#the bar you need to clear for suspension of disbelief is so low. i get to really let myself off the reins in this one.

[pinkgrapefloyd]

hello everybody and welcome to yet another round of miscommunication eleganza extravaganza! it's silly! it's vulnerable! it's literary and highly self-indulgent!

your truth or mine?

by pinkgrapefloyd

In which Bashir and Garak both are and aren’t dating – because the truth is rarely ever that simple. As with most things in life, it depends entirely on whom you ask.

relationships: Julian Bashir/Elim Garak

length: multichapter (probably around 10-ish?)

rating: E

additional tags: Accidental Relationship, Miscommunication, Misunderstandings, Julian Bashir and Elim Garak's Book Club, Cultural Differences, Alien Cultural Differences, Friends to Lovers, Friends With Benefits, Depending on who you ask, Idiots in Love, Pining, Schrödinger‘s Relationship

[tribow]

So I watched Jojo's Bizarre Adventure Part 6: Stone Ocean.

Stone Ocean infamously released in Netflix jail where I believe it was released all at once. Either that or it was released in clumps. I did notice that Stone Ocean was broken up into 3 parts. Was each third of it released separately or all at once? I don't know.

What matters is that Stone Ocean failed to reach the audience it should have. Jojo is a fairly popular series that had some impressive staying power in the zeitgeist of the internet. There were many a jojoke shared and many references to be made. Yet, when Netflix jailed Stone Ocean behind their bars there was a noticeable lack of discussion surrounding it. I saw more people talking about Stone Ocean before it released on Netflix than after, and I was a person actively trying to avoid Jojo spoilers!

It can't just be Netflix's fault though right? I mean, there are anime on Netflix that get plenty of discussion when they release. There's no way Stone Ocean was slept on just because Netflix sucks. People still pirate and I'm sure it was watched by the fans so...why did I see people talk about it way less? Is it.....bad?

Well now that I've watched it myself, I can conclude that it's definitely a hit and a miss. Stone Ocean starts pretty strong, but it completely loses momentum as it heads towards the finish.

It's a shame too. Stone Ocean's intro and setup hooked me into its conflict better than any other part. All it needed to do from there was follow-through, but it completely left me behind while I was watching. Stone Ocean has the most amount of bullshit and ass-pulls out of any other part so far. Not only that, but many of the characters are simply dissatisfying.

Actually speaking of the characters, they're actually pretty good. All of them have some nice layers and intrigue to them. It reminds me of how Part 3: Stardust Crusaders handles their characters. Where Stone Ocean falters is with establishing characters and following through with their development. What I mean by this is that their personalities are very clear and displayed well, but their skills, quirks, and motivations are frequently weak.

A couple examples: Weather Force's shtick with talking at such a low voice that he gets in people's faces to make sure he is heard is not referenced again after it's established once. It is not used as a problem to work around at any point in the story. Jolyne displays surprising proficiency in martial arts based on how she fights, but this is never referenced and you never get the idea she might have been used to combat before Stone Ocean starts. It is only established that she was a bit of a delinquent due to her father's absence as a kid. However, her crimes were only theft. Nothing to do with getting into fights.

That happens a lot actually. Characters will suddenly be showed that they are able to do something and you just have to accept that they can do that. A lot of the fights get resolved that way. A character's ability is not established well at all, so they'll just do ass-pulls out of nowhere and you have to be okay with it. Characters will also just learn about information out of nowhere. It doesn't matter if they weren't there and couldn't have known. The moment the audience becomes aware of something, every character knows now. (Except for anything regarding what Pucci is up to of course).

This resulted in me getting disconnected from the story. I liked the characters, but I constantly lose suspension of disbelief as more and more events happen. I wasn't moved to the edge of my seat like Parts 2-4 were able to do. Something I like to do during the battles in Jojo is try to think of a solution for how a characters gets out of their many perilous situations. Every time a new ass-pull happens I get taken out of story. It felt like watching kids make shit up in a pretend fight against each other. You can't make sense of how anything is happening, you only know who's winning at any given point in time because well...they said they're winning so I guess that's true now.

Also, Stone Ocean's ending is so lame. You don't get closure for any character except for the ones who perished. Without spoiling anything, it's like all development was thrown away and they skipped to "Happily Ever After". What does this mean for every character? Who cares, they're alive and that's all that matters yippee!

Maybe Jolyne shoulda stayed in jail idk.

My disappointment aside, I do think Stone Ocean is better than the previous part, Golden Wind. Despite everything that happens, I do like the characters quite a bit. Although, I do think the production as a whole is bit weaker.

The music lacks the PUNCH that Part 3 and 5 have and the openings aren't as iconic either. Not saying Stone Ocean's music is bad, it's still really good. It just doesn't stand out. The animation was pretty standard to the production of every previous part, although there were some CG jumpscares sometimes.

I'm upset that I didn't notice what visual theme Stone Ocean had. David Production has a different visual shtick for each Part, but I couldn't figure out what they did for Stone Ocean. Maybe I got so disconnected that I stopped caring to analyze.

Well, I wouldn't say it's not worth watching if you like Jojo. I was pretty negative in this review, but I don't think it was bad. I'm just disappointed about how it turned out. I'm not kidding about its initial hook, I was really invested at the start.

I wonder how Part 7 will go.... Stone Ocean Ends on a super weird note I wonder how it can even be followed up from that point..

[eisforeidolon]

Episode: Atomic Monsters

I watched this at least a week ago, but just didn't get around to rewriting my notes into a post 'til now.  I did actually find this the best episode so far, but lets be real, that's such a low bar to clear at this point it says basically nothing.

The opening sequence is really fun!  I found the whole thing genuinely enjoyable, both the action itself and that it included exactly the kind of return cameo I can actually get behind.  No retcons or resurrections that make death somehow even cheaper or ruin the original finish to the character's story!  Not even to mention that, instead of existing just for the sheer fanservice of it?  A sequence like this is actively improved by giving us a familiar face we have investment in to keep it from being all just random unfamiliar cannon fodder getting offed.

