Extremely Over-powering Bar Manager

[verynewbie]

Hi, everyone,

Let me give you an absolutely TRUTHFUL description of an establishment, and please tell me (or us) what you think, and what can be done about it.

There is a chain of bars (in Montreal - Canada) called Trix. Its management decided to have karaoke nights (in some of them 3 times a week, in others 2 times a week) to boost attendance/patronage. This chain is definitely not a hot place as far as karaoke is concerned, but can be used as a 'practice course' for singers. All the Trix locations are very large in space, but he karaoke action is restricted in only a quarter / a third of the space - and are most of the time empty during week-nights.

And, this particular location I describe here is near downtown (people call it Downtown Trix) has a very over-powering manager, Mario. If you have been to this place recently, you would most probably had one or two 'strange' or 'unpleasant' encounter with him. He started to appear in this Trix location about 2 months ago. My very good friend who works for an entertainment company which has a contract with this entire chain, hosts the karaoke shows on some nights (a female rookie kj works on other nights). And because my good friend is a very nice guy, he got pushed around by the management of the entertainment company to work in 'worse' situations most of the time, and so are some of the rookie dj/kj working for this company.

By "worse", please take it to mean a combination of the following:
a. very aggressive and unfriendly bar management
b. waiters who already inherited the aggressive style of the bar management. (Waitresses may not be as bad because they come and go like yo-yo's, and would not stay long since (i) they are mostly young and attractive that they can easily seek positions in other bars, and (ii) they cannot make any money working in such inferior environment).
c. aggressive patrons (a very low percentage of them, but not the same individuals and who are not regular customers [you will understand if you read the following] or patrons who had already been intimidated by the bar management, so this group is at the very opposite end of the spectrum).
d. bars with no singers or other supportive customers. And the kj is EXPECTED TO BRING HIS OR HER FRIENDS to patronize the location.
e. expensive, in terms of drinks, and even after-hour parking - the bar is inside a shopping mall. Expensive coat-check conseige ($2) and a staff who would give you a very dirty look if you do not leave the change for her ! (You are not allowed to walk in with your winter coat on - the security guard will stop you - RIGHT AT THE ENTRANCE).

