Irish Pubs - not utilised enough

Lobby Con Shine

I'm a newbie so I don't know if this is the right place for this so Mods feel free to put it elsewhere.

One thing that's rarely mentioned as a possible business is an Irish pub abroad. They are everywhere as we all know and there's good money to be made on them.

They are also formulaic in that they are a heady mix of paddywhackery, sport on TV for the ex-pats, live music and a heart-attack breakfast at weekends.

Yet, they are never mentioned either through the media or in common discourse as a real option for employment. If I were a young fella who'd been let go from my construction job, I'd make for continental Europe where you'll get a job as a barman for a year or two to learn the ropes (I worked as a barman here and in Germany and there are many differences).

The pay might be low but jaysus the women love you. Honestly, I look like Peter Beardsley's ugly brother and yet the minute you'd utter a few begorrahs they'd be all over you. In many of the pubs, the most Irish thing about the place is the Achill roadsign which was robbed from Mayo County Council.

After a while, you get to manage or open up on your own. For example, doing a quick google search for Irish pubs in Germany and looking on the ex pat forums, there is no Irish pub in Dortmund. That's Dortmund, the seventh largest city in Germany in the middle of the affluent Ruhr valley. Also, close to Dortmund is Wuppertal, another large city with around 400K inhabitants. Again, no competition anywhere and it seems there isn't even an English-speaking pub at all there.

I'm married with kids, close to 40 so it's not an option for me but I really cannot understand how people emigrate across the world to Australia when there's a good, exciting living to be made an hour's flight time from home.

tricky D

Church Irish-Pub is in Dortmund.

The rest of the Ruhrgebiet has plenty of Irish pubs from my experiences.

Lobby Con Shine

tricky D wrote: »

Church Irish-Pub is in Dortmund.

The rest of the Ruhrgebiet has plenty of Irish pubs from my experiences.

Like the boy in the orthopaedic shoes, I stand corrected.

Have you been there? Is it owned by Irish people or do any Irish people work there? There's no mention of it on Toytown which is the ex-pat forum.

tricky D

Lobby Con Shine wrote: »

Like the boy in the orthopaedic shoes, I stand corrected.

Have you been there? Is it owned by Irish people or do any Irish people work there? There's no mention of it on Toytown which is the ex-pat forum.

I honestly couldn't tell you as it was a good long while since I've been up that way and I've visited so many in the region. Whenever I've visited the area in the last 10 or so years, I haven't been far out of Cologne.

pitythefool

Nice thread, I have had many jobs from my business degree over the years and even at 31 I still find time to do one or two nights a week in a pub

I find that not only does it help the pocket but also social skills

Pubs are also a great source of information and from working in one you will never be short of chat and ideas within a business environment

I have worked in Canada, Spain and Greece through out the years and have always recieved a good reception abroad

All young people should learn the trade at some point for these reasons and the fact that it can mentally toughen up even the softest of characters as long as they are working with a good crew

Lord TSC

If I were a young fella who'd been let go from my construction job, I'd make for continental Europe where you'll get a job as a barman for a year or two to learn the ropes

One would imagine there wouldn't be enough Irish pub jobs in the world for all the young fellas leaving Ireland.

Lobby Con Shine

Teamshadowclan wrote: »

One would imagine there wouldn't be enough Irish pub jobs in the world for all the young fellas leaving Ireland.

Profound. Missing the point of the threasd though.

markymark21

I think you're over simplifying the process of opening a bar in a foreign country. It's a giant leap from working as a barman to actually running your own place. Anyone can pull pints but running a bar is far more complicated.

And the reason everyone is heading to oz? In Victoria alone the average industrial wage is nearly $70,000!

Dj Stiggie

I agree with you OP. I've been travelling around Europe for the past couple of years working in bars. While the formula is there, a lot of places still manage to get it wrong.

I'm interested in opening my own bar in the next couple of years, I just need to find the right location. It's definitely a great way to see the world, as long as you have a decent boss/contract. There is some truth in the saying that the worst people to work for abroad are your own, but I have also worked for some very good Irish people as well.

You might find this article interesting:
http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/easier-to-find-irish-pub-abroad-than-at-home-as-demand-grows-180161.html

One new Irish pub is opening abroad every three days!