Unfortunately, this isn't the rousing endorsement it could be when we know that both expanding to a big action sequence and bringing Benny back for it were actually Jensen's ideas.  Not even to mention that the thing which really works best in the episode?  It's the dream sequence that's not actually connected to anything else and doesn't have to worry about continuity to work. This is my surprised face.

I enjoyed the exchange between Sam and Dean in the kitchen.  The meat man conversation over the bacon was rather silly, but in a fun way. I've seen some people reading things into it (it's insulting Dean doesn't know the slang, Sam is randomly vegetarian now) that I didn't really see there.  I did appreciate how Sam was weirdly jumpy and had trouble meeting Dean's eyes after the creepy alternate world dream.  I thought it worked really well for both slice-of-life and Sam’s reaction.

In terms of the Winchester's case, well, for the most part it could have been worse.  I don't honestly believe even if I hadn't been spoiled that I wouldn't have immediately suspected the parents from their introductory exchange about how Billy playing in the big game was more important than a cheerleader's death.  I think it was supposed to be a retroactive subtle clue, but it was more of a clue-by-four.  So the “mystery” of tracking down the monster was pretty lost on me.  I did like that the one girl having braces was a clue!  But I also thought the scene with her rehearsing her speech on a live mic in an empty auditorium was weird and contrived.  I straight out cannot forgive that a girl was literally abducted from the school campus and NOBODY checked the security footage near her car fucking IMMEDIATELY well before Sam & Dean.  C'mon.  Then, of course, a couple random middle-aged suburbanite humans get the drop on Sam and Dean, because Dabbernatural really just loves to make them incompetent so plots happen.

Then the big reveal and blah blah blah, kid accidentally ate his girlfriend.  WHAT WERE WE SUPPOSED TO DO???  Um, maybe try not being scumbags?  Idiotic scumbags at that, abducting a second girl from their son's own school instead of somebody that wouldn't be missed or even, hey, maybe encouraging him to try harder not to eat people.  Don't try to sell me on this pseudo hallmark 'but they just love him so much' bullshit.  At least the kid has more self-awareness and conscience than his fuckwad parents.  

Then we get to the infuriating character assassination part of the programme.  Having Sam and Dean say that they'd do the same thing as the dad for Jack their “son”?  Fuck you very much, show.  I could maybe, maybe, see Sam or Dean kidnapping and draining the life out of an innocent to save the other at their most desperate worst.  Though I think the only time they even really get close to that kind of an actively, knowingly evil choice is with Doc Benton.  Not only do I not buy for a second that they would do that for the totally-really-their-actual-child-for-reasons albatross Dabbernatural has shoehorned into their lives?  Struggling to do the right thing even when it hurts used to actually mean something – it was always a very important qualifier that while Sam or Dean might make that choice, the other would not let them.  So having them both agree this kind of straight up villainy would be a-okay for oh-so-totally-loveable-no-really-woobie-blob Jack ...

Like carelessly assassinating every human in the BMoL headquarters, it fundamentally fails to understand what it is that keeps Sam and Dean from being the monsters.  Hint: it's not just that the show centers around them.  “We do the ugly thing so that people can live happy” - these moronic hacks seem to be actually trying to parallel Sam and Dean saving innocent victims and the world to human monsters that were going to selfishly help their son eat his way through the entire goddamn cheerleading squad.  Am I getting this wrong somehow?  Is there some other, less appalling, reading here that I'm missing? This whole scene honestly made me nauseous.

They talkity-talk on for a while longer, but it's really not much better.  Sam declaring that God was totally done with them was the writers putting those words in his mouth based on nothing.  At it’s very best, it was Sam’s bad habit of convincing himself conclusions he’s come to are true because he wants them to be.  So them both just deciding to believe it's true after Chuck has admitted to orchestrating their entire lives … I'm not sure if we should conclude the Winchesters have brain damage or if that's just the writers.  Especially when the underlying reason for it is nothing more compelling than , “Watch the Winchesters see-saw on the angst fulcrum completely at random!  Yay!”  If this was actually well written, there would be some precipitating reason for Sam to suddenly be the one being all fatalistic while Dean is accepting.  Instead, the writers  just slap some coin-flipped angst angst angst on the page and meander on in a supposedly forward direction.

So then there's the other half of the episode, the Becky storyline. Am I the only one a little disturbed that Becky's first reaction to seeing Chuck was to look scared and try to run away?  Like, they're exes and all, sure, but she doesn't know any of the god stuff yet – I think the only thing she even says about their breakup is that Chuck dumped her.  Is that reaction supposed to be yet another bit of “new canon” showing how Chuck was just that terrible all along? But then she does let him in, so maybe we're just supposed to take it as Becky still having a tendency towards dramatics?  I honestly don't know, but it was weird to me.  

I do genuinely love that they had Becky go to therapy and realize just how absolutely fucked up what she'd done was and ultimately sort herself out to become someone who seems to be a well-balanced adult. A well balanced adult that didn't have to give up being a fan for that!  Seriously, kudos to the writers for this, because 7.08 is such a loathsome episode that otherwise ruins Becky as a character.   Though I do have to nitpick a bit – while I get that they wanted to put SPN merch in Becky's home as a callout to her still being a superfan?   In the show's universe, Chuck's books were never that popular, so I'm having some suspension of disbelief issues that there would be Funkos for them.  We could pretend they were customs, but she's got at least one Impala, so even that doesn't quite work.  I'm not entirely sure who “people only want them sitting around doing laundry anyway” is a dig at, but I'm giving it the side eye.  

I also am not entirely sure what to make of Chuck's whole no one needs me I kinda hate me I'm all lost and don't know what to doooooo shtick.  Is this a game he's playing?  Is he really that wishy-washy? Did some of Dabb's sad internal monologue as showrunner somehow end up in a script by accident?  

He goes on like that and laments he's lost the Winchester's trust and had words with them or whatever, and then he zaps Becky and her family away at the end.  Like, if he cared enough about Becky to care about her opinion, why does he turn on her, too, just like that?  I guess we're supposed to see it as him having found his mojo in her space and vanishing her because taking over her space that's working for him currently is his latest whim.  I suppose they're intending to show Chuck as just being that capricious and flighty, but I don't know that it works for me.  The way they've been writing him he's acting so randomly and impulsively that it's kind of unbelievable he can even sit still at a keyboard long enough to write another Sam and Dean installment.  Again, I definitely find it unbelievable that the Chuck they're giving us now would be capable of playing the long game that he would have had to for him to be actively behind everything.  Until he suddenly got impatient and lazy and popped up in the cemetery at the end of the last finale ... for reasons … and is now just … like that … because.

