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.