If you owned an LGBT pub, what would it be like?

Links234

inspired by if you owned your own pub in After Hours

I was gonna reply there, and say that I'd have a pub that was different to all the other ones because they're all so very similar, have the same pop music all the time, as if all LGBT people had the same tastes in music. so I'd have a pub that would have different music on each night, have a rock night, or an alternative night, or a chillout night or whatever people wanted. lots of guest DJ's who can bring something new to the mix.

I would also have a nice selection of drinks, some good german and belgian beers and a bigger selection of drinks, and not overcharge people for it either!

I guess I'm asking, what would you like to see in an LGBT pub?

Aard

A traditional Irish pub. No music, no fancy drinks. Just an open fire, some wooden tables, Guinness and the other reliables. Drab, boring, and great.

drunkmonkey

This Soooo belongs in AH, a straight pub for the gay guy, they'd love it.

rainbow kirby

Metal bar with good quality beer. Two things the Dublin scene is sorely lacking.

Also, live Spanish football. Entertainment for me, and the boys can look at Pep Guardiola :pac:

L1011

Bankrupt. I can't see a gay venue that has Sky Sports and has a DJ who's not allowed play cheesy pop or house doing too well...

Annasopra

No loud music at all - I prefer pubs where you can talk to people and you dont have to shout to hear them - probably a little bit more modern than Aards version though but only a little bit

hare05

MYOB wrote: »

Bankrupt. I can't see a gay venue that has Sky Sports and has a DJ who's not allowed play cheesy pop or house doing too well...

Why not build it like Bruxelles? Standard bar up top, metal bar basement left, 'chic' bar basement right?

anotherlostie

I'd be happy if Centre Stage reopened. It was very similar to El Piano in Sitges or the bar it's named after in Gran Can, except smaller, which was probably why it didn't succeed. Very hard work to keep a successful bar going in Ireland nowadays though.

Aard

anotherlostie wrote: »

Very hard work to keep a successful bar going in Ireland nowadays though.

Incidentally, how are the gay bars doing these days? Long time since I've been to one, but they always struck me as places that did a good trade on account of the strength of the "pink euro" and their relative scarcity.

L1011

hare05 wrote: »

Why not build it like Bruxelles? Standard bar up top, metal bar basement left, 'chic' bar basement right?

I was more thinking trance than metal, although I've a bit of thing for that too...

Hrm, gay Bruxelles. Could work.

bodice ripper

I can't see me owning one, tbh

if I did, I think one with alt and classic rock, with pool tables and a couple of slightly odd beers, and that didn't give you sh1t for trying to wear runners would cut it...


edit - and a look, we are gay! logo would help

hare05

I love how all the comments focus on music, with very few giving indications of visual themes / atmosphere or even drink selection.

My ideal pub would reside in a thatched building with a large open bar in the middle.

Think wood beams, heavy wood furniture, good food served during the day, random 'traditional' items all over the place (old boats suspended from the roof, wooden ship wheels on the walls, that sort of stuff). Trad music at night, with live bands doing the occasional jazz / rock / blues to spice things up a little.

Courtyard outside with tables/ beer garden, similar to Carlow's Dinn Rí

Also a nightclub downstairs that would do proper rave / trance music (Think Prodigy style, not Cascada).

Best of both worlds?

For drinks, think of the Porterhouse but with a decent wine selection too.

apkbarry

Well... From my reading of the title, it would suggest you want us to name what difference's there would be from a straight bar. Well, in my opinion, I would have it the exact same. There would be reason to change. The only thing I would have to change would be the atmosphere, any hostility, or LGBT bashing and you'd be out that door with a kick so hard, you wouldn't be able to ****e for weeks :rolleyes:

L.Jenkins

You'd love sean's bar in Athlone then hare. Bit cramped in the bar, but has a large beer garden with rowing boats hanging about the place and can boast being Europes oldest pub.

FewFew

Links234 wrote: »

I would also have a nice selection of drinks, some good german and belgian beers and a bigger selection of drinks, and not overcharge people for it either!

Links for president?

hare05

Fewcifur wrote: »

Links for president?

Agreed. Don't think we'll even need an election. You call the Áras, get things ready for her and I'll contact Links. She'll need a speech ready for the morning...

mrDerek

MYOB wrote: »

Bankrupt. I can't see a gay venue that has Sky Sports and has a DJ who's not allowed play cheesy pop or house doing too well...

i didnt know sky sports was exclusive to the straight community :rolleyes:

FewFew

hare05 wrote: »

Agreed. Don't think we'll even need an election. You call the Áras, get things ready for her and I'll contact Links. She'll need a speech ready for the morning...

Norris is gonna be piiiiiiiissed off that she stole his thunder, but we'll manage.

mrDerek wrote: »

i didnt know sky sports was exclusive to the straight community :rolleyes:

Yeah, it's in the contract you have to sign.

Links234

President Links! I like the sound of that

Dr. Baltar

I have thought about this alot!



1) Cheesy Camp Music Will Only Happen Once A Month!
2) Less Colours! I don't want to get epelepsy from looking at a wall
3) Why is there softcore porn on the walls?
4) Oh yes there will be an open stage, and yes, if you perform you get a free drink!
5) During the Day, you can come in for coffee
6) The Smoking Area will be OUTDOORS
7) The music shall be turned down a few notches. After 5 minutes in the bar you won't even notice it's there.
8) Every Xday there will be a Metal/Dubstep/Electro/Reggae/Something there.

I want to make a profit, but I'm not gonna be greedy. As low as I can make it.