Not to mention that his powers are, big shock, just as arbitrary as everyone else's in the current show.  He can't actually see what is happening to Sam and Dean because of the bullet sapping his power or whatever, but we're supposed to be worried about the ominous ending he's writing for them because … he's got those god powers to make it happen, I guess?  Uh...

I will grant that the ominous bobbing of Sam and Dean Funkos' heads to Chuck's furious typing was a wonderfully foreboding shot to end on.  

[pinktatertots99]

(nanbaka fic) love confession from an idiot! is it seriously this hard or am I just bad at it?!

because I wanted to. and it's cute so there!

synopsis: liang's ups and downs in his quest to confess to a certain chemist. guess how well that goes.

liang sighed as he looked over at his cellmate qi, on the floor reading one of the magazines. they were the only ones in the cell, which was just what he needed. for some time the younger had been feeling romantic feelings for the elder. yes, it caught him off guard, and even he had to wonder how low of standards he had, however after some time he knew that these feelings were genuine, and now he felt the need to confess them.

walking towards him, he sat down in front of him. "qi." he started. "I need to tell you something." at that the older looked over at him, eyes meeting. at that moment liang froze, dead in his tracks. he forced himself to keep his blood from rushing to his face. he fell silent.

the silence was short though as the cell door opened as upa was dropped off by one of the guards. liang sighed, "don't forget to hide those." he murmured, gesturing to the magazine in qi's hand. he nodded and swiftly put it in his track suit as liang got up.

plan one: failed.

of course, a fighter never gives up! they may lose a match, but that just means they have to train better, work harder, and use a different strategy. and using a different strategy is exactly what he'll do.

as he slowed down on the running track he looked to the bench qi was laying on. taking this advantage for a short break he walked over to it, sitting at the end, panting to himself as he put a finger near his pulse point. his plan here was simple: he'd pretend to not know where his pulse point was and with some convincing he'd get qi to physically help him find it, and with how close they would be he'll get the chance to confess.

"hm, can't seem to find my pulse." he mumbled aloud.

"you must be dead then." qi chuckled to himself. liang mildly pouted trying not to laugh or this plan wasn't going to work. "actually," the older started. "you probably can't find it cause of your turtleneck and arm bands."

liang stared at the other before re-evaluating his outfit. he was right. his turtleneck and arm bands would make it impossible to feel it! he ducked his head in embarrassment with the feeling dread of stupidity looming over him.

plan two: failed.

okay now this was just ridiculous. really now.  he's lived in the underworld for years. he's witnessed horrors unimaginable and that no normal human could ever process without going insane. he was a hit man for fucks sake but somehow he couldn't do something as simple as confess this one little thing to the chemist?! absolutely ridiculous.

as he took his seat at the cafeteria table liang looked to qi, his attention on his food. now was time for him to unveil his next plan of action as he slipped his hand into his sleeve, pulling out a folded piece of paper. inside was a simple love confession. everyone was busy with their own conversations and food, so he barely had to worry about anyone seeing this.

"here." he said, handing it to qi. the older looked and picked it up, unfolding it and reading it. the younger felt the suspense as he waited for his response. the older sighed as he folded it back up and handed it back to him. his heart felt close to shattering.

"could you give this back to whoever gave it to you?" liang blinked shocked for a second as he looked at the older. "huh?"

"give this back to whoever gave it to you and pass down to them that I don't take love confessions by letter. if they wanna confess they can do it face to face."

"er...why?"

"we're in a prison, liang. who knows who sent this. might've been one of the creeps or brutes or whoever. might not even be an actual confession. might be someone that sent this as a way to persuade me to make em a drug, which I only do with clients that show their faces. so yeah, give this back."

liang felt a wave of relief but also a feeling of smacking qi upside the head. he thought someone gave this to him to pass down to him. his reasonings may've been smart but for pete's sakes he was clueless.

"and don't pick up anymore notes. it feels too conventional that it got passed to you."

"why?"

"obviously cause we're close. and if it's anything dangerous it's because I wanna protect you."

the younger felt a light wave of blush on him. thankfully, qi seemed occupied with his food again as liang turned away putting his sleeve infront of his face. "I can fend for myself."

"I know. I just like making sure your safe."

the younger got up swiftly, taking his empty tray and leaving. as he walked he crumpled the letter in the process and threw it away in the trash.

plan three: failed, but not entirely.

"you wanna know what?" samon asked.

"how do I make a...love confession?" liang asked the other. he really did it. he had stooped to asking someone how to confess. it's not like he didn't know how but all his plans we're failing and he was running out of ideas. the only thing that would come to his mind was asking his supervisor this, as a way to come up with some idea as to how to confess to qi.

"erm...why do you want to know?" the supervisor asked.

"well, if I am to return to society, I might possibly meet someone I...really like. but, I'm not sure how I could tell them. and you were the first person I thought of for advice on this." he lied. he couldn't tell samon the real reason why, he'd probably stop him.

"er, right, yeah." samon muttered. in actuality he didn't have a lot of experience with this field so to say. why couldn't this have been about something else he asked himself. however, he atleast had better advice then kiji or god forbid inori, so hopefully he can get through this without too much trouble.

"well, when you wanna confess to someone, you usually have to do it in private-"

he already tried that.

"-or if you want you can maybe make some small little ques at them to maybe y'know, give them a hint you like them-"

he tried that already too.

"-or if you want you can write em a letter and give it to them."

HE'S TRIED ALL OF THESE! liang felt like bowing his head in defeat, knowing he must've either not done any of these right or these were the only options that were left. either way, he was done for.

