4 ms·

This is why I tell no one of my favorite spots. My second favorite bars, restaurants, and nature spots are where I meet coworkers, dates from apps, and acquaint

by clubm8 8y ago

This is why I tell no one of my favorite spots. My second favorite bars, restaurants, and nature spots are where I meet coworkers, dates from apps, and acquaintances. Only close friends/partners/family get to know my true favorites - keeps them healthy as long as possible. For example, I know of a cheap, quiet bar in the heart of a major west coast city. It's not perfect, but it's got wifi and cheap drafts and is relatively clean despite beinga dive. I not only take no one there I don't really like, I will actively discourage people if someone notices it on Yelp when we're debating where to go. (Luckily, it has a deceptively low Yelp rating due to the hordes of techies who think being told "buy something to get a key to the bathroom" is equivalent to being spit in the face so I can invoke the magical word "sketchy" and steer my party clear)

tokyodude 8y ago
How will you feel if it goes out of business from not enough patronage or if the owner closes it because it's not meeting his financial requirements for retirement? If the owner just wants a quiet cozy place that's certainly great but maybe the owner wants the place to be 3x as busy or maybe she want's to open a bigger place or 2nd place as soon as she gets enough people and funds.
- fapjacks 8y ago
  I am particularly sensitive to this issue as I live in a beautiful tropical metropolis which everyone on the planet knows about and is the stereotypical vacation spot and which sees more and more tourists every year. I'm 100% behind OP. If the owner of the business wants to scale, that's their job. If I've found a truly amazing place, I keep it to myself and only maybe tell my closest friends after a lot of careful thought. One word to the wrong person and it will be gone. Loads of stuff here is ephemeral, even if loads of other places are institutions. It's best to just enjoy it while you can. The city and county here are well-known to shut down popular areas that two months ago were a "best-kept secret" before Instagram got a hold of it and now it's almost destroyed by foot traffic. I could post a link to an article in our newspaper from just last week about something being closed for repairs of which, if you are actually from or living in Tokyo, you may have seen pictures making the rounds on Instagram, as it was very popular with Japanese tourists. I live at the far end of that slippery slope and it definitely happens.
- clubm8 8y ago
  >How will you feel if it goes out of business from not enough patronage or if the owner closes it because it's not meeting his financial requirements for retirement? No place I've done this with has gone out of business yet. Keep in mind - I found it. Others will too.
  - tokyodude 8y ago
    Well, another POV is that some people like to help others. If the owner wants more business then helping them is spreading the word. Yea, it sucks you don't get to keep your special place but I'd rather help my friends achieve their goals than hold them back for my own selfish reasons. If I had a friend running a restaurant or bar and they told me "don't spread the word I want this place to stay cozy" then of course I'd respect their wishes. If on the other hand they want to grow then I'd help them spread the word.
    - clubm8 8y ago
      >Well, another POV is that some people like to help others. Is causing my favorite bar to have an increase in customers, to the point that it's unable to deliver the good service I came to enjoy, a good thing? Said bar then starts to tweak things - they hire more staff, raise prices. Next thing you know, the qualities that made people to flock to said bar are gone, customers die dow, and the owner is forced to lay people off and possibly is stuck with a bill for equipment or refurbishings they can't cover. This kills the bar. I've seen it happen more than once. Again, as I said: people before me found the bar, and people after me will too.

by clubm8 8y ago

tokyodude 8y ago

How will you feel if it goes out of business from not enough patronage or if the owner closes it because it's not meeting his financial requirements for retirement? If the owner just wants a quiet cozy place that's certainly great but maybe the owner wants the place to be 3x as busy or maybe she want's to open a bigger place or 2nd place as soon as she gets enough people and funds.

fapjacks 8y ago
I am particularly sensitive to this issue as I live in a beautiful tropical metropolis which everyone on the planet knows about and is the stereotypical vacation spot and which sees more and more tourists every year. I'm 100% behind OP. If the owner of the business wants to scale, that's their job. If I've found a truly amazing place, I keep it to myself and only maybe tell my closest friends after a lot of careful thought. One word to the wrong person and it will be gone. Loads of stuff here is ephemeral, even if loads of other places are institutions. It's best to just enjoy it while you can. The city and county here are well-known to shut down popular areas that two months ago were a "best-kept secret" before Instagram got a hold of it and now it's almost destroyed by foot traffic. I could post a link to an article in our newspaper from just last week about something being closed for repairs of which, if you are actually from or living in Tokyo, you may have seen pictures making the rounds on Instagram, as it was very popular with Japanese tourists. I live at the far end of that slippery slope and it definitely happens.
clubm8 8y ago
>How will you feel if it goes out of business from not enough patronage or if the owner closes it because it's not meeting his financial requirements for retirement? No place I've done this with has gone out of business yet. Keep in mind - I found it. Others will too.
- tokyodude 8y ago
  Well, another POV is that some people like to help others. If the owner wants more business then helping them is spreading the word. Yea, it sucks you don't get to keep your special place but I'd rather help my friends achieve their goals than hold them back for my own selfish reasons. If I had a friend running a restaurant or bar and they told me "don't spread the word I want this place to stay cozy" then of course I'd respect their wishes. If on the other hand they want to grow then I'd help them spread the word.
  - clubm8 8y ago
    >Well, another POV is that some people like to help others. Is causing my favorite bar to have an increase in customers, to the point that it's unable to deliver the good service I came to enjoy, a good thing? Said bar then starts to tweak things - they hire more staff, raise prices. Next thing you know, the qualities that made people to flock to said bar are gone, customers die dow, and the owner is forced to lay people off and possibly is stuck with a bill for equipment or refurbishings they can't cover. This kills the bar. I've seen it happen more than once. Again, as I said: people before me found the bar, and people after me will too.