Ever get mad at your local?

[MrShoe]

As much as I am a creature of habit, being slightly OCD.
I do enjoy finding new places to belly up and get comfortable.

My suggestion is much like everyone else. Quietly move on.
Don't stew over their new direction in business.
Pop in there one or two evenings while you look for the new local.
When you find a new place, promote it amongst your friends as you did this one.

[Tobus]

I can't fault the owner for booking the place full whenever he can. If he can guarantee a full crowd for an evening, that's better than relying on random customers.

But at the same time, if his 'regulars' are the bread and butter of his operation, then he needs to accommodate them as well. I thought you handled your conversation with him very well by stating that you felt unwelcome there by being turned away at the door. And while his wife's comment may have seemed rude at the time, it probably made a lot of sense. If you like the establishment (which you obviously do, if you're a regular customer) and you're worried that you'll be turned away when you get there, just call before going. If that's too much of a hassle, then yeah... find somewhere else to hang out.

Before totally boycotting the guy, though, I would have another talk with him. If he truly wants your business (which it seems that he does, since he was willing to discuss the issue with you) then maybe you could suggest to him the idea of using the downstairs area for his parties. I'm sure he is a reasonable man and is willing to hear customer feedback like that, especially if it's a suggestion that will help him make more money by accommodating both the private parties and the regular customers.

Just keep in mind when talking to him that he is a businessman whose primary interest is making money. That is the purpose of owning a business in the first place. He's not in it to make friends or coddle any particular group of people unless it means profit. So if you can open up the conversation with him in such a way that he realizes the profit potential for accommodating the regulars at the same time as the parties, he will likely listen to your input. He may not have thought of it that way before.

[CDNSushi]

Tobus, what you say makes a lot of sense, but then, what thescot says does also. I will likely have another chat with him on another occasion, maybe give it another cooling off period. I will try to get him to understand that, as thescot says, driving away your regulars when there's bigger fish to fry and then to expect them to pay your rent when it's not private-party season does not go over very well because from the customer's viewpoint it smacks of greed and opportunism. From the business perspective it may be an attractive prospect but in the long run it may end up hurting him.

The Law of 200 applies here. For those who've never heard of this concept, it's a principle from sales and marketing that each person knows about 200 people by name in their lives... By turning away ONE customer, you are essentially turning away 199 others, because you can be SURE that the one you p*** off will tell all his friends and acquaintances, and make darned sure (to the best of their abilities) that they won't be customers there either.

[MacKay71]

I have a pub that opened up near me just before Christmas. So far, they have been grreat! Even when there have been parties, they have not turned anyone away. I hope they don't start!

[Tobus]

I will try to get him to understand that, as thescot says, driving away your regulars when there's bigger fish to fry and then to expect them to pay your rent when it's not private-party season does not go over very well because from the customer's viewpoint it smacks of greed and opportunism. From the business perspective it may be an attractive prospect but in the long run it may end up hurting him.

Those are all valid points. However, if you are interested in keeping a relationship with the man, I would not accuse him of greed and opportunism to his face. Those are terms that are sure to insult him.

Again, he is trying to run a business. Making money is why he's there. "Greed" is an inappropriate term to use unless he is under some sort of moral/legal obligation to his regular customers (which he most certainly is not). This is the dilemma that all business owners face. You have to make money, and you want to maintain good customer relations, so there's a balancing act. Customers are way too quick to start hollering "greed!" when they feel a business owner is trying to increase his profit. But that's what the business is for in the first place!

So anyway, it's probably best to focus on your last statement in the quote above. Just let him know that while parties may be an occasional boon to his business, he's hurting himself in the long run by unintentionally making the regulars feel unwelcome. I think he will respond much better to that than to insinuations that he's a greedy opportunist.

He may very well say that the parties are becoming the bulk of his business, and that the regulars are not enough to pay the bills. If that's the case, then he's smart to focus on the parties. The more parties he can book, the more the word gets out that it's a good place for an exclusive party, and his business flourishes. Even if that means it squeezes out the regular customers, it doesn't make him greedy or opportunistic. It just means he's doing what a business owner should be doing: making money. He doesn't "owe" anything to the regulars unless there's a net benefit for his bottom line.

So I apologize if I'm over-emphasizing the point here, but you just have to approach it from his perspective. You'll likely have a much better effect on him if you are speaking his language instead of coming across as an angry or disaffected customer.

[MrShoe]

Tobus,

Well put.
I have always believed that PROFIT is not a four letter word, if you know what I mean.

[auld argonian]

Well, I currently have three "locals" even though they're not really local but are the three joints that a week ain't complete without stopping in. Two are downtown (Italian Village and Peterino's) and I have to say that they are really hospitable and just a joy to be in. They did "shut us out" for some holiday events but that's business and we just wandered over to the next place...they were very gracious and apologetic about it and we can't fault them for it. Bear in mind that the Italian Village is three floors with a bar and a restaurant on each one so if a company bought the entire place out for a Christmas Party on a Friday Night they were obviously ponying up the big bucks...capitalism...ya gotta love it!

Duke of Perth up there on Clark Street...gets filled up on Wednesdays and Fridays owing the the all-you-can-eat fish and chips thing...especially, we find, during Lent! Sort of like another place that I used to go to years ago that got voted "The Best Bar Burger In Chicago" and then got inundated by "Hamburger Tourists" who got the royal treatment while the regulars got the shaft...I guess they were bigger tippers...I dunno.

Try to not take it too personally...your pub owners just want to try to keep as many people happy as possible....that's only natural.

Best

AA

[azwildcat96]

CDNSushi, being in Japan, I am guessing that you are familar with the sociological concept of losing (or saving) face? This is a quite important cultural aspect of life in the orient.

While I agree with you in a Western aspect, and it would make sense for me to take my business elsewhere, you may consider the culture that you live in, and how a patron telling a business owner may have a negative conotation in the eyes of the locals. The owner may believe that you are challenging his prestige, honor, or reputation by proclaiming to know how to run his business.

Maybe, if you are on very close terms with him, a carefully worded chat could be had, but you may end up losing your rights to enter all together if you're not mindful of the local culture.

Just my 2 cents.

[Lallans]

CDN, you are indeed posing a tricky case, since you're in a country where Western rules of either society or business don't apply. You might for one thing want to consider that the folks getting preferential booking are from the missing-finger segment of Japanese society... But if the owner indicates that he is just following standard practice in his industry, I myself would feel I had to accept that and go elsewhere, I mean if I were in Japan. I take it your wife is unable to assist with the cultural mores involved here?

[davedove]

It's also possible that the owner may just WANT to focus on the parties. Everyone is entitled to run the type of business he wants or he feels will be most successful.

I know it's hard when something changes about a place you like, but always remember, "It's just business."