ArseBurger

markymark21 wrote: »

And the reason everyone is heading to oz? In Victoria alone the average industrial wage is nearly $70,000!

Sounds a lot. Until you realise how expensive the cost of living is.

Lobby Con Shine

Dj Stiggie wrote: »

I agree with you OP. I've been travelling around Europe for the past couple of years working in bars. While the formula is there, a lot of places still manage to get it wrong.

I'm interested in opening my own bar in the next couple of years, I just need to find the right location. It's definitely a great way to see the world, as long as you have a decent boss/contract. There is some truth in the saying that the worst people to work for abroad are your own, but I have also worked for some very good Irish people as well.

You might find this article interesting:
http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/easier-to-find-irish-pub-abroad-than-at-home-as-demand-grows-180161.html

One new Irish pub is opening abroad every three days!

I'm telling you, a well-run Irish pub in mainland Europe will make a packet.

There are long hours to be worked but the rewards can be great. The craic is really good and the women are hot. Far better than some GAA jersey-wearing munter you'll meet in Oz.

Dj Stiggie

Lobby Con Shine wrote: »

I'm telling you, a well-run Irish pub in mainland Europe will make a packet.

There are long hours to be worked but the rewards can be great. The craic is really good and the women are hot. Far better than some GAA jersey-wearing munter you'll meet in Oz.

I know, that's exactly why I haven't gone to Australia myself. Plus, because I'm in Europe, I get to pop home every now and then to remind myself why I left! I just need to find the right location for my own pub.

Lobby Con Shine

Dj Stiggie wrote: »

I know, that's exactly why I haven't gone to Australia myself. Plus, because I'm in Europe, I get to pop home every now and then to remind myself why I left! I just need to find the right location for my own pub.

If I were looking for a location, I have the following points in mind:-

1. Germany. Populated, they like Irish pubs and there's no recession there. However, you cannot rely of them only as they generally don't drink very much. Many of them can nurse a half pint of Guinness for the entire night while listening to a bit of trad music.

2. Go to a large enough city with little or no competition. I mentioned Dortmund and Wuppertal. Two very big cities, the latter not having any English-speaking pubs from what I can gather on t'internet. I was told (see above) that there is already an Irish pub in Dortmund but it can't be much of a one as there's no mention of it online or on the forums. It's likely that the owner isn't Irish.

3. Go to Toytown, the ex-pats' forum where each location is mentioned and you'll get a flavour for each area. The nightlife in each area is almost always discused.

4. Seek out the ex-pats as customers. Preferably Irish or British constructions workers. They drink like fish and many of them work hard and want to let their hair down at weekends. I mentioned Dortmund above. They play in the Champions League and are likely to continue doing so for a while. I would send out flyers at the airport for fans of foreign teams playing there showing a map of the pub and advising that a replay of the full match will be played afterwards.

5. Make sure the pub has a few alcoves, nooks and crannies so that several TVs can be put facing in different directions. Watching sport on TV is crucial. Most of the English-speaking ex pats will come to watch Sky as they can't get it at home. However, on Sundays during the summer, you could have football, GAA, motorsport, rugby and American/Australian sports so you'll need a few TVs and even a few rooms/alcoves so that the volume can be turned up on each.

6. Live music. The Germans go crazy for it and they'll go to see any half-arsed Christy Moore impersonator. Make sure that your pub is close enough to other cities to be on the "circuit" for trad bands from Ireland. If you're too isolated, then either they won't come or it'll cost you too much. Dortmund and Wuppertal are in the Ruhr valley which, taken as one area, is the most populated area in Germany as it's surrounded by other ciites. This is also important for liaising with other Irish pubs and getting deliveries from Ireland as, again, you'll be on the circuit. Once the band have finished, play regular well-known pop and rock music as the Brits won't appreciate too much trad. They'll hang around though if there's music that they know.

7. Food. A tricky one this. The best-run and most profitable bars dole out the grub. However, it means alot more staff, red tape and a bigger bar. I know nothing about food so it's a subjective decision. Certainly, the goal would be to run a bar which serves lunch and dinner to a certain time following which the tables are cleared to let the serious drinking begin. Don't forget the fry up on Saturdays and Sundays.

8. Finally, decor. Your article mentions a company that builds the bars and transports them. Ask them for their suggestions if you're starting with a shell of premises.

Good luck.