The bar manager, Mario, in this specific Trix location (there are similar, but not as bad incidents in other Trix locations as well) is particularly over-powering over its kj and its customers, for example:
1. dicating to the kj when he can start the show (even though it is advertized to start at 9:30; most times, the kj is not allowed to start the show until 10 or even 10:15 because there are ballgames - not that their other customers want to watch the games).
2. if there are less than 3 singers, the show would be CANCELED for the night.
3. dictating to the kj what he can play (in terms of filler music) and for how long (my friend has been doing kj-ing and dj-ing in expensive parties for more than 4 years, he knows much better)
4. dictating to the kj what he can accept as karaoke song requests from the customers (OK, it is generally accepted that there are certain songs which are considered as vulgar, hate-provoking, or simply containing unnecessary amount of foul language [you can, tell what I mean], and they may not be appropriate for some occasions or locations. However, there are songs which may have one or two F** words, or heavier songs e.g. by Metallica, Stone Temple Pilots, or similar rock band, etc. - these are strictly prohibited by this particular manager {Mario's musical taste is Marc Anthony - so anything else to him is not good enough for his bar.} Worst of all, he FREQUENTLY tells the kj what style of karaoke songs (of the customers) the kj can play - depending on his mood. One hour, he may dictate up-beat rock, and another hour, he may dictate ballads, and NOTHING else. Is Stairway To Heaven (sang as good as how Robert Plant did it in some of his performances) acceptable in ANY karaoke? Not with Mario !!! His response is a very unpleasant look on his face to the singer, and he voiced his opinion to the kj that the song is not to be ever done again unless with his consent as to time it can be done !!!!!
5. whenever he hears something not appropriate, the kj AND THE CUSTOMER will be told as soon as the song is finished*. Mario's presence in this kind of encounter may be accompanied by the Security Guard of the bar (imagine 2 huge 230-pound body-builder types telling you that you are not welcome in his bar - that is the first warning, one more time, YOU WILL BE KICKED OUT, REGARDLESS OF HOW WELL-MANNERED, AND HOW GOOD A SINGER YOU ARE (yes, there are some obnoxious singers who would display inappropriate actions as soon as they have a chance to sing or acess to a mic, and they would not be seen for longer than 20 minutes in this place afterwards). Imagine the humilation you, as a customer, will receive in front of your friends and the other customers who can see what goes on around them. (*- they call it 'disrespectful of the bar establishment, its location, management and staff'; although their waiters can use as many F*** words as they like to the customer, the customer may not use it in retort) - Oh, I have seen it !!!!
6. getting his waiters to look for any possible chance to TAKE AWAY A CUSTOMER'S DRINK as soon as the glass/bottle is half-empty or unattended (because, NO SINGER IS ALLOWED TO TAKE WITH HIM/HER HIS/HER DRINK WHEN IT IS HIS/HER TURN TO SING). No one (ie your friend, etc) at your table can stop the waiter from taking the drink away, because there will be a 'secret signal' to the watchful eye of Mario, and then that customer would face an unpleasant encounter (the 2 x 230-pounder style). This is how the bar management supports the sale process of the establishment and the income of the waiter.
7. although there is a set list prices of drinks displayed at the back of the bar counter, the waiters (not so much for the waitresses) may tell the customer a higher price when the drink is brought to the customer. (Most of the staff knows that I tip the waiters and waitresses very well - my tip to them is at least if not more as much as the drinks themselves. I treat this group of waiters and waitresses with sympathy as people under extreme circumstances, otherwise they would not have to accept an unpleasant kind of working environment in a bar, and yet, I noted waiters 'inflated' the price of drink as well, as if I didn't know). It would be distasteful to argue with the waiters over a dollar of their inflated price, especially, this kind of dialogue would certainly spoil the spirit. If they do this to me, they DO THIS TO EVERY CUSTOMER, given an unsuspecting one.
8. at times, when other kj were working, singers are not given equal priority in the queue. I have heard events that the kj told the customer that he or she did not buy enough drinks to justify their singing existence.

Why me and some of my friends are still going there ? (I) This place is our PRACTICE FIELD for new songs (Stairway To Heaven, mentioned earlier, had been done by this individual many times in other bars and has been well-acknowledged by patrons of those bars as the best performance by this individual above ANY OTHER SINGERS IN TOWN), and (II) Because of the kj who is a good friend with all of us. And, imagine a kj playing 5 hours of filler music with no singer - what kind of depreciation to self-confidence does that do to a young friend of ours (who is hard-working, polite, very decent-looking, well-behaved, quick-on-the-feet, experienced, who can RAP better than the professionals in the music industy - although his RAP talents are not required or accepted in Downtown Trix, and a self-supporting university graduate of a very fine faculty here).

Now, Gentlemen and Ladies, please, your turn to voice your opinion or give me (us) advice !

Thank you all.

[mindonstrike]

I think as a customer your options are quite limited especially if you don't want to create problems for your KJ friend.

As a singer I'd find a new place.
As a KJ I'd have to be pretty hungry to work in those conditions for very long.
As the entertainment company there probably not going to be overly concerned until hireing replacement KJ's begins to be a hassle.

The only thing I can see you doing (I would discuss it with your friend first) is to take this info you posted and edit out anything revealing a connection between you and the KJ, and send it to the Corporate headquarters or even visit yourself with letter in hand.
Explain the problem to them, leave a hardcopy with the person you speak with and see what happens.
If they are concerned they'll react. If they aren't concerned then it's time to find a new place for karaoke.

Sam

[WDEWDAD7]

Ditto, I agree with mindonstrike. I am also a musical entertainer. I have played in bands for years. Between karaoke and bands, I have seen my share of BAD bar mangers and owners. Generally, seeing them in my rear view mirror was my justification. Remember. we ARE professional, and we ARE making a living. We also have the right to choose where we perform and where we will go for our entertainment. These people you describe will have their just ends when the corporporate people see that thet are NOT making the money that they should be.

