Oof…my band just got fired!

[BobKos]

She always wanted to fire a drummer so she did it under the guise the band having brought too much business in. We all know the real reason....

 

[getrhythm]

When they get their act together and ask you back (for less money, of course), make sure you don't return at a reduced rate. Good luck!

 

[MtManiac]

It’s a business decision.

Not all business decisions are good decisions.

 

[ebo]

Could they have a different house clientele that didn’t enjoy the music and crowds and vocalized that to the management? If you bring in a large outside crowd that disrupts the existing client base that might cause some concern. Bars and restaurants need to find their niche to compete. The niche you want them to be might not be the one they want to be. I’ve tried bringing in music to a place that didn’t have it (and I thought would be perfect for it) and got shut down. I thought they were being shortsighted like your place might be doing, but it wasn’t my call.

 

[kcducttaper]

some people got impatient, and some of the staff took that as “abuse”

Sounds like they need new staff (or ultimately new management) to me. Who in their right mind makes a customer wait 15 min for a drink and then gets butt-hurt when the customer complains about it? Of course they're gonna be agitated! It sounds like this place is full of snowflakes. Both the staff for getting butt-hurt about an otherwise very busy (presumably also lucrative) night, and also for the management being unable to plan properly and caving to the whines of the snowflake staff. Both need to grow a backbone.

 

[brianrost]

In my experience when it comes down to the staff vs. the bands, the staff complaints always win.

 

[Killing Floor]

Sorry.
And sometimes places take too long to pour a beer. Just saying, sounds like someone else needed to be fired.

 

[Bullitt5135]

Unfortunately - it sounds like "sign of the times".

Businesses (especially small businesses) can't hire staff, and many have had to scale back by cutting hours, limiting menu or product options, etc.
They are faced with a decision to scale back or risk delivering a sub-par product and customer experience, which results in losing customers and damaging their reputation.
It seems counter-intuitive, but that's been the reality since covid for many businesses.
It's very likely that this is what played into their decision.
(no pun intended)

Yes, you hit the nail on the head. This was precisely their reason for canceling future events. They also chose to throw subtle shade our way by implying that our crowd was abusive. My wife witnessed the episode the GM cited...our singer's wife ordered $60 worth of food from their online takeout menu. When she picked the order up at the bar, the kid said "I can't allow you to take that outside." Besides being confused and perplexed and politely asking "why...are you sure...can I talk to the manager?"...she eventually got tired of waiting and just walked outside with the food when the kid walked away. I get it, the staff was very young and inexperienced, and they were on their own to figure things out. The GM was in the kitchen cooking and running BOH.

The whole thing is really unfortunate. The reason why they are short-staffed, besides it being a small town where students apparently don't need or want summer jobs, their two most experienced employees (husband & wife) are on leave because of a serious medical crisis. We had already approached the brewery about turning next month's event into a fundraiser for the guy and turning out a big crowd – as well as donating our modest fee. We respect their decision to cancel. and don't intend on burning any bridges.

 

[Doug P]

We just got an email from a local brewery we played at last weekend. It was our second time there, and both times went well in our opinion…in that we brought a sizable crowd and a bunch of new business to a venue that normally does not host live music. Apparently, we did too good of a job last weekend, as the brewery was understaffed and deep in the weeds most of the night. People were waiting in line 15+ minutes just to order a beer, and then 10+ minutes in another line waiting for it to be served. Orders were getting lost. Guests were scolded for ordering food at the bar and taking it outside to the patio where we were playing. According to the manager, some people got impatient, and some of the staff took that as “abuse”. From what I witnessed myself between sets and knowing our crowd, nobody was drunk and belligerent (just thirsty, since they were standing around waiting forever for a drink).

Long story short, the manager emailed us saying she’s decided to cancel our three remaining events on the calendar. It’s too bad. We had a good rapport with the manager. They are in a unique position to be the only venue in the area offering live music outdoors in the summer. From the start, we have offered to work with her to make the events successful not just for us, but for other acts as well. Our goal was to help grow a little local music scene. Our singer managed high volume restaurants for years, and he had some simple ideas for streamlining their service on event nights to keep the staff happy and the beer flowing. They just aren’t equipped to handle the increased business at this time, and have decided that live music brings in too many people. On a positive note, I see more golf in my future.

I see a new manager in the future ??