"course, you can confess whenever." the younger looked up, his curiosity piqued. "I mean, you can do it whenever. day, night, in person, private, just be yourself."

one of the words that stuck to liang was 'night'. at night...that was it! he knew just what to do. quickly liang sat up. "I think I understand. thank you master." he bowed as he quickly left the now confused supervisor. samon sat and stared for a while wondering what that was all about but grinned to himself. he gave out good advice. of course he did though he was amazing at it.

he sat there in silence for a bit before his eyes opened.

"wait...master?"

as night fell and the lights went out liang waited in his bed anxiously, waiting for his cellmates to settle in. once he was certain the coast was clear of any guards and upa was asleep he quietly got off his top bunk, looking at the bottom bunk to see qi similarly staring back at him, most likely wondering what he was doing up.

"you alright?" he asked. liang responded with a nod as he took hold of qi's hand and pulling it lightly. he seemed to get the hint as he started getting up and following liang to the barred window. the moon pooled over the two as they sat down infront of the window.

both sat in silence. liang felt his heart beating through his chest as he looked up and-...he just now realized qi had his glasses off. he could see his magenta colored eyes and the way they shone from the moon's light. they were beautiful.

he inwardly shook his head as he remembered he had to stay focused. he looked up to the other, eyes staring into each other. "I need...to tell you something." liang finally spouted out. qi looked at him curiously, waiting. suddenly liang leaned over to the elder's ear, and whispered,

"Wǒ ài nǐ."

he leaned away to see qi's expression. his eyes were wide with shock as he stared back at him. he could feel the familiar suspense from last time as they both stared at eachother before qi opened his mouth.

"really?" he asked in disbelief. the raven nodded. there was silence as the chemist took time to process this new revelation. after a bit liang looked to see qi ...smiling?

"heh, it's funny." he started. "I...was wondering but, I didn't think-..."

he seemed so...bashful, and genuinely happy to liang, but he wasn't sure. "so," he said. "do you...also..."

the older seemed to laugh softly to himself in what sounded like embarrassment. "actually...I-..I kinda do."

liang felt an odd feeling in his chest. almost a fluttering one. "you like me?"

"yes."

"so then...would you like to...to date?"

"yes. that'd be, wonderful, actually."

his eyes widened at the response. he felt happy....but now he felt awkward as the two stayed sat. what were they to do now? should they just go to bed? do something? he wasn't very good at this. he wanted to do something, but, would it be too much?

"we should probably hit the sack right?" qi inquired. liang looked and nodded slightly. he felt like he wanted to do something though. before this ended. before the other could get up liang lunged over and-...smacked themselves in the head. both groaned in pain as they held their heads.

"what was that for?"

"I wanted a kiss." liang answered before realizing what he said and making his face flush pink. qi looked at him and chuckled lightly. "you could've just asked." he said before diving in and kissing the younger.

he'd never been kissed before. this was a first time. laing felt so unprepared but at the same time ready for this as his eyes closed, kissing qi back. it was soft, chaste and warm, and in general really nice.

they both parted, blushing and looking at each other before both smiling lightly. they felt both scared and excited about this at the same time. they liked it though. they liked this. and they were excited for this.

plan four: success!

Wǒ ài nǐ (我爱你) is Chinese for "I love you."

[wineanddinosaur]

How to Set a New Bar Up for Success, According to Bar Industry Experts

When opening a new bar, design is a critical element. The way the bar looks and feels helps set the tone for the guest experience — but it’s not all about the aesthetics. A bar needs to be functional, too.

The ambience of the space as a whole must be considered, including the relationship between the music, lighting, floor layout, seating, and the customizations that’ll make the bar special. There are also practical elements that should be taken into account, from the equipment that’ll be used to the foundational infrastructure that’ll ensure the bar is up to code from a legal perspective.

Designing a bar is no easy task — and flaws can significantly affect both workflow and revenue, but certain design strategies can help set a new bar up for success. Here, some of the drinks industry’s most well-established designers and bar professionals weigh in on the essentials for designing the optimal bar.

Know your concept.

You wouldn’t buy a two-bedroom home in the suburbs for your family if you have five children, so why would you build a bar with one bar station if you plan on serving 500 to 1,000 guests a night? Before diving into the design process, you need to get an understanding of how much space will be needed to accommodate your beverage program.

“Define the program’s ambition,” says Devon Tarby, a partner at Proprietor’s LLC in Los Angeles. In addition, you’ll need to consider the number of cocktails, the style of the drinks, the spirit offerings, and other key details like what your clientele and volume will look like. “This,” she says, “will trigger very specific equipment needs, be it dedicated freezers for glassware and specialty ice, custom work surfaces, refrigeration, ice well size, sink locations, ice machine selection, and dedicated prep space.”

Tarby also says it’s important to analyze the bar’s overall space, including the number of seats, the size of the bar itself, its hours of operation, labor constraints, and projected sales. “This will dictate the number of stations needed to adequately service the restaurant or bar and, generally, will require some back-and-forth with designers and architects on the bar’s size and shape.”

Photo courtesy Proprietors, LLC

Curate a cohesive ambience.

Authenticity is what guests will notice — and that’s what will resonate with them. One of the reasons that tiki bars are so popular is because of the escapism they offer through their kitschy design, music, staff uniforms, and tropical drinks.

Tobin Ellis, a bar designer and the proprietor of the design company BarMagic in Las Vegas, says he once heard that “you shouldn’t notice great design; you should just feel warmly wrapped up in it.” In other words, he says, “Don’t try to be ‘designy’ and get your designs noticed. Instead, try to help the owners tell their story. Bring it to life, remembering that at the core of what’s being built will be human connection and hospitality. It’s about people, not wallpaper and ironic neon signs.”

A big piece of curating the bar experience, says Don Lee, a co-owner of Existing Conditions in New York, is striking the right balance with lighting and music. “Two important factors for me when thinking about the ambiance of a space,” says Lee, “are the sound (speaker placement, sound proofing, etc.) and lights (lighting for guests at the right brightness, color temperature, and having proper illumination of working areas).”

Ellis says that it’s helpful to have “one clearly communicated vision that either embraces the building, space, or neighborhood — or you need to do the exact opposite [and] design something that completely takes people out of that culture and magically transports them somewhere else in time or space.” As he points out, hospitality is a form of theater. “Great theater requires a willing suspension of disbelief, which means the guest walks in and says, ‘Yes, I buy into this fictional story you’re telling here, and I love it!’ So the devil is, of course, in the details. Right down to the acoustical design, lighting plan, reflected ceiling plan, and so much more.”

