The Lodge (now €7 in and free class nights gone)

cson

So friends of mine have informed me it cost them €7 to get in last night. That's right €7, on a Tuesday.

I have a very much love/hate relationship with the place [much the same as the stables] in that some of my best nights in College have been there and equally some of my worst have been there too. It's a bit of an institution for UL-ers at this stage, I can't think of any other College in Ireland which has it's own practically house nightclub. It's convenient, generally good craic and relatively lax with the door policy [Although having said that, I've been refused a few times and more annoyingly dragged off the dancefloor and ****ed out for no reason as well].

But, it is going to price itself out of the reach of students if they carry on the way they are. The various student nights [Year nights and Ladies night Sundays] have disappeared as they usually do for the first few weeks of the semester and it's a typically price gouging strategy as clearly students are more inclined to go out in the first few weeks. I understand they are a business and have to make money but there are better ways to do it than gouging customers. They have made zero effort on the drinks promotions front except what they get free off the distributors from what I can see [50 free Coors pints the other night].

You only have to look at the Hurlers to see how a properly marketed place can do well. The place is packed most nights and more power to it; competition is good and if it generates a reaction out of the Lodge then excellent.

So if any rep of the Lodge is reading; the people who keep you in business are the very ones you're gouging. The very ones who will quite easily seek pastures new if you continue to charge €7 in on a Tuesday night. You don't have to be free in; I think most people would have no problem paying €2/3 to get in every night. You need to have a flat €3 pint/cocktail to at least give people an option other than sneaking naggins in. Basically you need to run yourself as a business in Ireland 2011 - compete!

CiaranMT

There's a reason The Lodge has solid metal toilets, and that's because it is a f**kin hole. Have never heard or seen ANY drinks promotions on in there.

Haven't yet been to the Hurler's in my 2.5 plus years here but I think I'll start frequenting it a bit more. Seems to have scrubbed up while I was away.

mulner92

7 euro no thanks. Why do people go there so, i don't get it. What's wrong with having a pint in your local?

highlydebased

It would be cheaper to get the bus to town and go to angel lane! (For another 60 cent of course...and before 10pm... -.- )

cson

Some major anti-lodge sentiment swamping their facebook page atm. They've created some shit storm.

mulner92

People used to be always on to me about going there, but i was never bothered. Guess they won't be bothering me now in future.

deise go deo

€7?:D:D


Ha. You can get a taxi and go into Trinity rooms for that.:rolleyes:

sceptre

FYI, statement from the Lodge about the issue. I suspect some of you will have an issue with bits of the statement, but that's up to you to say, feel free to post your opinions...

As a moderator note, tempting as I'm sure it is to take launch with all the bad language your granny would rather you didn't use, keep in mind that it's possible to dish out righteous vitriol and annoyance without doing that:)

Lodge statement wrote:

Lodge NiteClub response to students - 3rd February 2011

In reply to recent wall posts and statements; as I’m sure you are aware businesses need to generate revenue to a greater degree than expenses in the long run. At the Lodge revenue is generated through entrance fees and drink sales. In the past we had significant drink sales and could afford to keep entrance fees to a minimum (at times we allowed customers free entry). Recently the change in culture to off-license drink has resulted in the need to increase entrance fees to generate the revenue required to meet expenses. We have had a great relationship with the vast majority of students over the last 15 years and hope to continue this into the future. Indeed we are former students of UL ourselves but now live in the real world. But like any customers you may take your custom elsewhere should you feel we no longer offer value for money.


Kind Regards,

The Lodge.


Admission Fees for Semester 2:

Tuesday: €5 before 12 & €7 after

Wednesday: (Live Music) €3 before 11 & €5 after

Thursday: €5 before 12 & €7 after

Sunday: €5 before 12 & €7 after

cson

Cheers sceptre,

I think my main point on the press release is the condescending ["real world"] tone toward the very customers that sustain the establishment. Clearly the disdain for your customers will not work; it's been an abjectly poor PR attempt and it has done and will do damage until such a time as The Lodge attempt to constructively deal with the issues raised rather than ignore them.

Sid_Justice

maybe the lodge manager has a fair point. all the students are turning up locked and not buying any drinks or just 1 or 2. maybe they're doing drugs instead (less likely).

hi_im_fil

A very condescending tone from the nightclub there. I would make a point of not going there anymore because of that statement. It looks like they don't even want our business anymore...

1huge1

Clearly these former students of UL didn't study economics. Simply put economies of scale, produce more produce cheaper.
Much like the Hurlers has done in that they have reduced their prices greatly but make up for that in the massive increase in footfall they are now receiving.

I know a nightclub is different but still they could definitely be more open minded to this.

mulner92

Maybe if people just head in there before 12, problem solved pay 5 instead of 7 euro. I'm not sure why people are so caught up over it. On another note, maybe it is a good thing, i know people going there 3-4 nights per week, maybe their livers may welcome a change!

Mindkiller

The Lodge is a ****ty place regardless of time of night or entrance fee. I haven't been there since November and I'll be happy to never go there again.

SarahBeep!

And they think students don't live in the real world??

Hulk Hands

Probably the best thing it had going for it was the certain years certain nights thing. Now thats gone, it's going to lose a lot of it's appeal. To be honest i'd still have no problem paying the fiver as long as there was some decent drink promos inside. But they don't have that either.

