No love for the Pub

Chris Evans, Staff Writer
May 3, 2012
Filed under Opinion

So this past weekend, I went to the new (yet unnamed) campus pub and shared a drink amongst friends.  As the conversation carried on, I realized the pub was not even kind of full.  In fact, all of the bar stools were being used and that was it.  The worst part of this is that this wasn’t the first time that I’ve made this observation.

Yes, the pub is new, and yes, it follows New York State laws, and one must be 21 or older in order to drink, which does cut out some students.  But there are plenty of seniors that are plenty able to go to the pub.

Personally, I enjoy the atmosphere. The bartenders, Dale and Valerie, are always friendly and willing to serve any drink that’s behind the bar, as soon as you want it. It only takes one person to ask for a channel change on either — or both — of the flat screen TVs which usually play hockey games (to my contentment). The tap is always cold and the bottles are varied, both of these are priced far more competitively than had one trekked downtown for a night out with friends. Therefore, I must ask why is it always dead?

I spoke to Valerie and asked her how business usually runs when she works, because obviously I’m not a nightly barfly.

“The real business seems to come from some of the organized events or after some of the PAC shows,” she said. “But as of right now, the Pub is not a profit for the school.”

After speaking with both bartenders, and bouncing ideas off my friends, we’ve narrowed down the reasons why students aren’t coming to the extremely convenient Le Moyne pub.

Our first idea is that knowledge of the pub just isn’t out there. This issue would likely dissipate were socialite students to read about it in say, a newspaper. See what I did there?

Another possibility is that many interested parties are not yet of age, this is a simple battle against time. Hopefully, by the time these students turn 21, the pub will have flourished into a great place to hang out with friends, in the comfort and safety of our own school.

Finally, we thought that maybe there are still those that can go to bars but choose to go downtown, instead of to the pub. If you’re one of those students, I would love to hear some your rationale. My friends and I don’t have to worry about who’s DD-ing, paying for a taxi or buying overpriced drinks. We’re drinking at a fraction price you’ll find downtown without sacrificing selection. Likewise, we benefit from knowing our fellow patrons, for we all go to school together.

Regardless, if you show up for the conversation, to challenge the guys for a game of pool or just to watch the game, the new campus pub is a great hangout spot that Le Moyne has organized.