Know when to be conservative with funds, and where to splurge.

It’s easy to get carried away with fancy tools and aesthetically pleasing design details, but they can burn through your budget fast, which isn’t ideal, especially if you run into any hiccups down the road. “Always be conservative,” says Lee, “but spend money on the things that you can never move once things are built. For example, if once the bar is built you can’t move the lowboy refrigerators, then you should buy quality lowboys.”

Any bar owner who’s had to replace such hefty, crucial equipment will second that statement — quality storage behind the bar is essential for bar efficiency. Tarby recommends Glasstender as an equipment brand worth investing in.

“You should splurge on sinks and customization,” says Leo DeGroff, a New York-based bar designer and consultant. “I would be conservative with sprayers because there are additional plumbing costs.” DeGroff warns that over-ordering opening liquor inventory is a popular mistake. “Never take advantage of case deals or shutdowns for an opening order,” he says.

In many cases, the direction of a bar program will change once sales, guest feedback, and other factors can be assessed. Plus, sometimes the drinks that you expect to sell well, don’t. “Stagnant liquor inventory has absolutely no cash value,” adds DeGroff. “You can buy it almost anytime.” He also suggests keeping your liquor par as low as possible with just “the bare minimum of liquor you need to stock every well, shelf, and backup liquor storage. Start at that number and trim where you can.”

Toree Gotsis, a bar and beverage specialist at Apex Commercial Kitchen Co. in Eden Prairie, Minn., suggests splurging on making the bar area larger to meet the demands of the menu and seating capacity. “Long ticket times are not only frustrating for the guests, but also for the bartender who is constantly drowning, trying to keep up with drink orders,” she says. “An unhappy bartender is not going to make for a great guest experience.” Gotsis also recommends making sure the bar is large enough to accommodate both the number of bartenders who will be working during peak hours and appropriate-sized equipment for stocking ingredients and products for the busy periods.

Existing Conditions NYC. (Photo by Eric Medsker)

Hire experts where needed.

Opening a bar is no cheap feat; we all know that. But another place where splurging is worthwhile is when experts are needed for executing high-level tasks like design. “Your job as a bar owner is to understand the business of selling and serving drinks,” says Ellis. “It isn’t to attempt to become an architect, designer, contractor, or consultant. There’s no piece of software a novice can learn in a week — or even a month — that can be used [for] construction drawings, so don’t waste time or money trying to do the job of a designer.”

This advice may seem like common sense, but many bar owners fail to follow it. Working with experts and designating clear roles and responsibilities during the design process are crucial for a bar’s success. “If you draw something in [Google] SketchUp, a professional is still going to have to sit down and redraw it all in AutoCAD or Revit,” says Ellis. “The design build industry uses complex software that requires an incredible knowledge of compliance, life safety, engineering, and more.” He points out that nobody learns design or professional programs, like ArchiCAD, AutoCAD, AQ Designer, Revit, and other BIM software, at this level as a hobby. “There is far too much training required [that goes] well beyond how to ‘draw,’ which is why these professionals in most cases are required to be licensed in the state [where] they work in order to stamp construction documents.”

Plumbing is another important aspect of the build-out that requires a specialist. Lee expresses regrets over previously having hired a contractor to do the work of a plumber, adding that it’s a mistake he won’t make again. While there may be the initial sticker shock of hiring experts for these jobs, bar owners say it will save you headaches and money in the long run, so it’s better to do things the right way from the start.

Don’t overlook the importance of sinks.

Each of the professionals interviewed for this article stressed the importance of sinks behind the bar. Though they’re necessary for efficient service and being able to effectively reset the bar, they aren’t always given enough thought.

“The mandate that every bar station have at least one deep-basin sink per ice bin is critical — ideally a two-basin sink,” says Tarby. “In testing, we’ve found that it isn’t the speed of making cocktails that has the biggest impact on revenue; it’s the ability for the bartender to reset between rounds and begin the next.” Having a sink to dump ice in after shaking and quickly cleaning tools, she says, is paramount for any serious cocktail program. “We’ve begun integrating other tools to speed up the process even more, [such as] glass rinsers at each work surface and foot pedals on sinks.”

Ellis has a similar view. “The biggest thing I see omitted the most often is a lack of dump sinks behind a bar,” he says. “Where do you make drinks at home? I’ll bet it’s in the kitchen. Because that’s where the refrigeration, sink, and garbage are. Bartenders make a lot more drinks in a commercial bar than you make in your kitchen, so it’s insanity that every single bar station does not have its own dump sink.”

Photo courtesy Bar Magic

Employ design that makes the bartender’s job easier.

Gotsis says bar owners should do their research before beginning the design process. “Drink menus have a huge impact on what equipment should be incorporated,” she says. “The bar industry is evolving creatively and technically, [and] we have to make sure that bar designs [and] builds are keeping up with those trends for the sake of the people working in the trenches.”

Bar design plays a crucial role in a bartender’s ability to perform at their best and make money for the bar. “Imagine two office workers sharing one phone, taking turns on one keyboard,” says Ellis. “It’s laughable, and yet that’s what happens behind almost every bar in the world. Bartenders have to run around and share critical pieces of equipment that they use hundreds, even thousands, of times per shift. It’s absolute madness.”

Any unnecessary movements to access certain ingredients or tools can eat away at the speed a bartender is able to make and serve drinks. “The best single bit of advice I can give anyone designing a bar comes from my own personal zero-step bartending philosophy,” says Ellis. “If I’ve done my job well as a bar designer, 80 percent or more of what each bartender needs to do their job is within arm’s reach — or maybe a lean or pivot.” He emphasizes that there’s no walking in smart bartending. “Nobody wins when bartenders are doing laps behind the bar.”