The way I see it losing most of it's custom through the 7 quid after 12 rule. I'd wager that on most nights the majority of the crowd comes in after 12 and has no trouble paying a fiver. But in people's heads theres a big difference between paying 5 and paying 7. Those casual drinkers having a few cans in elm park etc will decide to stay in the house instead of saying "ah **** it we'll go to the lodge" like they usually do

CiaranMT

Here's an event you should all join to show the people running the Lodge that they've made a bad move.

freyners

Hulk Hands wrote: »

Probably the best thing it had going for it was the certain years certain nights thing. Now thats gone, it's going to lose a lot of it's appeal. To be honest i'd still have no problem paying the fiver as long as there was some decent drink promos inside. But they don't have that either.

The way I see it losing most of it's custom through the 7 quid after 12 rule. I'd wager that on most nights the majority of the crowd comes in after 12 and has no trouble paying a fiver. But in people's heads theres a big difference between paying 5 and paying 7. Those casual drinkers having a few cans in elm park etc will decide to stay in the house instead of saying "ah **** it we'll go to the lodge" like they usually do

i had a free pass for thursday but this is exactly what im doing anymore6

toodleytoo

It's a bit sad really, I've had some great nights in the Lodge. Can't see most of my friends goin now... Prices are exorbitant alright, that said I think the Hurlers is being a little bit too gleeful about the anger being shown against the lodge on FB...

cson

PR disaster from their p.o.v

Could easily have made a statement and backed it up with facts and figures instead they post a condescending statement with very little substance as to the price increases and have chosen to ignore the **** storm thats happening on their page. Alienating the very people that sustain the place is not good; some of the posts are way OTT but I'd put a lot of the blame on The Lodge themselves for their cack handed approach.

It had 3 things going for it that were interlinked;

The handiness of it
The free year nights
The goodwill toward it

It's now destroyed two of those and has a competitor for the first one. Can see them seriously struggle if the sentiment shown on their FB page is acted upon. It'll be a miracle to retrieve it at this stage.

Hulk Hands

I think they (probably older management) seriously underestimated the power of facebook. Judging by how they ignored the first comments and took so long to say something, I think they were trying to make the price increases go unnoticed and hoping that students would turn up not knowing the price and would be too drunk to care when they were charged €5/€7 (like myself on Tuesday night).

Thankfully facebook has put paid to that. Judging by the size of the crowd on Thursday, management will surely realise their mistake and I'm fairly sure that within a fortnight prices will be cheaper again, with the line being that the Lodge has listened to students demands. And when that happens the majority of students, including myself, will go flocking back

pajunior

Hulk Hands wrote: »

I think they (probably older management) seriously underestimated the power of facebook. Judging by how they ignored the first comments and took so long to say something, I think they were trying to make the price increases go unnoticed and hoping that students would turn up not knowing the price and would be too drunk to care when they were charged €5/€7 (like myself on Tuesday night).

Thankfully facebook has put paid to that. Judging by the size of the crowd on Thursday, management will surely realise their mistake and I'm fairly sure that within a fortnight prices will be cheaper again, with the line being that the Lodge has listened to students demands. And when that happens the majority of students, including myself, will go flocking back

I've no doubt that if they lower the price back to a fiver even without the student nights, most people will go back.

At the same time the hurlers has a real chance to put themselves on the map. Seem to be doing a good job so far.

seashore

Even if they kept the special years night but charged €2 before 12 for that year on that night, it would still attract people.. I loved going to the lodge last year on thursday nights, as i was a second year student.. It lodge used to be full of other second years which was great craic... walking around doing a few laps of the lodge on the thursday nights made the night!

KealanOCarroll

pajunior wrote: »

I've no doubt that if they lower the price back to a fiver even without the student nights, most people will go back.

At the same time the hurlers has a real chance to put themselves on the map. Seem to be doing a good job so far.

Yeah the Hurlers are doin a good job of getting their name out now...they're gettin awfully cocky about it now though, their most recent status is as follows:

Will we open up the shed in the back on Sunday night and have a drinks promotion for ye and free entry in? 200 likes will satisfy the boss to open the place for ye. I mean, where else will ye go????

CiaranMT

KealanOCarroll wrote: »

Yeah the Hurlers are doin a good job of getting their name out now...they're gettin awfully cocky about it now though, their most recent status is as follows:

Will we open up the shed in the back on Sunday night and have a drinks promotion for ye and free entry in? 200 likes will satisfy the boss to open the place for ye. I mean, where else will ye go????

In fairness, that's a very good promotion, and a sure-fire way of getting people in. Everyone's on FB, word will get around quickly.

Last line was unnecessary though.

Seloth

KealanOCarroll wrote: »

Yeah the Hurlers are doin a good job of getting their name out now...they're gettin awfully cocky about it now though, their most recent status is as follows:


Hah stop they were the ones who started the lodge closing down party lol.

It get far too packed out though at some stages.

I wish the stables had a late bar always.

skeleton_boy

Stables usually does have a late bar on Thursday night as far as I know.
As much as I disagree with the lodge's actions of late, I'm also starting to dislike the hurlers cocky approach to recent events.

mulner92

Stables would certainly benefit from a late bar

PeakOutput

stables gets something like 12 late bars a year, usually thursday nights

freyners

jesus whoever is behind pr for the lodge should be shot at this stage,

the lodges latest statement on their fb page

The Lodge wrote:

Enjoy your weekend everyone, thanks for the feedback, see you all Sunday night

and after they posted this, they started deleting alot of the wall posts, saying that people are being abusive but still, they're being caught and thats making even more people even more angry,

Mcjmetroid

The lodge is an absolute dive anyway. EVERYONE who isn't a first year knows this!

It's actually the worst nightclub I've ever been in.. everything is wrong with it and it's usually full of dickheads who will no doubt be heading to the hurlers now instead siiigh