Posted May 1, 2013, 4:43 PM
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Join Date: May 2010
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http://thechronicleherald.ca/busines...own-pogue-fado
Quote from the article:
Quote:
“We took a loss on every wing we sold and we were selling prime (beer) products at $3 a pop, which is below the operating costs,” Richard Stevens, one of the bar’s five co-owners, said Tuesday.
“The margins were so thin that it was difficult to make money. It got to the point where Thursdays were the only strong night of the week and soon, mathematically, it was a certainty that you can’t carry on with margins like that.”
The club enjoyed its heyday in 2008 and 2009, but Stevens said it has been all downhill since. The trickle-down effects of the recession and the lack of late-night transportation options for people living off of peninsular Halifax further cemented the club’s fate, Stevens said.
Although the student population soaked up all Pogue had to offer and lineups to get in were a regular sight, he said they were not the free-spending crowd a business on decline needs.
“Consumers, especially students, are always looking for the best value. If you look at the consumers, you want, say the 25 to 45 year old with a full-time job. Most of them are living in the suburbs, and there’s no public transportation to bring them in and get them home after hours.”
Stevens said he and his co-owners had “countless” meetings with Halifax Regional Municipality and lobby groups such as the Restaurant Association of Nova Scotia. He feels a perpetual lack of leadership has contributed to downtown Halifax’s demise.
“There’s no leadership politically when it comes to downtown. No one is stepping in and saying we need to fix things like public transportation or reorganize our cabs so they serve the customer.”
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