[ddouglass]

You could always go to your local TV station with your complaints and let them investigate it. I don't know about Canada, but down here in Texas, if you have a posted price for a product that is the price they must charge. If they aren't it is called price gouging and is illegal. Of course in Texas ya know we take 'em out to the nearest tree and hang 'em!!

[mindonstrike]

Originally Posted by WDEWDAD7

These people you describe will have their just ends when the corporporate people see that thet are NOT making the money that they should be.

Sadly, to often, the people at corporate are bean counters who have little or no experience in the trenches. They may very well just look at sales during karaoke hours and decide that karaoke isn't profitable and dump it.

That's been my experience with corporate types in a couple different industries.

Sam

[bryant]

Plain and simple.
You play by their rules, as it is their ball, or don't play.
There are probably worse places around, and you don't go to them, right. So, don't go there.
As far as your friend DJ, he/she is not a slave, is he/she?

Anyone, and most have at one time or another in the USA, can quit a job and find another one.

[verynewbie]

Thanks very much for your advice and input.

Here is what I got last night after spending an evening with our own group of friends and singers AT ANOTHER KARAOKE JOINT. We made some new friends who are friends of our group, and when the topic of good places and bad places to sing, came more snipnets of information (and possibly gossips and rumors awaiting confirmation) about this Mario guy that point to the direction of similar conclusions to your advices and observations.

1. This Mario guy had been trying to solicit financing to open his own joint. So some of the potential investors (who are friends of our group) had asked him for (a) his resume, (b) his vision of the business, and (c) his strategies in securing the viabilitity of his 'dream' joint. Some of the facts are now available about him.
2. For 15+ years he was involved in strip-joints, starting out as a canvaser - who hands out handbills on the street to solicit people to go into those joints, then as bouncer which lasted for the longest time in his 15+ year history in the strip-joint action, became a co-manager in charge of the floor, then became a recruiter of fresh blood for the strip-joint. [Back in the 80's Montreal is known throughout Canada (if not in North America) of having the best-looking, youngest bloods, and 'most-willing' stippers in the lap-dancing scene].
3. He joined this Trix organization 2+ years ago. So, if you can use your investigative skills, you will come to the conclusion that he was one of those in the 'sleaze' soliciting unsuspecting 18-year olds into the stripping business...
4. He had gone from location to location in this Twix organization, and in every location as the manager, KAROKE will wither under his hands. And, when he appeared in the scene at 'downtown Trix', he predicated that Karaoke is not going to happen, and he openly opposed to having any karaoke nights in discussion with the Trix owners. [He might have some valid reasons for it - please read on]. His 'dream' venue is dance clubs, where patrons will pay a much higher price for the drinks and to pay cover charge, and dj are cheaper (and a disposible item because according to his theory - technology can do most of the work of a dj) with a manager who is 'good'.

And... now some more...
1. Mario appeared to have found the financing and location for his 'dream' venue, and will be tendering his resignation within a few weeks.
2. He had approached some of the workers to join him in his new venture. (As expected, most of them will definitely refuse).
3. He likes to hold 'after-hour' sessions with the workers - particularly with the waiters and waitresses [at 3:30 a.m. !!!! after the workers clean-up and tally the registers]. Here is an account of one of the recent sessions: A new waitress made a remark that she did not make enough money during her work hours to justify for the time spent by her. His advice given was to do like what the male counterparts in the bar do - i.e. TO PRICE-GOUGE AND HASSLE. And as the discussion on the topic went on, Mario went into high-gear and started shouting at the staff for not putting enough efforts to justify their existence, and threatened every staff that if things do not improve within 1 week, no one will work there anymore. In addition to the shouting, he was physically pushing a few of the female staff (who did not do well) - also, maybe as a display of his physical ability that if there is any trouble from the customer side, he can deal with them. He repeatedly told the staff that the life-line of the location is in gouging and the glass/bottle grabbing tactic to generate income for the bar and its workers which should be applied to every customer in the bar, to pay more attention to the 'VLT-Players', and not karaoke or pool-table customers who are definitely unnecessary. [In this part of Canada called Quebec, in which Montreal is the largest city, the hypocrites in government promote the installation of video-gambling machines - called 'VLT' all connected to the government gaming authority - to help the business of drinking establishments. The drinking establishment will receive 10% of the gross amount fed into the VLT [regardless of whether the customer wins or losses]; and the government puts a very heavy premium on beer and alcholic beverages in the form of a sticker mark-up (for example, you can buy a 12-pack in the supermarket for $24, but the bars cannot buy them from the supermarkets - they have to get them from a designated supplier at the price of $38+ per 12-pack of the same thing, and on every bottle is a sticker which indicates that the bottle originated from this government-appointed supplier... This is just one example of Government-supported sleaze and corruption - that is what this Quebec is known for]...
4. (To continue with the after-hour sessions), and there are praises and use of staff motivation tools from Mario too... One of the 'better' staff was made a 'star' for that night, and he was asked to demonstrate and explain the deployment of the "GLASS/BOTTLE GRABBING TACTIC" and other ways to generate a higher level of income for the bar and for himself.
5. Mario picks his target. One of our friends made an observation : there is no single karaoke night that he issued less than 3 threats of kicking people out (even though 98% of the customers are decent and well-behaving). [I am going to start counting as a sideline activity when I go this place again].

