Was a great fourth -- warm, a cook-out, swimming, etc. And, of course (with the heat, the cook-out, etc.) some beer. I am disappointed to say, though, that I didn't make it over to the grand opening on July 4 of the new Barley and Hops Tavern in Occidental. Noah, the new owner along with his wife, Mir (wtf?), has been keeping a great blog about the renovation (much of which Noah did himself) and the beginning of the beer pub. I have to admit, having restaurant ambitions myself, I'm not sure from a logistical standpoint that Occidental is big enough for another drinking and eating establishment, even if they do serve Really Good Beer. It will be interesting to see what happens. Brew Pubs are a growing thing in Sonoma County, though, as it seems like every city must have one: Russian River Brewing Co. (Santa Rosa), HopMonk Tavern (Sebastopol), Lagunitas Brewing Co. (Petaluma), etc. I plan to visit Barley and Hops this week. I will -- I know, I know: surprise, surprise -- let you know my thoughts and impressions. Cheers.P.S. Oh, yes, by the way: Tonight at 10:00 p.m. on the Travel Channel kicks 
off the new season of Tony Bourdain's show No Reservations. I'll be on the couch with, well, a beer, so see you there.
off the new season of Tony Bourdain's show No Reservations. I'll be on the couch with, well, a beer, so see you there.P.P.S. O.K., I have to admit, I have another reservation about Barley and Hops. Where's their marketing? I haven't heard or seen one mention of them in the papers, the blogs, etc. If I hadn't of stumbled across them by chance.... It still amazes me how restaurant people pour thousands and thousands of dollars into things (buildings, kitchens, etc.) and then have no money (or don't want to spend any) for marketing. You need the marketing, too!
4 comments:
Heya! Many small restaurants blow a lot of cash on advertising. It's OUTRAGEOUSLY expensive to get a spot in the bohemian, press dem, etc. The math simply doesn't make sense for a local pub that all of the locals already know about. Case in point, my grand opening was beyond slammed - the restaurant was at (beyond) capacity, with a line of people wrapped from the deck, down the stairs, and into the parking lot. Those people have told other people, who tell other people. The local B+B's all have my menu and have sent customers, I'm in the phone book, and all of the online directories, events calendars, etc. I've handed out flyers and coasters at the farmers markets and they've been posted from freestone to bodega bay. I only fit 49 people - if I had spent a thousand dollars on advertising my grand opening, I'd be a thousand dollars poorer, and still been at capacity.
Regarding "another drinking and eating establishment" - there is a gigantic gap. Monstrous even. Two family style Italian restaurants, which are competition to eachother, a fine french bistro, a diner which only goes to lunch, and a small Mexican taqueria.
I've spent months talking to the locals; they all drive all the way to Sebastopol or beyond to go get a burger, watch the game, and find a good beer. Hopmonk has some good beer, but it's far from being a casual pub. I've actually drawn quite a few people from as far as Santa Rosa- our food is all totally from scratch, and our prices are exceptional. Our beer selection is eclectic and we have a couple exclusives. Coupled with the best TV in town, and a very passionate staff, we are here to stay.
As I've stated from the start, I'm here for the locals. I'm not relying on heavy advertising blitzes to milk the tourists for the summer, and then starve through the winter because the locals can't afford to eat here, or because the food is out of the 1970's- frozen and packaged. I'm confident our business will continue to increase, as it has for our first couple of weeks, that our beer list will ever-expand, and that when the time is right, and it makes good mathematical sense, you'll see our ads in print. Meanwhile, word of mouth, flyers, and referrals from the local businesses have not let us down.
Cheers! Your blog is among the few which I regularly read. Always a pleasure. -Noah.
(Mir is short for Mirjam, pronounced Miriam - it's Finnish).
Hey Noah, thanks for the note. I'm glad that the opening went well. I'm NOT a fan of advertising; I'm thinking more along the lines of press releases, contacting local bloggers, etc. I think you need a web site, too, for SEO and Yelp and all that stuff. Anyway, I wish you well. I hope that the locals can carry you. I'm coming over later this week -- will stop in... (and have a beer!).
N, you need a web site. I also have an idea re: meetup.com. We should talk....
I look forward to it! I've actually sent press releases everywhere- alas, none have printed it. I'm on Yelp, etc... setting up all the social networking profiles asap. I was going to do a traditional website, but the blog has brought in a lot of people (even a book publisher...) Love to have a beer and gab for a bit
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