Pump Bar

[Will Dearborn]

Go to one of the nicer/expensive spots --- B10, Frida's, Mahogany's, Jimmy B's, Akai, etc. --- and they're constantly slammed. Value is relative and I'd argue rising costs have made these types of places more attractive because their quality of service and food more closely matches their prices vs. "cheaper" competition... I've never really eaten at fast food or fast-casual restaurants due to nutrition but I've been blown away by how expensive it is when I have recently.

Suspect what happened to The Pump is their core customer demographic just got old and the younger generation isn't drinking as much due to money and health.

[Oski]

Now this wasn't the Pump, but if people sense that there isn't value in going out, they'll do it less, and it'll affect the entire F&B industry.

People are still going out, but there are many good options in OKC nowadays. To attract and retain guests, restaurants must go beyond offering just good food, drinks, and service.

[OkieBerto]

I can only speak for myself and my group of friends, but many of us have sobered up or cut drinking down drastically after COVID. I went from going to the Pump multiple times a month to maybe twice in the last three years.

This is exactly what is going on with me and my friend groups. Pump was on regular rotation especially when I lived a block away. I have been maybe 5 times since Covid. The last two times I went were this year late at night for one drink to end the night with friends. It was never busy when we went recently.

Bars need to diversify their menus and offer Mocktails and non-alcoholic beer options. There are so many brands out now that you can serve in a can just like you do with beer.

I still want to go out and spend time with friends, but I refuse to do it drunk. I want to be relaxed and not hung over. I am at the end of the X Generation and I know a ton of Millennials that are also not drinking as much anymore!

[jccouger]

Suspect what happened to The Pump is their core customer demographic just got old and the younger generation isn't drinking as much due to money and health.

You nailed it here, people are just growing up. Going to bars is and always has been a younger thing. Not true for everyone, but for the majority of people it just stops becoming a priority in life.

Younger people still go out but they just find new spots, its always hard for bars to maintain relevance.

[Midtowner]

You nailed it here, people are just growing up. Going to bars is and always has been a younger thing. Not true for everyone, but for the majority of people it just stops becoming a priority in life.

Younger people still go out but they just find new spots, its always hard for bars to maintain relevance.

There are, of course, bars which never got that memo and have been financially successful for many decades.

I'm guessing a big common denominator with those is owning their building and not being subjected to massive rent hikes when things have to be renegotiated.

[Dr Beard Face]

This is exactly what is going on with me and my friend groups. Pump was on regular rotation especially when I lived a block away. I have been maybe 5 times since Covid. The last two times I went were this year late at night for one drink to end the night with friends. It was never busy when we went recently.

Bars need to diversify their menus and offer Mocktails and non-alcoholic beer options. There are so many brands out now that you can serve in a can just like you do with beer.

I still want to go out and spend time with friends, but I refuse to do it drunk. I want to be relaxed and not hung over. I am at the end of the X Generation and I know a ton of Millennials that are also not drinking as much anymore!

I also think bars need to realize mocktails should not cost the same as alcoholic drinks. I would love to try more mocktails, but I'm damn sure not paying more than $6 for 6 oz of mixers. It is often $10+, i can mix sprite and cranberry juice at home for under $1, why am i paying $10?!
My friend group is Gen x and Millenial and we have gone from drinking a lot, to maybe 3 of 10 still drink, and we drink WAY less than we used to. Cost is biggest reason, but once we started taking time off drinking people realized how ****ty they felt before and didn't look back.
I used to be a bar regular, in there most nights, but now I go maybe once a week or two, and just have my cheap happy hour old fashioneds, maybe a meal, and bounce. I'm in bed by 9pm and hate crowds now so bars don't have much to offer people like me.

[jccouger]

There are, of course, bars which never got that memo and have been financially successful for many decades.

I'm guessing a big common denominator with those is owning their building and not being subjected to massive rent hikes when things have to be renegotiated.

I'm not a big bar guy, but this got me to thinking. Which bars in OKC really have been around forever (most revenue from alcohol and not food)? Ednas, cousins. I guess you could say henry hudsons. Seems like bars that have very low maintenance with little design seem to last the longest.

[PhiAlpha]

I'm not a big bar guy, but this got me to thinking. Which bars in OKC really have been around forever (most revenue from alcohol and not food)? Ednas, cousins. I guess you could say henry hudsons. Seems like bars that have very low maintenance with little design seem to last the longest.

Off the top of my head (my definition of forever for a bar starts at a decade): Speakeasy, Scorecards, Cookies, Blue Note, Kat’s Tavern, Fassler (approaching “forever” at this point for a bar but not sure how their profit mix looks), McNellie’s (same as Fassler), Wolf Trap, the Flea (and what ever it was before changing the name), several bars on 39th, Whiskey Chicks, Michael Murphy’s, Coyote Ugly, Skinny Slims, Original Side Car, JJ’s Alley, Cowboys, Bluebonnet Bar, Red Brick Bar, Logie’s, Louie’s Too, O’Connell’s (probably close to 50/50 foot or drinks).

