Roxanne Posted April 20, 2023 Share Posted April 20, 2023 Just now, Ativa said: When are you going in? We have had to turn around and walk out a number of times It stared out really great and I had high hopes for it but it does seem to have gone a bit lack lustre. The enthusiasm seems to have dropped a bit They had some really staffing issue at the beginning and lots of their plans had to be scaled back. Perhaps it's never really recovered fully after that? Shame. Lovely people and so full of energy and ideas at startup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackwhite Posted April 20, 2023 Share Posted April 20, 2023 50 minutes ago, offshoremanxman said: I go in Henderson and Glass quite a bit. It never seems busy to me at all to be honest. In terms of pure sales, they do well. Friday and Saturday nights they are mostly full. In addition, this place has a slightly bigger capacity than H&G. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Onchan Posted April 20, 2023 Share Posted April 20, 2023 57 minutes ago, jackwhite said: They have qualifications in beer, spirits and cigars amongst them, so are better placed than most to advise on the products you are buying and likewise, know what they're buying. What, exactly, does that mean? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
offshoremanxman Posted April 20, 2023 Share Posted April 20, 2023 (edited) 4 minutes ago, jackwhite said: In terms of pure sales, they do well. Friday and Saturday nights they are mostly full. In addition, this place has a slightly bigger capacity than H&G. H&G is a good venue and they’ve done well in fitting it out and attention to detail. I like going in there but it isn’t that busy outside the weekend. The building is in family ownership too so I’d imagine the rent gives the flexibility to work into a cost base over a long period of time. Edited April 20, 2023 by offshoremanxman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roxanne Posted April 20, 2023 Share Posted April 20, 2023 1 minute ago, offshoremanxman said: H&G is a good venue and they’ve done well in fitting it out and attention to detail. I like going in there but it isn’t that busy outside the weekend. The building is in family ownership too so I’d imagine the rent gives the flexibility to work into a cost base over a long period of time. Upstairs is also rented out as AirB+B and is popular and does really well. Hopefully that will also give them some cushion against costs. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackwhite Posted April 20, 2023 Share Posted April 20, 2023 43 minutes ago, Roxanne said: It stared out really great and I had high hopes for it but it does seem to have gone a bit lack lustre. The enthusiasm seems to have dropped a bit They had some really staffing issue at the beginning and lots of their plans had to be scaled back. Perhaps it's never really recovered fully after that? Shame. Lovely people and so full of energy and ideas at startup. I agree with this, to an extent. They had issues when they first opened and it's been scrappy I think. Personal opinion only. Again, may be personal, but if you're operating that type of venue, I really think the owner has to be there, 'boots on the ground', so to speak. They need some consistency (getting better now but there were times they were supposed to be open that they weren't) and creativity (little change since they opened). Kikis is a good example. Excellent cocktails. The owner is always there or at least around. The first person who seats you is a director of the company. Busy most nights. Yes, they do get a younger demographic on occasion (not necessarily a bad thing as they're well behaved and willing to spend money - it's not cheap) but it's fresh and fun. They even had one of their directors win a worldwide cocktail competition. We do have a lot to shout about here on the Isle of Man in various industries but some people are too quick to jump on things without giving them a chance. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
offshoremanxman Posted April 20, 2023 Share Posted April 20, 2023 1 minute ago, Roxanne said: Upstairs is also rented out as AirB+B and is popular and does really well. Hopefully that will also give them some cushion against costs. The family own the whole building. I doubt the costs are high. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackwhite Posted April 20, 2023 Share Posted April 20, 2023 6 minutes ago, Andy Onchan said: What, exactly, does that mean? There is a qualification for beer called Cicerone. Developed in the USA but now available in the UK. There are qualifications in wines and spirits called WSET. Again worldwide recognised. Finally, a similar cigar qualification, open to those in the industry only. They're not straight forward and are difficult to pass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Onchan Posted April 20, 2023 Share Posted April 20, 2023 20 minutes ago, jackwhite said: There is a qualification for beer called Cicerone. Developed in the USA but now available in the UK. There are qualifications in wines and spirits called WSET. Again worldwide recognised. Finally, a similar cigar qualification, open to those in the industry only. They're not straight forward and are difficult to pass. I'm sure they are. Just a thought..... isn't it subjective, assuming it's based on what really matters and that's taste? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackwhite Posted April 20, 2023 Share Posted April 20, 2023 15 minutes ago, Andy Onchan said: I'm sure they are. Just a thought..... isn't it subjective, assuming it's based on what really matters and that's taste? Everything is based on taste. That's the whole point. People with these qualifications are able to match your specific tastes to the technical specification of the drinks and cigars. Much the same way a wine sommelier does. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Onchan Posted April 20, 2023 Share Posted April 20, 2023 Mmmm 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackwhite Posted April 20, 2023 Share Posted April 20, 2023 4 minutes ago, Andy Onchan said: Mmmm OK c'mon Andy, out with it. Not like you to pull your punches. 😁 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheesypeas Posted April 20, 2023 Share Posted April 20, 2023 2 hours ago, jackwhite said: I agree with this, to an extent. They had issues when they first opened and it's been scrappy I think. Personal opinion only. Again, may be personal, but if you're operating that type of venue, I really think the owner has to be there, 'boots on the ground', so to speak. They need some consistency (getting better now but there were times they were supposed to be open that they weren't) and creativity (little change since they opened). Kikis is a good example. Excellent cocktails. The owner is always there or at least around. The first person who seats you is a director of the company. Busy most nights. Yes, they do get a younger demographic on occasion (not necessarily a bad thing as they're well behaved and willing to spend money - it's not cheap) but it's fresh and fun. They even had one of their directors win a worldwide cocktail competition. We do have a lot to shout about here on the Isle of Man in various industries but some people are too quick to jump on things without giving them a chance. We like H&G too. .....but that salty popcorn. Jeez ! They used to give it out in the 'Bath & Bottle'. So salty it is inedible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackwhite Posted April 20, 2023 Share Posted April 20, 2023 22 minutes ago, cheesypeas said: We like H&G too. .....but that salty popcorn. Jeez ! They used to give it out in the 'Bath & Bottle'. So salty it is inedible. I'm sure you know the logic behind that. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheesypeas Posted April 20, 2023 Share Posted April 20, 2023 5 minutes ago, jackwhite said: I'm sure you know the logic behind that. Indeed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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