FewFew

Dr. Baltar wrote: »

4) Oh yes there will be an open stage, and yes, if you perform you get a free drink!

What if they perform a rock opera? Like the full unedited version of Tommy?

Dr. Baltar

Fewcifur wrote: »

What if they perform a rock opera? Like the full unedited version of Tommy?

I've gone to an open stage where a guy started speaking in a language I have never heard of. The crowd sat there blankly as the guy rattled off jokes that nobody could ever understand. After 10 minutes he was dragged off the stage and given a beer. Slowly the crowd laughed. They laughed and laughed until we all cried. It was amazing. Anyone can do open stage!

FewFew

Dr. Baltar wrote: »

I've gone to an open stage where a guy started speaking in a language I have never heard of. The crowd sat there blankly as the guy rattled off jokes that nobody could ever understand. After 10 minutes he was dragged off the stage and given a beer. Slowly the crowd laughed. They laughed and laughed until we all cried. It was amazing. Anyone can do open stage!

So one beer for the entire set of Tommy? That's a bit stingey.

L1011

mrDerek wrote: »

i didnt know sky sports was exclusive to the straight community :rolleyes:

Seeing as I'm only aware of one gay bar in the entire country that has it, it'd appear it mostly is.

stephen_n

MYOB wrote: »

Seeing as I'm only aware of one gay bar in the entire country that has it, it'd appear it mostly is.

Flounge has it doesn't it?

Dr. Baltar

Fewcifur wrote: »

So one beer for the entire set of Tommy? That's a bit stingey.

other people want to perform too!

L1011

stephen_n wrote: »

Flounge has it doesn't it?

thats the one I know of. Never seen it anywhere else.

bigwillie

Something like Wetherspoons in England, good food and cheap beer. no loud music................

lionchild

No drag ****, themed nights, bingo etc.... I'd have it very cavern style, a bit like Bruxelles. Live music every night. Defo have a trad night, sessions night, etc. No ****ty drinks with umbrellas, cocktails and so on. Beers, lagers,draught, national and international, a bit like Porterhouse. Get famous bands to come too....maybe a bit like Róisín Dubh. And it wouldn't be just for gays...all welcome....but gays...kiss away....there shall be no eye lid batted.
I'd call it....Toraíocht Diarmuid & Gráinne....and I'd have it in Cow Lane.:pac:

L.Jenkins

I'd love a sectioned off bar with themed areas by music and sports with a nice big beer gardan. So I'd have to choose all the favourite bits from my favourite pubs.

spurious

I'm convinced that the plague of loud music in gay bars is for the benefit of the staff, not the punters.

I've never been in a bar where there was a request to turn up the music. It kills conversation, it makes the ladies unable to hear my charming chat up lines, it makes me sit there going 'yeah, yeah, oh I know...' when I can't hear a word of what anyone's saying, gives me a pain in my head and makes me go drink somewhere else.

The Front Lounge for example - extremely pleasant and civilised up to about 9.15, then uh-oh ... time to go elsewhere as the volume gets whopped up.

Any bar (gay or otherwise) I owned would not have the loud music and would certainly not have the disembodied soundless TV screens playing 80s videos.

Aard

I often wonder why there's such loud music. Like you say, spurious, I've never heard anybody complain that the music wasn't loud enough.

I imagine it's that when you can't hear somebody, you sip your drink more frequently, resulting in another drink bought.

Quentinkrisp

mine would be something along the lines of Hartigans on leeson street, peadar kearney's on dame street (downstairs part) and mcgruders on thomas st: kippy and unsophisticated but what it lacks in appearance it more than makes up for in atmosphere.:) rough and ready with a pool table, because not all of us want to dance like knobs on some poxy stage to ****ty pop. I'd have a seperate room for dj's/dancing then another room for chilling out, playing pool, so people could chat with each other without having to shout. plus i'd have a strict stance on maximum-occupancy to avoid a stardust style scenario, something which the george and copper alley seem to be lacking right now:rolleyes::rolleyes: oh and a zero tolerance policy for scumbags/troublemakers (thanks for the hint there Jean )

Hardaway

this thread is so depressing

Annasopra

Hardaway wrote: »

this thread is so depressing

why?

littlehedgehog

What I'd want in my own LGBT bar would be the same as in any bar I owned

- Quiet, cool, good mix of music (which does include some cheesy pop - Don't judge me! )
- No dress code (apart from don't be filthy)
- Unisex bathrooms with no urinals (I never understand why men should have to hang out with their wang out) - just many clean, bright cubicles.
- Dark (I HATE bright bars)
- As many different kinds of vodka that will fit on the shelf (for me), and lots of interesting beers on tap (for my friends)
- No high tables - Only couches and comfy chairs around lower tables.
- Good fire going in the winter.
- Zero tolerance policy for homophobia/sexism/being absolutely hammered.
- Epically cool smoking/beer garden (a bit like Dicey's - where you can't even tell you're outside)
- Links with pizza place (a la Pantibar) to allow deliveries of pizza and other non-messy food to the bar.

Aard

Jean wrote: »

- Unisex bathrooms with no urinals (I never understand why men should have to hang out with their wang out) - just many clean, bright cubicles.

I've been to unisex-loos before, in both bars and in Gourment Burger Kitchen off Grafton St. The former was weird, because people are generally a bit drunk and it causes confusion. The latter was awful because when I was in the cubicle two girls came in, assumed it was the female toilets, and started adjusting their bras when I walked out to wash my hands.


Also, urinals serve the practical purpose of having to touch fewer things in a bathroom.