I'm not trying to shut you down by addressing your comments, so please bear with me...chrizow wrote: i think studio has (had?) a lot of potential, but it has violated at least three cardinal sins of kansas city nightlife, often simultaneously:
* cover charges, even with there isn't really anything going on (including charging people a cover to pick up their to-go orders?!)
* expensive drinks
* trying to be all things to all people - breakfast, lunch, dinner, beer joint, live music hall, reception space, etc., resulting in no actual "identity."
i think it is often better to do one or two things, and do them really well. grinders = art, awesome beer, and good food. JP = wine and romance. harry's = country music and a cozy neighborhood vibe. studio is a nice space and it's clear that the owners have invested a lot of time and money into the business, but there doesn't seem to be any sort of focus or personality, no compelling reason to choose to go there over the other 75 bars within a 2 mile-radius.
that's just my $.02.
I keep reading about the cover charge issue, particularly the "carry out incident". Is this truly an ongoing problem, or is this a hold over perception from when they thought the sprint center was going to be their bread and butter?
Expensive drinks...you are preaching to the choir on that one. Lots of people like that red bull/ vodka shit for seven dollars, but give me a can of yard beer for two bucks any day...
Regarding their identity crisis, the owner had envisioned an upscale restaurant (and so much more!). They booked cover bands, scavenged the McFadden's overflow, and promptly began to go under. Throughout this year though, I perceive a focus towards live original music; the menu is certainly scaled down to more typical tavern fare (breakfast lasted about a week); they have removed most tables in the side room, replacing them with billiards and darts and such...and the reception space upstairs (very underutilized at this point) doesn't detract or compete with the vibe in the bar, in my opinion. It should be a showcase in its own right. One friend of mine described it as "an art deco orgasm".
Why go there over another bar? It IS Kansas City, whereas I think the over priced glossy flossy corporate chains are not.
Again, not trying to be argumentative, just trying to gleam out whether these stereotypes are still propagating themselves, to their own undoing, or if they are hold over perceptions from the "early days"...