Bar Minimums: Worth It or Not?
It’s happened to everyone at one point (don’t lie), you get to the door of a club and the doorman tells you he wants you to do a bar minimum (agree to a minimum spend at the venue). While these can often be frustrating since it’s not exactly a no but not exactly a yes either, some people often give in and pay the amount. However, you don’t know what kind of crowd you’ll be getting inside when you make the agreement as you of course aren’t allowed to enter the club without putting down your credit card. As obnoxious as these deals sound, often they’re not so bad as you sometimes will end up spending the same amount inside of the club without even agreeing to a bar minimum and at least you’ll be allowed entrance into a more exclusive venue. The only problem for the consumer is that some places set minimums that basically can’t be met without going drastically over the set amount. Here are some bar minimums we have been offered around the city by doormen and we will give our verdict as to if these bar minimums are worth it or not (this list is not in any particular order). [Photo via]
#1. Provocateur
Quoted Bar Minimum: $500
Would We Do It?: Until we hit the lotto, No.
This $500 is usually quoted to small groups who can’t realistically finish a bottle on their own resulting in a lot of money being wasted. Also this minimum probably isn’t going to apply on nights that have big DJs headlining. Oh, and there’s also the fact that we don’t exactly have $500 to be spending every night and this usually is the only way we can get in (unless we know someone with a table of course). But if we did have cash to blow every night, Provocatuer would be the place we’d spend it at. [Photo via]
#2. Riff Raff
Quoted Bar Minimum: $100 per person
Would We Do It?: Yes
If you think about it, at $20 a drink you’ll probably end up spending close to $100 regardless of whether you agree to a bar minimum or not. If you don’t know a promoter, this is ten times better than having to buy your own table (literally). [Photo via]
#3. No. 8
Quoted Minimum Spend: $200 a Person
Would We Do It?: No
We’re not going to lie, we actually thought about it. $200 a head may not seem like a lot especially in New York nightlife but No. 8 makes it very difficult to spend only $200 a person. Of course you can order off of the food menu which consists mainly of small plates such as$15 Tuna Tartare and $14 Prosciutto and Melon. There are also an array of Flatbread Sandwiches such as the Hawiian Flatbread with ham, diced pineapple, jalapeno slices and Swiss cheese which are either $12 or $14. Realistically one person would order two small plates and a sandwich which comes out to at most around $50. So this means you have to spend $150 in alcohol. At $16 a cocktail you would have to order ten to meet your minimum. So basically you’d be throwing up from alcohol poisoning inside of No. 8 having barely met your table minimum. But of course the easiest way to meet your minimum would be to order bottle service. Unfortunately the only bottles under $400 are the Perrier Joulet for $375 and the Piper Brut for $175. The Piper Brut costs roughly $30 retail so there’s no way we’re paying $175 for it. The only way to reach your table minimum is to order the $375 Perrier Joulet and a cocktail but we’re morally opposed to paying over $300 for a $40 of champagne that will last us perhaps 30 minutes of drinking at most. Also you only get your table for roughly 2 and a half hours, not the whole night. But then again if you want to go to No. 8, this is the best way without having to know someone or be a member. [Photo via]
#4. Tenjune
Quoted Bar Minimum: $125 for Two People
Would We Do It?: Not In a Million Years
There’s really not much to say. Even if Tenjune paid us the $125 to come here we wouldn’t. [Photo via]
#5: Quoted Bar Minimum: $350 for Two People
Would We Do It?: No
We know space is limited but we’re really not going to spend $125 a person on a small and relaxed rooftop bar that we don’t have enough information on to know if it’s actually good or not. Also, the bar closes at 12:30 which means we’d only have a couple of hours to get our drink on…not the whole night. [Photo via]