So, I have more indications from various sources that either the location will SELF-DESTRUCT, or the manace, by the name of Mario, will DISAPPEAR (well, for at least from the karaoke community in the next little while), or both.

Now, talking about sleaze, etc., here is another type of Price-Gouging activity which goes on around some coffee shops. Even though this is not the forum to discuss it, however, if you are into drinking coffee or tea and go to buy them, you will be interested.

First of all, let me tell you about my mental organisational processes. If I am into a habit - like drinking coffee and buy from the same chain (which would have the same price for their locations), then the Price and the Change expected would register in my mind... and also I like watching people, their reactions, and how they do things procedurally (e.g. at work), ...

This is what I saw happened last week to a customer in a queue front of me in a coffee shop. (Because of work, on that particular day I went with my colleague to another store of the same chain - which has the same price). My arrangement with my colleague is that if I pay one day, he pays the other day (we drink the same coffee, same size...)

The total for the customer in front of me (same as our 2 coffees) came up on the cash register as $4.35. The customer dug out $10 from her purse. She got a change of $4.35. The girl behind the counter was switching from task to task (making the coffee, taking care of the money, etc), and the woman customer in front of of us was so busy taking to someone she was with, or less sharp on money-matters, she did not notice what was wrong. For all of you mathematically minded, HOW MUCH DID THE CUSTOMER GOT OVER-CHARGED ?

So, after her, it was my colleague's turn to pay - same thing happened. But my colleague was a bit messy on his hand that morning, he dropped some of the coins on the floor and spilled half of the coffee at the counter... so it was not easy for him to make a complaint... My colleague noticed it after he picked up his coins. But I was watching - as soon as she did the change, she erased the amount shown on the cash register - NO EVIDENCE OF WHAT HAPPENED unless someone is immediately counting the change. It is an obvious repeated process to cheat !!!! This girl behind the counter is a real PRO in this. I can be sure that she knows who to do it to and when.

The next time you are into this situation, WATCH OUT !!!!

Verynewbie.

[bobcox- with the Lord]

I have had two bar/resturants try to tell me how to run a show.
I packed up and left, (after i told him what i thought of him )
they both got somone else. that lasted about 12 weeks in one place.
and 3 weeks in the other.
they no longer have karaoke at those places.
I have one rule. my equitment, my show, MY WAY.
or they can get somone else.
this has worked for me for nine years. Bob

[Lonman]

I work with a club. They do not tell me how to run my show & I don't tell them how to run their bar.
Agree with the others, find another show & your friend should too (find another place to host that is).

[horseshoe]

There is a chain of bars (in Montreal - Canada) called Trix. Its management decided to have karaoke nights (in some of them 3 times a week, in others 2 times a week) to boost attendance/patronage.

Somebody in management knows that karaoke can make them money. If you can find that person, you can probably get things changed pretty quickly.

[Rockrz]

He's in charge of the club, your KJ friend it not.
It's about who is in authority, not necessarily what is right.

All you can do is go over the guy's head to his boss.
That may work, or it may get you banned from the club