The article How to Set a New Bar Up for Success, According to Bar Industry Experts appeared first on VinePair.

source https://vinepair.com/articles/6-expert-tips-for-designing-the-optimal-bar/

[isaiahrippinus]

How to Set a New Bar Up for Success, According to Bar Industry Experts

When opening a new bar, design is a critical element. The way the bar looks and feels helps set the tone for the guest experience — but it’s not all about the aesthetics. A bar needs to be functional, too.

The ambience of the space as a whole must be considered, including the relationship between the music, lighting, floor layout, seating, and the customizations that’ll make the bar special. There are also practical elements that should be taken into account, from the equipment that’ll be used to the foundational infrastructure that’ll ensure the bar is up to code from a legal perspective.

Designing a bar is no easy task — and flaws can significantly affect both workflow and revenue, but certain design strategies can help set a new bar up for success. Here, some of the drinks industry’s most well-established designers and bar professionals weigh in on the essentials for designing the optimal bar.

Know your concept.

You wouldn’t buy a two-bedroom home in the suburbs for your family if you have five children, so why would you build a bar with one bar station if you plan on serving 500 to 1,000 guests a night? Before diving into the design process, you need to get an understanding of how much space will be needed to accommodate your beverage program.

“Define the program’s ambition,” says Devon Tarby, a partner at Proprietor’s LLC in Los Angeles. In addition, you’ll need to consider the number of cocktails, the style of the drinks, the spirit offerings, and other key details like what your clientele and volume will look like. “This,” she says, “will trigger very specific equipment needs, be it dedicated freezers for glassware and specialty ice, custom work surfaces, refrigeration, ice well size, sink locations, ice machine selection, and dedicated prep space.”

Tarby also says it’s important to analyze the bar’s overall space, including the number of seats, the size of the bar itself, its hours of operation, labor constraints, and projected sales. “This will dictate the number of stations needed to adequately service the restaurant or bar and, generally, will require some back-and-forth with designers and architects on the bar’s size and shape.”

Photo courtesy Proprietors, LLC

Curate a cohesive ambience.

Authenticity is what guests will notice — and that’s what will resonate with them. One of the reasons that tiki bars are so popular is because of the escapism they offer through their kitschy design, music, staff uniforms, and tropical drinks.

Tobin Ellis, a bar designer and the proprietor of the design company BarMagic in Las Vegas, says he once heard that “you shouldn’t notice great design; you should just feel warmly wrapped up in it.” In other words, he says, “Don’t try to be ‘designy’ and get your designs noticed. Instead, try to help the owners tell their story. Bring it to life, remembering that at the core of what’s being built will be human connection and hospitality. It’s about people, not wallpaper and ironic neon signs.”

A big piece of curating the bar experience, says Don Lee, a co-owner of Existing Conditions in New York, is striking the right balance with lighting and music. “Two important factors for me when thinking about the ambiance of a space,” says Lee, “are the sound (speaker placement, sound proofing, etc.) and lights (lighting for guests at the right brightness, color temperature, and having proper illumination of working areas).”

Ellis says that it’s helpful to have “one clearly communicated vision that either embraces the building, space, or neighborhood — or you need to do the exact opposite [and] design something that completely takes people out of that culture and magically transports them somewhere else in time or space.” As he points out, hospitality is a form of theater. “Great theater requires a willing suspension of disbelief, which means the guest walks in and says, ‘Yes, I buy into this fictional story you’re telling here, and I love it!’ So the devil is, of course, in the details. Right down to the acoustical design, lighting plan, reflected ceiling plan, and so much more.”

Know when to be conservative with funds, and where to splurge.

It’s easy to get carried away with fancy tools and aesthetically pleasing design details, but they can burn through your budget fast, which isn’t ideal, especially if you run into any hiccups down the road. “Always be conservative,” says Lee, “but spend money on the things that you can never move once things are built. For example, if once the bar is built you can’t move the lowboy refrigerators, then you should buy quality lowboys.”

Any bar owner who’s had to replace such hefty, crucial equipment will second that statement — quality storage behind the bar is essential for bar efficiency. Tarby recommends Glasstender as an equipment brand worth investing in.

“You should splurge on sinks and customization,” says Leo DeGroff, a New York-based bar designer and consultant. “I would be conservative with sprayers because there are additional plumbing costs.” DeGroff warns that over-ordering opening liquor inventory is a popular mistake. “Never take advantage of case deals or shutdowns for an opening order,” he says.

In many cases, the direction of a bar program will change once sales, guest feedback, and other factors can be assessed. Plus, sometimes the drinks that you expect to sell well, don’t. “Stagnant liquor inventory has absolutely no cash value,” adds DeGroff. “You can buy it almost anytime.” He also suggests keeping your liquor par as low as possible with just “the bare minimum of liquor you need to stock every well, shelf, and backup liquor storage. Start at that number and trim where you can.”

Toree Gotsis, a bar and beverage specialist at Apex Commercial Kitchen Co. in Eden Prairie, Minn., suggests splurging on making the bar area larger to meet the demands of the menu and seating capacity. “Long ticket times are not only frustrating for the guests, but also for the bartender who is constantly drowning, trying to keep up with drink orders,” she says. “An unhappy bartender is not going to make for a great guest experience.” Gotsis also recommends making sure the bar is large enough to accommodate both the number of bartenders who will be working during peak hours and appropriate-sized equipment for stocking ingredients and products for the busy periods.

Existing Conditions NYC. (Photo by Eric Medsker)

Hire experts where needed.

Opening a bar is no cheap feat; we all know that. But another place where splurging is worthwhile is when experts are needed for executing high-level tasks like design. “Your job as a bar owner is to understand the business of selling and serving drinks,” says Ellis. “It isn’t to attempt to become an architect, designer, contractor, or consultant. There’s no piece of software a novice can learn in a week — or even a month — that can be used [for] construction drawings, so don’t waste time or money trying to do the job of a designer.”

This advice may seem like common sense, but many bar owners fail to follow it. Working with experts and designating clear roles and responsibilities during the design process are crucial for a bar’s success. “If you draw something in [Google] SketchUp, a professional is still going to have to sit down and redraw it all in AutoCAD or Revit,” says Ellis. “The design build industry uses complex software that requires an incredible knowledge of compliance, life safety, engineering, and more.” He points out that nobody learns design or professional programs, like ArchiCAD, AutoCAD, AQ Designer, Revit, and other BIM software, at this level as a hobby. “There is far too much training required [that goes] well beyond how to ‘draw,’ which is why these professionals in most cases are required to be licensed in the state [where] they work in order to stamp construction documents.”

