. Right? Somebody clearly went Hulk Hulk a maniac on the handle.

SPEAKER_03 26:33

Hardcore flush?

SPEAKER_06 26:34

Yeah, hardcore flush. And they didn't do anything crazy. Whatever they did just pop the chain off. Yeah. So, like, you know, I got a note that said, Oh, the toilet's not working again. So I walked in, sure enough, that was it. So it was an easy fix. But again, if since you weren't here, remember I said, Oh, I was supposed to go somewhere on Saturday, but I'm gonna hang around just in case.

SPEAKER_03 26:50

And sure enough, it every something will break. And you know, we don't have uh a repair person on staff, we don't have a marketing director. We can't just call anybody when things need to be changed and fixed and and and publicized. And you know, it's I get jealous sometimes when I look at like, you know, I got a staff of five. I'm like, how the hell do you do that? Staff of five. Well, we have a staff in the summer. Staff, they they serve drinks, you know, but like not to do all the behind-the-scenes stuff.

SPEAKER_06 27:14

Uh what you got? I got something small and hilarious. And I I shouldn't blow his cover right now because it makes it more funny if we don't do it, but I'm going to anyway because it cracks me up. Blow it. I was talking sad. I came down and I fixed the toilet and I uh brought some cucumbers down, and I was talking to Gino. It was pretty mellow, so we we had some time to talk. And Gino said that his buddies were kind of kind of like poking fun at him because we've mentioned all of our employees uh all on this podcast, except for Gino. Oh, we haven't? I was like, wait, why haven't we mentioned which which makes me laugh because he is he truly is a backbone of this bar. He's a great yeah, you know, one of the backbones of this bar. Giovanni, he uh he's the Saturday bartender. I mean he bartends on Mondays, which will open next year. Yeah, we'll be back to that too. Um but how funny is that?

SPEAKER_04 28:02

We haven't he said he said he made me laugh. He said, he said, oh, I don't know which one it was, maybe a couple ago. You said, you said, yeah, our Saturday bartender. And I said instead of saying his name, you said our Saturday bartender.

SPEAKER_03 28:18

He must have pissed me off. No, I got it. So, Gino, here it is, buddy. There, we're talking about you, man.

SPEAKER_06 28:24

We're talking about integral to the system.

SPEAKER_03 28:27

I kind of thought he didn't listen to it.

SPEAKER_06 28:29

Oh, he listens to it. Well, I don't know if he does, but he got it from his.

SPEAKER_03 28:31

His friends do. Okay, I thought maybe, you know, we're not, you know, we're we're his dork bosses.

SPEAKER_06 28:35

It made me laugh, and oh my god, so funny. That's pretty good. Our Saturday bartender. So that's pretty good. From now on for the barcast, we won't talk about it much anymore. We're gonna refer to him as our Saturday bartender just to just to make great.

SPEAKER_03 28:46

He is now the next time if you go in this Saturday night, make sure you say hello to the Saturday bartender.

SPEAKER_06 28:51

Like, hey, G, I mean, my bad. Can I get a Bud Light Saturday bartender?

Ice Cubes Fast Food Prices And Burgers

SPEAKER_03 28:55

Yeah, funny. Uh, I'm gonna skip this next piece. I was gonna talk about how ice cube size matters. I'll just talk about it quick. Ice cube size matters. What? Well, it's I was ordering the new ice machine for TKS, and like the qu I got I had to get samples, like plastic versions of the ice cubes because you want a certain feel of and how it looks in a glass, uh, how it uh you know populates with pores and things like that.

SPEAKER_06 29:19

So do you remember back in the day when we were opening Volstains? Oh, we're looking for the biggest ice cubes on the planet. We ended up ordering an Italian ice cream.

SPEAKER_03 29:25

Yeah, it was from Venice. I don't know where it was from. It was Italian. It was Italian, you're right. It was like a whole thing. Uh yeah, to order. So, hey, presentation matters about everything. It does, and ice cubes even do. You know what ice cubes I hated that I don't like crushed ice, bud. I despise crushed ice. Hate it. Yeah, yeah, it doesn't do any. It melts in a second. No good. All right. One more thing before we get out of here. I'll tell you what, we actually have gone, it's 30 minutes already, believe it or not. It is? Yeah, dude.

SPEAKER_06 29:50

I've been having a blast this one.

SPEAKER_03 29:51

This is a good one. Uh, last thing I just thought of while I was sitting in a dive bar in uh Charlevoy, Michigan. It was called Town Hall. And it was it was a divy bar. It was the only place in town that was open past 11 o'clock. Town Hall. And it was uh it was uh yeah, I'm surprised they weren't still smoking in there. Good bar though. Nice. Um names for bars what beer joint.

SPEAKER_06 30:14

Beer joint?

SPEAKER_03 30:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 30:16

What else you got? That's great. Uh watering hole. Watering hole. Beer joint's the best. That one's one of the things.

SPEAKER_03 30:22

Taproom pub saloon.

SPEAKER_06 30:23

Uh public house.

SPEAKER_03 30:24

Public house. Um what else you got? Public house, beer joint? I'm a Vicky bar. Um beer social house. Social house. Uh beer stop. No, not beer stop.

SPEAKER_06 30:37

I'm just making them up now.

SPEAKER_03 30:37

No, beer joint's probably my beer joint's the best. That's our grandparents used to say that one. Yeah. Beer joint. And you know who doesn't get nicknames? Nobody calls chilies the beer joint. Listen.

SPEAKER_06 30:47

It's funny you brought up chilies. There's an article about how I I almost put it in the notes. And can I can I talk about what I mean? Sure you can. I almost put it in the notes. Have you have you noticed you don't, because you probably don't. You don't drink, you don't you hardly ever eat fast food, correct?

