95 South gets revamped

whynot_31

While most bars along Franklin Ave are regularly packed, 95 South is frequently empty until very late at night.

Over the passed few weeks, the place has undergone renovations and rumors are that it may re-open place that is equally a restaurant and a bar, whereas it has been mainly a bar.

Thoughts?

eastbloc

Still gangster owned and operated?

paraderest

Lipstick on a pig.

ishtar

The issue is the crowd it attracts. Period. They also charge a cover some nights. Other bars in the neighborhood have cheaper drinks, better food, no cover, and attract very diverse crowds, which is important in this neighborhood. Not all "gentrifiers" with disposable income are white and nor do we want to rub shoulders with the crowd it attracts. It's the only bar in the neighborhood that regularly has police outside on weekends. So unappealing.

whynot_31

It is a shame how much money they are not making on beer and food.

I wonder how much $ and effort they would need to invest in order to benefit from the area's increasing disposable income.

eastbloc

Do they care? If it is what people say it is, its primary function is probably not to make money but to launder it.

whynot_31

I've yet to hear the money laundering accusation from anyone I trust to actually know about such things.

So, I'll confine my critique to their failure to sell lots of liquor and food, despite being located on a busy commercial strip.

To build on Ishtar's point, there are several bars in the area that seem to attract to a mostly black clientele, yet seem to have a better revenue stream. Sugarcane on Flatbush comes immediately to mind.

homeowner

Well, I went there for drinks and apps one night and there was a very unusual (and open) exchange of cash at a table in the back. Guys would walk up, hand money to the guy sitting there, talk for a few minutes and then walk out.

Now, it could have been people buying into the football pool, or paying for their kid's little league fees, or buying a ticket to the bus trip to AC, but it didn't quite feel like any of those. So I paid my check and never went back.

whynot_31

Ede Fox is running for City Council, and is hosting a Birthday Party (fundraiser) at 95-S on June 18, 2013.

https://www.facebook.com/events/157257167790122/

Needless to say, the folks attending her event won't be very similar to those who attend on Fridays and Saturdays between 11 PM and 4 AM.

The optimist in me hopes that she will have a successful event, and that the venue will be able to showcase itself to guests she has invited, and turn around its reputation.

Maybe then, 95-S could afford to shed its present late night (early morning) crowd and focus on an earlier crowd?