El Alamo

Peter always seems to be tweaking the formula at "Shoeless Joe's". Is it really Shoeless Joe's now? Or still / back to The Alamo? Sign outside says both.

When I got there last night some guy outside tried to get 15 pesos out of me to enter, and I talked my way past that. Once inside, it was explained to me that in fact it costs 15 pesos to enter now, which is good towards a couple of beers or something. I didn't want beers, I wanted a caesar salad, and that's what I had.

Upstairs was closed, very few people downstairs. Very quiet right now, I guess.

15 pesos to walk in the door of a restaurant? I don't drink and they wouldn't let me apply it to the jalapeno bacon cheeseburger I was dying for. My friend and I walked to another place and spent our 60 pesos there. Come on Peter. I understand why your doing it and don't have a problem showing my money at the door, but if I want food and am willing to pay for it don't you want to sell it to me?

My date and I also got a little peeved at the cover and turned around and left about a week ago.[QUOTE=Daddy Rulz]15 pesos to walk in the door of a restaurant? I don't drink and they wouldn't let me apply it to the jalapeno bacon cheeseburger I was dying for. My friend and I walked to another place and spent our 60 pesos there. Come on Peter. I understand why your doing it and don't have a problem showing my money at the door, but if I want food and am willing to pay for it don't you want to sell it to me?[/QUOTE]

I'm another one who did a 180 and walked away. I've never understood covers or minimums. They say to me "you probably won't like this place once you get inside, so we'll get some money from you now while we have the chance." I know that resturants have a problem with people occupying a table forever without spending any money. But if that's the problem you charge a $5 pesos per table per hour occupancy fee. Or just ask people to leave if they have been there a while without spending any money.

And, btw, $15 pesos is not, in my opinion, chump change. When I walked away from The Alamo last night I had a fine dinner at a place on Santa Fe for $34 pesos. No Bikini contest of course, but if I hadn't liked the menu, or the decor, or the temperature, or anything else I could have walked out without having spent a dime.

Bob

Yeah. The last time we were there was to watch the BCS Championship game. The place looked pretty empty and the door man asked for 30 pesos cover or something ridiculous like that. What a joke! I guess if they only want to cater to tourists who don't mind dropping 30 pesos to get in, then they are not trying to appeal to the locals here, like myself.

So we went to another sports bar (Locos for Football in Recoleta Village) that had it on much bigger and better televisions. Instead of those crappy little ones at the Alamo! It was packed but we managed to get a table. I was really turned off and think I'm over the Alamo, at least for now. I don't think the food is very good either. Except the breakfast, which is the only thing I like there now.

Before you guys start pounding on El Alamo, keep in mind all the good things that the proprietor has done for the mongering community, including, among other things, a FREE Thanksgiving Dinner for all the AP folks. If you don't like the cover charge, tell the owner so, and why. But I don't think ripping the place and announcing a boycott is warranted.

He has to make money - he's running a business after all. But there's a right way to show him that the cover charge is counterproductive for business.

[QUOTE=Hunt99]If you don't like the cover charge, tell the owner so, and why.[/QUOTE]I think that's what we've been doing here.

I know Peter reads this forum, I told him in person the last time I was there how I felt about it. The difference the last time was he was there to waive it. This time he wasn't and lost the business.

Before this turns into a Hunt flame a thon, I'm not being rude just trying to let him know what happened and asking him to try and do something to keep it from happening in the future. It's his place and if he doesn't want to make a change I'm sure he can get by without my cheeseburger sale once a week.

[QUOTE=Hunt99]Before you guys start pounding on El Alamo, keep in mind all the good things that the proprietor has done for the mongering community, including, among other things, a FREE Thanksgiving Dinner for all the AP folks. If you don't like the cover charge, tell the owner so, and why. But I don't think ripping the place and announcing a boycott is warranted.

He has to make money - he's running a business after all. But there's a right way to show him that the cover charge is counterproductive for business.[/QUOTE]Yeah, boycotting is a little dramatic. I'm just over it for now. Thats all. I'm sure I'll end up there at some point again, but was a little put off by the large cover charge.