SPEAKER_03 31:04

Very rarely. Occasionally a breakfast um from McDonald's, and that's about it.

SPEAKER_06 31:08

I try to stay away from but at the same time, like our kids love like Wendy's. Sure. Um but but you notice the I have noticed that the the intersection or or the the the prices of fast food now are store are starting to catch up to fast casual. Which is crazy to me.

SPEAKER_03 31:27

Yeah, that's not good.

SPEAKER_06 31:28

And I and it's funny, I I've been thinking this for a couple months now, and I read an article about how like like combo meals at fast food places are almost as much as a burger at chilies, which it explains why like like Wendy's just announced they're closing 300 locations. Oh because you it's too expensive.

SPEAKER_03 31:45

Well, that's because they changed the lettuce. They changed the that's on them.

SPEAKER_06 31:48

They changed the effing lettuce.

SPEAKER_03 31:50

Speaking of the lettuce, with actually with Gio, uh they ru By the way, just so you know that we can do this, you call him Gino. I call him Gio. His name is Giovanni. I know. And he will answer to all three of those things. All of them. Because his name is such a unique name, and people just don't know what to say. Nope. So call him Saturday bartender.

SPEAKER_06 32:11

Saturday bartender. His name is actually Giovanni.

SPEAKER_03 32:15

So yeah, that's where you got the ice cubes.

SPEAKER_06 32:16

Right.

unknown 32:17

Right.

SPEAKER_03 32:18

Oh, but that was good. Yeah. Oh. I like that. He's really good barting, Gino. Anyway, what else? What else you got going there? So that was.

SPEAKER_06 32:27

But anyway, that was pretty much it. I've noticed a lettuce uh debate with some kid. Yeah. And we're now we're all off on that.

SPEAKER_03 32:32

That's all right. He liked the shredded.

SPEAKER_06 32:33

You know who's you know who's keeping the correct lettuce? Get out of here. You know who's keeping the correct lettuce for their burgers? Is that Wes. At Enroll outside.

SPEAKER_03 32:40

Oh, which by the way is open again.

SPEAKER_06 32:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 32:42

Uh on the weekends you can get Enroll, which is so good to have them back because that is his good stuff.

SPEAKER_06 32:45

I was a little bummed because he's he did a Saturday-Sunday opening this past week. Yeah. And of course I was here all day Friday working. Yeah. And I wanted my burger because his burgers are outrageously good.

SPEAKER_03 32:54

He has probably the best kind of I don't know. Are they smash burgers? Are they considered smash burgers? I will, you know what? I wish I should dial them up. Technically, I don't I don't think so. I whatever they are, like the way they come packaged, they're like the foil around them, so you can eat them without making a big mess. I'm a I'm a I don't like a messy food.

SPEAKER_06 33:09

No, you can you can you can cradle it.

SPEAKER_03 33:10

I want to be able to, especially because I'm always bartending, so I want to, you know, I want a clean food. I like to be able to cradle my burger. Cradle your burger, that's right. So that's how we'll go. That's what we're gonna end with. Cradle and burgers. Cradle, cradle, cradle and burgers.

SPEAKER_06 33:22

Cradle and burger. There's a new t-shirt.

SPEAKER_03 33:24

Anything else?

SPEAKER_06 33:24

You know, that's it. I think I don't want to run too much further.

SPEAKER_03 33:27

Burger joint.

SPEAKER_06 33:28

Oh, I've I'm in the mood right now where I could just keep talking about anything.

SPEAKER_03 33:30

But yeah, I got it. We got a bar, we got a the bar opens in an hour, and then we've got uh Alexa starting, and we're gonna, she's gotta get trained a little bit, help her out, but she's got some experience, so I don't think she's gonna be a problem.

SPEAKER_06 33:40

No, she just needs to know how to make the drinks.

Share The Show And Sign-Off

SPEAKER_03 33:41

She's gonna be a good addition. Um, other than that, uh, if you dug the episode, please share it with people. That is how we can keep going and having fun with this. Gives us some energy. Yeah. Um, it's always good to have feedback from folks. So I love I love being out. I heard your barb, your, your, your podcast. I'm like, really? You did?

SPEAKER_06 33:58

Pretty awesome, isn't it?

SPEAKER_03 33:59

I'm pretty amazed.

SPEAKER_06 34:00

I know. I got hit up a couple times at uh I went in a furry middle furry um elementary for the kids for literacy night thing the other day, and I heard it like three or four times. I was like, man, this is pretty awesome. I'm not gonna lie.

SPEAKER_03 34:10

You know what parents are doing when their kids are kids are doing, you know, whatever they're doing, they're watching Barpod in the corner over there like that. Let's go. All right, well, that's it for BarPod today. Uh we will be back next week. Uh sounds like we'll be back three more times, then we'll take a little break, uh, but not too long. No. And then uh we'll let you know what's going on. Barpod 419 on the the socials, paddle bar on the socials, and you can find us at barpod.net. The uh I guess spring is coming. We're down, we're up to six days a week, seven days a week's coming soon at Paddle Bar.

SPEAKER_06 34:41

Weather's crazy lately, but warm weather is on the side. It's coming.

SPEAKER_03 34:43

It's coming one way or the other. So hey, have a great week, and we will see you next weekend. I I want to say something about our theme song, but I'm just not going to because it's too hilarious.

SPEAKER_06 34:54

I wish I could share a video of that of Jack and uh Molly's baby dancing. Did I send that to you? No. Oh dancing the bar pod? Well, I'm gonna save this for next one. Okay, I will show it to you. All right, phenomenal video. That's great. We'll see you guys downtown. All right, sounds good. See you later.

SPEAKER_01 35:09

Ryan.

SPEAKER_02 35:26

This is the way to do that.