Really think you either have to be a bar with good food, a straight up dive bar, or offer something completely different or unique (live music, karaoke, club atmosphere, piano bar, LGBTQ focus, etc) to make it work without being primarily a restaurant. That said, I think the Pump is unique enough for a new owner with money and a fresh set of eyes to make it work if they aren’t able to (which sucks because they are great owners).

[onthestrip]

I also think bars need to realize mocktails should not cost the same as alcoholic drinks. I would love to try more mocktails, but I'm damn sure not paying more than $6 for 6 oz of mixers. It is often $10+, i can mix sprite and cranberry juice at home for under $1, why am i paying $10?!
My friend group is Gen x and Millenial and we have gone from drinking a lot, to maybe 3 of 10 still drink, and we drink WAY less than we used to. Cost is biggest reason, but once we started taking time off drinking people realized how ****ty they felt before and didn't look back.

The $13 mocktail has always been a head scratcher. Sure, some of them have several ingredients and take the bartender time to make but should they really be similar in costs to a regular cocktail?

I'm not a big bar guy, but this got me to thinking. Which bars in OKC really have been around forever (most revenue from alcohol and not food)? Ednas, cousins. I guess you could say henry hudsons. Seems like bars that have very low maintenance with little design seem to last the longest.

Western has a couple stalwarts in Cock of the walk and the Sip, which would be considered cheap places to drink. In this current environment, its the middle of the road products and places that have a hard time standing out. The nice places could keep raising prices and have no dropoff, the Cock and Sips or the world will still get the Coors and cheap shots patrons, its the middle that tends to struggle.

[Sydonesia]

The $13 mocktail has always been a head scratcher. Sure, some of them have several ingredients and take the bartender time to make but should they really be similar in costs to a regular cocktail?

Western has a couple stalwarts in Cock of the walk and the Sip, which would be considered cheap places to drink. In this current environment, its the middle of the road products and places that have a hard time standing out. The nice places could keep raising prices and have no dropoff, the Cock and Sips or the world will still get the Coors and cheap shots patrons, its the middle that tends to struggle.

It's the same as going to the grocery store and seeing NA beer costing MORE than actual beer. I'd actually like to try the Sam Adams NA, but I'm not paying $12 for a 6 pack.

And I was writing a similar thought before I saw your post. When the gf and I go out for dinner, it's either sub-$30 (like the Garage) or we make it count, get dressy and go someplace expensive and drop $100+. Anywhere in between just isn't worth it.

[BoulderSooner]

When the gf and I go out for dinner, it's either sub-$30 (like the Garage) or we make it count, get dressy and go someplace expensive and drop $100+. Anywhere in between just isn't worth it.

I think this is a growing trend ..

[gjl]

Wife and i went to Louie's and split the club sandwich, got one $4 cup of soup, a small domestic draft beer and a perfect margarita furring happy hour and it was $34 with tax. Gave the waiter a $10 tip because we tip a little more around the holidays so dinner was $44. At Louie's splitting an entree. Not complaining. it is just expensive to eat out anymore. Thankfully we can easily afford it.

[Pete]

The sit-down chains (like Chilis and Olive Garden) seem to promote a bunch of specials that make their meals about the same price or less than most counter-serve places.

There is a definite recalibration due to habits changing after the pandemic plus inflation.

I know my friends with kids tend to eat out less in recent years. I think many started cooking at home during Covid and have rediscovered that style of eating.

[Sydonesia]

Wife and i went to Louie's and split the club sandwich, got one $4 cup of soup, a small domestic draft beer and a perfect margarita furring happy hour and it was $34 with tax. Gave the waiter a $10 tip because we tip a little more around the holidays so dinner was $44. At Louie's splitting an entree. Not complaining. it is just expensive to eat out anymore. Thankfully we can easily afford it.

That's a perfect example. Louie's food and service has always been fine, but there's no way I'm dropping $50 to eat there.

[BoulderSooner]

The sit-down chains (like Chilis and Olive Garden) seem to promote a bunch of specials that make their meals about the same price or less than most counter-serve places.

There is a definite recalibration due to habits changing after the pandemic plus inflation.

I know my friends with kids tend to eat out less in recent years. I think many started cooking at home during Covid and have rediscovered that style of eating.

the price of "kids" meals has become kind of outrageous at some places ..

Chilis has among the best lunch deals around .. 3 for 10.99 drink burger and a salad...

even after tax and tip you are out for under 15 dollars ..

[Oski]

I wonder how the neighboring bars (Bar Next Door and Yours Truly) are doing. The operators must have spent a fortune building those!

[April in the Plaza]

It's the same as going to the grocery store and seeing NA beer costing MORE than actual beer. I'd actually like to try the Sam Adams NA, but I'm not paying $12 for a 6 pack.

And I was writing a similar thought before I saw your post. When the gf and I go out for dinner, it's either sub-$30 (like the Garage) or we make it count, get dressy and go someplace expensive and drop $100+. Anywhere in between just isn't worth it.

those don't have shi on Ted Segers, imo.

[Anonymous.]

I am what you would call a frequent flier of OKC bars.

