SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
from the volunteer-labor?-that'll-never-work dept.
Chicago-based "Geek Bar"-- where bartenders dress in labcoats and serve geek-themed drinks-- has been saved from financial ruin by a combination of crowdfunding by patrons, and a sizable personal loan. But The Chicago Reader asks, Geek Bar's fans rescue it from oblivion—but was it worth saving?
It sounds like a feel-good story, something inspired by the kind of movie sometimes screened at the ten-month-old bar. You know, the ones where the scrappy outcasts band together to save their beloved sanctuary from the clutches of evil. But former employees and volunteers now wonder if the bar was worth saving.
Nine and a half months after it first began slinging Cthulhu-themed cocktails, Geek Bar Beta still feels like an experiment, one that hasn't gone according to plan. Former employees say paychecks began bouncing last fall, soon after the bar opened.
The article tells a tale of a business that is obviously loved, but plagued by mismanagement, poor employee relationships, financial woes and an over-reliance on community support and free labor. What value does the "geek" label have, when the underlining business is unsustainable? What extraordinary value does the concept bring that justifies such extraordinary efforts to keep it afloat?
(Score: 2) by bradley13 on Thursday August 13 2015, @01:20PM
Exactly. It's pretty obvious that they went into this with (a) unrealistic expectations and (b) far too little cash. Lots of it was originally funded by a kickstarter campaign, and they've never delivered the promised rewards. The design they wanted for the original bar didn't meet code for emergency exits, which they blame on the city, instead of on their failure to pay attention to regulations.
A nice enough idea, but apparently clueless (and underfunded) people trying to implement it. Anyway, Chicago?
Everyone is somebody else's weirdo.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by The Archon V2.0 on Thursday August 13 2015, @02:08PM
> Lots of it was originally funded by a kickstarter campaign, and they've never delivered the promised rewards.
Yeah, that's enough to make me draw the line right there. I don't mind a few delays, but making new promises when you haven't fulfilled the OLD promises? Nope. At best, you're robbing Peter to pay Paul; at worst, you're robbing Peter AND Paul and running away with the money.
I had one of the KSes I gave a few bucks to years ago recently send out an update that said something like "We're still working on it. Come join our Patreon for more updates!" Really? Fool me once, shame on you....
> A nice enough idea, but apparently clueless (and underfunded) people trying to implement it.
The comment thread there already has one person accusing the "Fleet Admiral" (ew, how L. Ron Hubbardish) of mismanaging another thing called ArtsAppeal. Hmmm. If I had any horse in this race I'd be looking into that accusation pretty hard.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by M. Baranczak on Thursday August 13 2015, @02:14PM
(Score: 1) by Francis on Thursday August 13 2015, @11:47PM
This is one of the reasons to start out with a food cart or a small restaurant that can't hold more than a half dozen tables. The real costs of running a restaurant are the rent, salary and related, the actual food and things you sell are a small part of the bill.
Also, if you do it right, take out can be quite lucrative. Obviously, alcohol isn't going to be legal for take out in most areas, so that might be an issue, you have limited ability to use that to subsidize the other services.