The WeHo funhouse otherwise known as O-Bar found its way on to the Deathwatch in March because the pace of new special nights added to the weekly roster was maddening: Ten percent off here, game night there, drink free here. We saw a serious call for help. O-bar retaliated with yet another special. We left it on life-support. After getting this email from a regular, however, it's time to check in at the hospice:
Disinterested waiters. Disgruntled bartenders who can't mix your martini because they're too busy yakking on the phone. Lame theme nights which require said disinterested waiters and disgruntled bartenders to dress up in stupid costumes. Lame theme nights which no one attends, and which cause waiters and bartenders in stupid costumes to become disinterested and disgruntled because there are no customers. The place is going down, and Schoos doesn't yet know enough about restauranteering to fix it. Hire a savvy marketing person, Thomas. Even your customers know what needs to be done.The regular, er, former regular offers his own tips on how to set things straight.
Disgruntled staff breeds disgruntled customers. Our tipster continues:
If Schoos were smart he'd turn the place into a neighborhood joint for the upscale West Hollywood demo who don't want to slum it with the teenage crowd and screaming '80s videos at Hamburger Mary's, or pay the ridiculous prices at East/West and Eleven. Offer a nice place to hang out after work for a drink-- sans costumes-- and then a bite to eat, without breaking the bank.Yes, there really is a fine line between offering fun specials to bring in business on slow nights and inundating the staff and customer base with gimmicks. Don't make us say it again...oh, alright: Gimmickry, she just don't work. Will the once-regular customer return? Perhaps, but not "until the wake." Don't do it for us, O-Bar. Do it for the people.
· Eater Deathwatch: O-Bar [~ELA~]
· The "Lesley Special" at O-Bar [~ELA~]