Pump taking away table-service is (IMO) what led to the demise. They took away all servers during Covid and never returned. Then they moved bar service to only the interior bar with line-style ordering. Ordering multiple drinks for a place that is primarily outdoor patio in warmer weather is not going to fly. Having to get up and stand in a 10-15 person line every single drink is insane. It directly impacted my group's frequency to the Pump.

I suggested to them over the summer to close the kitchen and bring back servers, maybe have a food truck pull up to the front. I even suggested to establish a beer-only line if they insist on no table-servers. Nothing ever changed, no reinvestment into the place other than when they poured a slab for the south patio.

RIP to the Pump, I do think a new operator will come in and get it right again.

[MagzOK]

I am what you would call a frequent flier of OKC bars.

Pump taking away table-service is (IMO) what led to the demise. They took away all servers during Covid and never returned. Then they moved bar service to only the interior bar with line-style ordering. Ordering multiple drinks for a place that is primarily outdoor patio in warmer weather is not going to fly. Having to get up and stand in a 10-15 person line every single drink is insane. It directly impacted my group's frequency to the Pump.

I suggested to them over the summer to close the kitchen and bring back servers, maybe have a food truck pull up to the front. I even suggested to establish a beer-only line if they insist on no table-servers. Nothing ever changed, no reinvestment into the place other than when they poured a slab for the south patio.

RIP to the Pump, I do think a new operator will come in and get it right again.

This is a really good observation and I think several places have fallen victim to this exact scenario. Exactly what happened to 1884 at The Railyard in Edmond.

[barrettd]

I am what you would call a frequent flier of OKC bars.

Pump taking away table-service is (IMO) what led to the demise. They took away all servers during Covid and never returned. Then they moved bar service to only the interior bar with line-style ordering. Ordering multiple drinks for a place that is primarily outdoor patio in warmer weather is not going to fly. Having to get up and stand in a 10-15 person line every single drink is insane. It directly impacted my group's frequency to the Pump.

I suggested to them over the summer to close the kitchen and bring back servers, maybe have a food truck pull up to the front. I even suggested to establish a beer-only line if they insist on no table-servers. Nothing ever changed, no reinvestment into the place other than when they poured a slab for the south patio.

RIP to the Pump, I do think a new operator will come in and get it right again.

OK, that reminded me of my last experience there and also of why I haven't been back. I so enjoyed and appreciated the table service when we went pre-Covid. When the weather was nice outside, that spot was so much fun after work for happy hour. I hadn't gone back in a long time and took some out of town friends there a year or so ago and was surprised at the change in service. Table service is one of the reasons I go out to eat/drink, honestly. I'm too old to be standing at the bar waiting for a drink!

[Paseofreak]

Even with table service they were hamstrung by the limitations of the space for the service bar and the kitchen. Having to wait for extended periods for the server to make it back round to your table was a nightmare, and they were hampered by the finite capacity of the tiny two bartender bar space to produce beverages. The table servers were standing in line waiting for your drinks. Too many compromises in that facility.

[pickles]

This is exactly me and I suspect it's true for many people.

I only liked drinking socially and with the pandemic, I just didn't go out or drink at all. Then, when things loosened up, I had a pint of craft beer and hated how it made me feel afterward.

Now, I have maybe half a beer every few months. And it just occurred to me that I haven't been to Pump since the pandemic.

The alcohol industry is really starting to get smashed in the face. It's the new cable tv. People are drinking way less, and with GLP-1 drugs, numbers are going to decline even more drastically. As investment options go, bars are looking really unattractive right now.

[Bill Robertson]

The alcohol industry is really starting to get smashed in the face. It's the new cable tv. People are drinking way less, and with GLP-1 drugs, numbers are going to decline even more drastically. As investment options go, bars are looking really unattractive right now.

From my very limited experience gained from the handful of bars or bar areas of restaurants that we go to drinking is alive and well. I've had to sit at tables as much as ever because the bar tops are full. And I don't like tables. This wasn't the case for a couple of years but everywhere we go is back to normal now. It's possible that it's because we frequent chain places much more than anything local.

[jedicurt]

From my very limited experience gained from the handful of bars or bar areas of restaurants that we go to drinking is alive and well. I've had to sit at tables as much as ever because the bar tops are full. And I don't like tables. This wasn't the case for a couple of years but everywhere we go is back to normal now. It's possible that it's because we frequent chain places much more than anything local.

i mostly go to local and it's pretty similar. once again, this isn't about the alcohol industry as a whole, it's that OKC actually now has some good bars, and so you can't be a terrible bar/bar owner, and just expect to survive anymore. Pump Bar should have closed a long time ago, it was never really a good place...

[OkieBerto]

The alcohol industry is really starting to get smashed in the face. It's the new cable tv. People are drinking way less, and with GLP-1 drugs, numbers are going to decline even more drastically. As investment options go, bars are looking really unattractive right now.

I do think the industry is hurting, but it isn't going anywhere for a long time. Cable isn't dead it is now just something different, streaming. One of the the best new bars in OKC is Later Bye. They just opened a few months ago and I have been three times already. I rarely go to bars anymore, but this place is what you call a well run simple local bar. They have great food and the cocktail menu is impressive. They also offer mocktails and other beverages. I think Later Bye is a good blueprint for the future of bars.