Plumbing is another important aspect of the build-out that requires a specialist. Lee expresses regrets over previously having hired a contractor to do the work of a plumber, adding that it’s a mistake he won’t make again. While there may be the initial sticker shock of hiring experts for these jobs, bar owners say it will save you headaches and money in the long run, so it’s better to do things the right way from the start.

Don’t overlook the importance of sinks.

Each of the professionals interviewed for this article stressed the importance of sinks behind the bar. Though they’re necessary for efficient service and being able to effectively reset the bar, they aren’t always given enough thought.

“The mandate that every bar station have at least one deep-basin sink per ice bin is critical — ideally a two-basin sink,” says Tarby. “In testing, we’ve found that it isn’t the speed of making cocktails that has the biggest impact on revenue; it’s the ability for the bartender to reset between rounds and begin the next.” Having a sink to dump ice in after shaking and quickly cleaning tools, she says, is paramount for any serious cocktail program. “We’ve begun integrating other tools to speed up the process even more, [such as] glass rinsers at each work surface and foot pedals on sinks.”

Ellis has a similar view. “The biggest thing I see omitted the most often is a lack of dump sinks behind a bar,” he says. “Where do you make drinks at home? I’ll bet it’s in the kitchen. Because that’s where the refrigeration, sink, and garbage are. Bartenders make a lot more drinks in a commercial bar than you make in your kitchen, so it’s insanity that every single bar station does not have its own dump sink.”

Photo courtesy Bar Magic

Employ design that makes the bartender’s job easier.

Gotsis says bar owners should do their research before beginning the design process. “Drink menus have a huge impact on what equipment should be incorporated,” she says. “The bar industry is evolving creatively and technically, [and] we have to make sure that bar designs [and] builds are keeping up with those trends for the sake of the people working in the trenches.”

Bar design plays a crucial role in a bartender’s ability to perform at their best and make money for the bar. “Imagine two office workers sharing one phone, taking turns on one keyboard,” says Ellis. “It’s laughable, and yet that’s what happens behind almost every bar in the world. Bartenders have to run around and share critical pieces of equipment that they use hundreds, even thousands, of times per shift. It’s absolute madness.”

Any unnecessary movements to access certain ingredients or tools can eat away at the speed a bartender is able to make and serve drinks. “The best single bit of advice I can give anyone designing a bar comes from my own personal zero-step bartending philosophy,” says Ellis. “If I’ve done my job well as a bar designer, 80 percent or more of what each bartender needs to do their job is within arm’s reach — or maybe a lean or pivot.” He emphasizes that there’s no walking in smart bartending. “Nobody wins when bartenders are doing laps behind the bar.”

The article How to Set a New Bar Up for Success, According to Bar Industry Experts appeared first on VinePair.

source https://vinepair.com/articles/6-expert-tips-for-designing-the-optimal-bar/ source https://vinology1.tumblr.com/post/612298765847707648

[johnboothus]

How to Set a New Bar Up for Success According to Bar Industry Experts

When opening a new bar, design is a critical element. The way the bar looks and feels helps set the tone for the guest experience — but it’s not all about the aesthetics. A bar needs to be functional, too.

The ambience of the space as a whole must be considered, including the relationship between the music, lighting, floor layout, seating, and the customizations that’ll make the bar special. There are also practical elements that should be taken into account, from the equipment that’ll be used to the foundational infrastructure that’ll ensure the bar is up to code from a legal perspective.

Designing a bar is no easy task — and flaws can significantly affect both workflow and revenue, but certain design strategies can help set a new bar up for success. Here, some of the drinks industry’s most well-established designers and bar professionals weigh in on the essentials for designing the optimal bar.

Know your concept.

You wouldn’t buy a two-bedroom home in the suburbs for your family if you have five children, so why would you build a bar with one bar station if you plan on serving 500 to 1,000 guests a night? Before diving into the design process, you need to get an understanding of how much space will be needed to accommodate your beverage program.

“Define the program’s ambition,” says Devon Tarby, a partner at Proprietor’s LLC in Los Angeles. In addition, you’ll need to consider the number of cocktails, the style of the drinks, the spirit offerings, and other key details like what your clientele and volume will look like. “This,” she says, “will trigger very specific equipment needs, be it dedicated freezers for glassware and specialty ice, custom work surfaces, refrigeration, ice well size, sink locations, ice machine selection, and dedicated prep space.”

Tarby also says it’s important to analyze the bar’s overall space, including the number of seats, the size of the bar itself, its hours of operation, labor constraints, and projected sales. “This will dictate the number of stations needed to adequately service the restaurant or bar and, generally, will require some back-and-forth with designers and architects on the bar’s size and shape.”

Photo courtesy Proprietors, LLC

Curate a cohesive ambience.

Authenticity is what guests will notice — and that’s what will resonate with them. One of the reasons that tiki bars are so popular is because of the escapism they offer through their kitschy design, music, staff uniforms, and tropical drinks.

Tobin Ellis, a bar designer and the proprietor of the design company BarMagic in Las Vegas, says he once heard that “you shouldn’t notice great design; you should just feel warmly wrapped up in it.” In other words, he says, “Don’t try to be ‘designy’ and get your designs noticed. Instead, try to help the owners tell their story. Bring it to life, remembering that at the core of what’s being built will be human connection and hospitality. It’s about people, not wallpaper and ironic neon signs.”

A big piece of curating the bar experience, says Don Lee, a co-owner of Existing Conditions in New York, is striking the right balance with lighting and music. “Two important factors for me when thinking about the ambiance of a space,” says Lee, “are the sound (speaker placement, sound proofing, etc.) and lights (lighting for guests at the right brightness, color temperature, and having proper illumination of working areas).”