Also, one time I went there and the guy said twenty pesos cover charge, and I said, "What? That's crazy. Since when?" To which he replied, "Since always." When I told him that I had been there a handful of times and never paid a cover charge, he said "Where are you from?" When I told him I was from the U. S. He said, its ok, come on in. That's bullshit if you ask me. There is either a cover or there isn't one, I shouldn't have to argue my way into a bar.

I think Peter is between a rock and a hard place regarding his "business model". His place can't be all things to all people and my guess is that he is trying to navigate that problem. Some dispassionate dialogue is in order, and if that doesn't work to satisfy everybody, hey, you can't satisfy everybody.

[QUOTE=Daddy Rulz]I know Peter reads this forum, I told him in person the last time I was there how I felt about it. The difference the last time was he was there to waive it. This time he wasn't and lost the business.

Before this turns into a Hunt flame a thon, I'm not being rude just trying to let him know what happened and asking him to try and do something to keep it from happening in the future. It's his place and if he doesn't want to make a change I'm sure he can get by without my cheeseburger sale once a week.[/QUOTE]Before this turns into a Daddy Rulz flame-a-thon, with him threatening the lives of other posters, let me say that attacking El Alamo in public over this isn't right or proper. The place has had an increasing problem with cheap riff-raff coming in and causing trouble yet not spending a single centavo. The solution for the proprietor has been to instigate a cover charge. Whether it's a good idea or not is besides the point - it is being done in order to make the place a more pleasant destination for paying customers (and ladies, I hasten to point out, drink FREE). And you have to credit this place for taking action before problems get out of hand, as well as being by far the most monger-friendly bar/restaurant in BsAs.

By the way, I believe that the poster who claimed he was able to go to Locos Para Futbol and watch the US sports channel on TV was, how shall I say this, "mistaken." That place doesn't have a single US TV channel. El Alamo is the only place in town where you can get just about every NFL, MLB, and NCAA game. 15 pesos is a small price to pay to keep out the troublemakers and to be able to watch the Bears on a Sunday afternoon. And as is apparent already, the 15 pesos cover is not even a universal charge.

[QUOTE=Daddy Rulz]15 pesos to walk in the door of a restaurant? I don't drink and they wouldn't let me apply it to the jalapeno bacon cheeseburger I was dying for. My friend and I walked to another place and spent our 60 pesos there. Come on Peter. I understand why your doing it and don't have a problem showing my money at the door, but if I want food and am willing to pay for it don't you want to sell it to me?[/QUOTE]How about a little informal poll. Was this inflamatory did I attact Peter or his establishment? Or was it a little friendly cajoling (sp) on the part of a patron to an owner to try and do something about a policy I, as a patron, don't like at an establishment that I do enjoy?

For the record Hunt I didn't threaten your life, but rather your health there is a differance.

I really am interested in responces on this.

I don't agree with Hunt. If I think a bar's policy is wrong then I will say it. If they are worried about people not spending then charge a cover and give them credit towards the food or drink bill. Keeping out people who don't spend is fine but charging someone 15 pesos just so they can eat a cheeseburger is not.

He was signed in at El Alamo and no matter how many times I logged him off when I opened the page he was signed in.

Talked to Peter and He said that the 15 pesos can be applied to anything. Problem solved.

Hunt please feel free to continue your idiot flaming.

[QUOTE=Hunt99]By the way, I believe that the poster who claimed he was able to go to Locos Para Futbol and watch the US sports channel on TV was, how shall I say this, "mistaken." That place doesn't have a single US TV channel.[/QUOTE]No. I'm not mistaken. I watched the BCS Championship game for free at Locos, after Peter tried to charge 30 pesos at the Alamo.

They will also show the Superbowl at Locos, as well as at the Hard Rock Cafe (which is where I watched it last year) for no cover, so come February 4th if the Alamo is trying to charge a big cover charge, those places are better options. No cover plus they have much better televisions and better food, IMHO.