KCRag Forum

longviewmo wrote:

DaveKCMO wrote:full expose on the MGM building, with quote from yours truly: http://www.kansascity.com/news/local/ar ... 20322.html

So why haven't you talked to the guy?

so he can tell me he's not selling and there's no problem like he's told everyone else? i've spoke to many people who've tried to acquire it, and they've all told me i'd be wasting my time. so, i'm not wasting my time.

DaveKCMO wrote:so he can tell me he's not selling and there's no problem like he's told everyone else? i've spoke to many people who've tried to acquire it, and they've all told me i'd be wasting my time. so, i'm not wasting my time.

It's a bit pessimistic, but it sounds like his estate will made a lot of money off the building. So it all comes down to timing on if it's usable and it's not like I wish this guy get sick or something.

Sad situation.

the former disney building on w. 18th is under contract and will be redeveloped into a small number of residential units and ground-floor retail.

Is this the building?

http://tinyurl.com/zfh3ygy

FangKC wrote:Is this the building?

http://tinyurl.com/zfh3ygy

yes.

The garage retail spot finally has a tenant, six years after the Orion was demolished: https://www.kansascity.com/news/busines ... 99357.html

DaveKCMO wrote: ↑Thu Sep 26, 2019 9:51 am The garage retail spot finally has a tenant, six years after the Orion was demolished: https://www.kansascity.com/news/busines ... 99357.html

I stopped in a couple of nights ago. The owners seem nice (one of whom I'd met before). Good beer and whisky selection, I don't know crap about whisky but the beer prices were about what I'd expect. It's a bit spartan but most non-chain places are when they first open. I do worry about visibility -- even standing right in front it's hard to tell there's an open business there. They probably ought to invest in some street-facing signage or window decor to make it easier to see. Currently the only sign is by the front door, which is back under the canopy and angled away from the street.

Does it have a vibe at all, anything that might bring people in. Or will they be relying on the hotel crowd. I think craft beer bars are great, but a nice space is super important

I like the covered patio

Nice space.

^Hah, that's me at the far right end of the bar!

Stopped in for an after dinner drink on Saturday. I thought it had a weird/sterile vibe. There were two or three people that passed as employees and/or owners in there, but there isn't any table service for some reason.

And I like whiskey just fine, but I don't always feel like drinking straight whiskey. I guess it's some sort of affront to the integrity of hipsterism to mix in some vermouth, sugar or lemon into the pure sanctity of whatever they were serving.

They don't accept cash either, fyi.

Good local beer selection and a nice patio.

Bier Station in Waldo is very similar in concept with no table service and small selection of cocktails.
**However they do take cash

I don't go to Bier Station, so I won't comment on that.

Unless I'm at a dive bar, I just don't like having to nudge between two people having a conversation at the bar so I can order a drink.

Somewhat related question: Do you tip as much if you have to go up to a bar and get a drink? Unless I'm sitting at the bar, I generally don't.

That is a very common thing at bier station. I frequent bier station because my friends all bar tend there. However I am not one to talk, i get friends and family discount and always tip way more than my tab. However i do notice people tipping next to nothing all the time. I'm sure we could have a year long convo on how people tip in these kind of situations. I always tip 20% so i'm not one to talk.

Bar tender tipping according to...
https://www.wikihow.com/Tip-a-Bartender

I don't tip as much if I have to fight to get someone's attention - and then all they're doing is pouring a drink and giving it to me. In my mind, that punishes the servers who actually bring me a drink, bring me a check and take care of my table. If I'm taking up space at the bar, that's another story.

This is a place that charges a premium price for what they're serving, so I guess I just expected a bit more. The older I get, the more annoyed I get with places charging premium prices and not offering premium product/service. I now find myself yelling at clouds too - so It could be a "me" thing. Don't think I'm the target for these establishments.

earthling wrote: ↑Mon Sep 30, 2019 2:12 pm Bar tender tipping according to...
https://www.wikihow.com/Tip-a-Bartender

I bartended and served - so I know what I'm doing.

I'm just don't think that someone who pours me a glass of wine that I have to go fetch (spending all of 30 seconds serving me) - should expect the same 20% that someone who actually waits on me earns.

I also think it's shitty that most of these places that have the "tip 15%", "tip 20%" buttons on their screen figure those tips on after-tax costs. I don't think that tips should be figured after tax. But again - I'm old.

Agree with 2nd paragraph. Annoying.

Finding the right servers for a whisky-focused bar is a big challenge (and creating a menu listing and up-to-date prices is also really tough). Very few bars are good at actually presenting what they have or tend to only steer you to the same products over and over (see overhyped high-margin whiskies and "craft" products that use shortcuts and are disgusting/prestigious-only-through-cool-labels). I won't judge this place until it has a chance to accumulate some decent whisky, but the USA makes having a great whisky bar very difficult (tipping adds crazy prices to already crazily inflated products).

I know everyone has an opinion, but servers generally expect the same tips on whisky as they do anything else. For those it upsets, we should advocate for liveable minimum wages and salaries as these folks get paid the same as any other server/bartender, and it's not like they're serving more drinks per minute than a normal bartender. Huge changes to the industry are the only way to ever get out of the system of tipping which adds hidden costs to everything. A Euro-style world where your price is quoted on the menu to include the taxes, and in which a tip isn't generally expected because the restaurant pays a decent wage may only be a dream, but what we have is embarrassing and encourages/facilitates a system in which tax evasion is normalized and nearly impossible to police.