Ellis says that it’s helpful to have “one clearly communicated vision that either embraces the building, space, or neighborhood — or you need to do the exact opposite [and] design something that completely takes people out of that culture and magically transports them somewhere else in time or space.” As he points out, hospitality is a form of theater. “Great theater requires a willing suspension of disbelief, which means the guest walks in and says, ‘Yes, I buy into this fictional story you’re telling here, and I love it!’ So the devil is, of course, in the details. Right down to the acoustical design, lighting plan, reflected ceiling plan, and so much more.”

Know when to be conservative with funds, and where to splurge.

It’s easy to get carried away with fancy tools and aesthetically pleasing design details, but they can burn through your budget fast, which isn’t ideal, especially if you run into any hiccups down the road. “Always be conservative,” says Lee, “but spend money on the things that you can never move once things are built. For example, if once the bar is built you can’t move the lowboy refrigerators, then you should buy quality lowboys.”

Any bar owner who’s had to replace such hefty, crucial equipment will second that statement — quality storage behind the bar is essential for bar efficiency. Tarby recommends Glasstender as an equipment brand worth investing in.

“You should splurge on sinks and customization,” says Leo DeGroff, a New York-based bar designer and consultant. “I would be conservative with sprayers because there are additional plumbing costs.” DeGroff warns that over-ordering opening liquor inventory is a popular mistake. “Never take advantage of case deals or shutdowns for an opening order,” he says.

In many cases, the direction of a bar program will change once sales, guest feedback, and other factors can be assessed. Plus, sometimes the drinks that you expect to sell well, don’t. “Stagnant liquor inventory has absolutely no cash value,” adds DeGroff. “You can buy it almost anytime.” He also suggests keeping your liquor par as low as possible with just “the bare minimum of liquor you need to stock every well, shelf, and backup liquor storage. Start at that number and trim where you can.”

Toree Gotsis, a bar and beverage specialist at Apex Commercial Kitchen Co. in Eden Prairie, Minn., suggests splurging on making the bar area larger to meet the demands of the menu and seating capacity. “Long ticket times are not only frustrating for the guests, but also for the bartender who is constantly drowning, trying to keep up with drink orders,” she says. “An unhappy bartender is not going to make for a great guest experience.” Gotsis also recommends making sure the bar is large enough to accommodate both the number of bartenders who will be working during peak hours and appropriate-sized equipment for stocking ingredients and products for the busy periods.

Existing Conditions NYC. (Photo by Eric Medsker)

Hire experts where needed.

Opening a bar is no cheap feat; we all know that. But another place where splurging is worthwhile is when experts are needed for executing high-level tasks like design. “Your job as a bar owner is to understand the business of selling and serving drinks,” says Ellis. “It isn’t to attempt to become an architect, designer, contractor, or consultant. There’s no piece of software a novice can learn in a week — or even a month — that can be used [for] construction drawings, so don’t waste time or money trying to do the job of a designer.”

This advice may seem like common sense, but many bar owners fail to follow it. Working with experts and designating clear roles and responsibilities during the design process are crucial for a bar’s success. “If you draw something in [Google] SketchUp, a professional is still going to have to sit down and redraw it all in AutoCAD or Revit,” says Ellis. “The design build industry uses complex software that requires an incredible knowledge of compliance, life safety, engineering, and more.” He points out that nobody learns design or professional programs, like ArchiCAD, AutoCAD, AQ Designer, Revit, and other BIM software, at this level as a hobby. “There is far too much training required [that goes] well beyond how to ‘draw,’ which is why these professionals in most cases are required to be licensed in the state [where] they work in order to stamp construction documents.”

Plumbing is another important aspect of the build-out that requires a specialist. Lee expresses regrets over previously having hired a contractor to do the work of a plumber, adding that it’s a mistake he won’t make again. While there may be the initial sticker shock of hiring experts for these jobs, bar owners say it will save you headaches and money in the long run, so it’s better to do things the right way from the start.

Don’t overlook the importance of sinks.

Each of the professionals interviewed for this article stressed the importance of sinks behind the bar. Though they’re necessary for efficient service and being able to effectively reset the bar, they aren’t always given enough thought.

“The mandate that every bar station have at least one deep-basin sink per ice bin is critical — ideally a two-basin sink,” says Tarby. “In testing, we’ve found that it isn’t the speed of making cocktails that has the biggest impact on revenue; it’s the ability for the bartender to reset between rounds and begin the next.” Having a sink to dump ice in after shaking and quickly cleaning tools, she says, is paramount for any serious cocktail program. “We’ve begun integrating other tools to speed up the process even more, [such as] glass rinsers at each work surface and foot pedals on sinks.”

Ellis has a similar view. “The biggest thing I see omitted the most often is a lack of dump sinks behind a bar,” he says. “Where do you make drinks at home? I’ll bet it’s in the kitchen. Because that’s where the refrigeration, sink, and garbage are. Bartenders make a lot more drinks in a commercial bar than you make in your kitchen, so it’s insanity that every single bar station does not have its own dump sink.”

Photo courtesy Bar Magic

Employ design that makes the bartender’s job easier.

Gotsis says bar owners should do their research before beginning the design process. “Drink menus have a huge impact on what equipment should be incorporated,” she says. “The bar industry is evolving creatively and technically, [and] we have to make sure that bar designs [and] builds are keeping up with those trends for the sake of the people working in the trenches.”

Bar design plays a crucial role in a bartender’s ability to perform at their best and make money for the bar. “Imagine two office workers sharing one phone, taking turns on one keyboard,” says Ellis. “It’s laughable, and yet that’s what happens behind almost every bar in the world. Bartenders have to run around and share critical pieces of equipment that they use hundreds, even thousands, of times per shift. It’s absolute madness.”

Any unnecessary movements to access certain ingredients or tools can eat away at the speed a bartender is able to make and serve drinks. “The best single bit of advice I can give anyone designing a bar comes from my own personal zero-step bartending philosophy,” says Ellis. “If I’ve done my job well as a bar designer, 80 percent or more of what each bartender needs to do their job is within arm’s reach — or maybe a lean or pivot.” He emphasizes that there’s no walking in smart bartending. “Nobody wins when bartenders are doing laps behind the bar.”

The article How to Set a New Bar Up for Success, According to Bar Industry Experts appeared first on VinePair.

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