 

[Five or Six]

What the band brought to the table completely overwhelmed her / staff. She had no idea what bands are capable of producing! Basically, you guys scared the hell out of her. If this is a one horse bar it's obvious why the train wreck.

 

[Grinderman]

So, your band got the blame for a business exceeding their normal volume, and rather than trying to capitalize on the situation, they took the easy route and got rid of excess business generating catalyst.
Goofy but sadly not surprising.

Hey, turn it down... we're trying to quietly quit over here.

 

[Grinderman]

Could they have a different house clientele that didn’t enjoy the music and crowds and vocalized that to the management? If you bring in a large outside crowd that disrupts the existing client base that might cause some concern. Bars and restaurants need to find their niche to compete. The niche you want them to be might not be the one they want to be. I’ve tried bringing in music to a place that didn’t have it (and I thought would be perfect for it) and got shut down. I thought they were being shortsighted like your place might be doing, but it wasn’t my call.

Is that another way of asking if they have barflies?

 

[Ignatius]

Finding and retaining a sufficient number of good employees is common in the food and drink biz now.

we had a similar situation last year with a small bar we play regularly. Owner asked if we could swap a date a month in the future for one 6 weeks in the future. Wanting to stay on her good side we said ok.

We show up 6 weeks later and see some new people working there. Bartender tells us that our date was moved because the owner was going to fire some employees and hire new ones. She wanted a couple of weekends to get them up to speed and because we usually draw a large and thirsty crowd she did not want to throw them in the deep end to learn to swim. She booked some lower drawing acoustic acts for those 2 weeks instead.

 

[Bullitt5135]

Could they have a different house clientele that didn’t enjoy the music and crowds and vocalized that to the management? If you bring in a large outside crowd that disrupts the existing client base that might cause some concern. Bars and restaurants need to find their niche to compete. The niche you want them to be might not be the one they want to be. I’ve tried bringing in music to a place that didn’t have it (and I thought would be perfect for it) and got shut down. I thought they were being shortsighted like your place might be doing, but it wasn’t my call.

I've never understood their business model. The brewery opened 7 or 8 years ago as a manufacturing and distribution facility in a small town industrial park. A short time later, they opened a very nice tap room onsite with a sizeable indoor area, but it always seemed more like a place to sample the beer before buying carryout. They didn't serve food for the first couple of years. The menu now consists of simple sandwiches and wood-fired pizzas. It's like they've been taking baby steps for years. During the pandemic, they landscaped the front lawn with gravel and added some patio furniture. Over the past two summers, they have made noticeable improvements. It's a cool place with a LOT of potential, which is why we approached them in the first place. Our drummer has known the GM for a few years. We played last year's event free-of-charge just to see if live music could be a viable option for them. We were a new band at the time, and we were willing to pay our dues to get in on the ground floor and help create a local scene. That first event went well, and this year we booked four events over the summer months. Or so we thought.

 

[King Harvest]

“Completely overwhelmed” is not a fun time for bar/restaurant staff. I can understand why they felt the need to pump the brakes until they can get it together. If this is a brewery that they later shoehorned a bar into as an afterthought, it’s probably just not designed to handle the volume. And staffing-wise, it can be difficult to hire and train a bunch of people to basically work the one night a week that they are actually busy. Turnover will be a constant issue.

Hopefully they can figure it out, but the live music might have to wait until next summer.

 

[MultiScaleMale]

I don't know about your state, but Maryland has weird laws about serving food and running a microbrewery. They mostly do food trucks to get around the serving food limitations and then there are restrictions on where the beer can be consumed, etc. It makes no sense on the surface, but bigger crowds do not always equal more profit. More revenue? Almost certainly, but not necessarily more profit.

 

[Green Hornet]

Are there any catering business that they could get staff from during these events?
I know it's not your call but just a thought.

 

[Pings Bass]

Running a music venue and running a bar/restaurant are two different things that frequently overlap. Both are known quantities, but difficult if you don't know what you're doing. Sounds like this bar manager recognized she bit off more than she can chew.

Also, as an aside, I don't think from the stage it's possible to discern if people are crossing the line from impatient to abusive with service staff.

 

[Thumpin6string]

Sounds like the owner should fire the manager and use her wages to hire more staff.

 

[edencab]

Let me get this straight , this place canceled your gigs because it brings in too many people ? If this was a cartoon from the 1940's , a cat would be saying "now I've heard everything"
as it shot itself in the head.

"now I'ze hoid every-ting"