RIP Schanks Sports Bar and Grill franchise

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by you&me

Fox and Firkin was the first bar I ever used my fake ID at, so for that, I'll always remember it

Fox and Firkin is the only place I've ever been kicked out of.



I had my "borrowed" ID taken at Three Cheers when I couldn't answer the "what's your sign" question adequately. For future reference "I don't even know what my own sign is" is not what you should say if you want to continue to use that ID. Life lesson.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by jayswin

Haha "we had a change of heart and wanted to negotiate a new manageable lease" was actually "Nobody is ****ing leasing that building for anything in this climate, so something from Schanks is better than nothing from anybody".

I've been wondering about this both in the context of businesses and residences concerning lack of rental payments and evictions.

If you evict your tenants for non-payment due to the economic conditions....who exactly are you expecting to swoop in and snap these places up and start doling out rent cash considering the same economic conditions?

[blankall]

Originally Posted by Locke

I've been wondering about this both in the context of businesses and residences concerning lack of rental payments and evictions.

If you evict your tenants for non-payment due to the economic conditions....who exactly are you expecting to swoop in and snap these places up and start doling out rent cash considering the same economic conditions?

Exactly.

When the businesses themselves are not able to operate due to Covid restrictions, it's a little naive of building owners to expect that the rents are going to be paid in full. The commercial rental industry is secondary to and dependent on the actual businesses.

This @#$@# is also going to roll downhill. The building owners, will be, in turn, defaulting on the mortgage providers.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by blankall

Exactly.

When the businesses themselves are not able to operate due to Covid restrictions, it's a little naive of building owners to expect that the rents are going to be paid in full. The commercial rental industry is secondary to and dependent on the actual businesses.

This @#$@# is also going to roll downhill. The building owners, will be, in turn, defaulting on the mortgage providers.

Right and this is what worries me. It just seems so obvious and stupid to have the entire related Business Chain so stupidly shooting each other in the face.

[Snuffleupagus]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

Hmm wonder how I can get a hold of some of those pinball machines.

Call the vending company who owns them, in this case pacific vending

[timun]

Originally Posted by TorqueDog

Much of the reason I stopped going surrounded my move away from the area. When I first moved to Calgary, I lived in Tuscany from 2006-2007. After I moved to Thorncliffe-Greenview, I went less, and shortly after stopped going altogether. I had pretty much zero reason to go to Crowfoot at all anymore except to BMW Crowfoot for servicing my car.

Then again, I noticed that the place was getting less and less busy, while the turnover of the wait staff became more rapid. Service suffered, food got worse. This of course all coincided with the Flames playing like a bag of ass and the O&G boom fizzling out.

It's weird now to think back to those days. Maybe it was the veneer of being a young 20-something in a new city, but the energy and feel of this city in my first few years was unreal. With everything going on in the world economically and politically, I don't know if a place with such a feel even exists any more. I love this city but man, Calgary lately just feels like today's weather; grey.

I think what you're saying here is hinting at some underlying issues that Schanks had.

First of all, you only went there when you lived close, i.e. when it was convenient for you. It's telling that when you moved a little further away—only an extra five minutes' drive, mind you—you stopped going. Schanks was not worth the extra ten minutes worth of driving to-and-from. It wasn't good enough to draw you there after it became only slightly less convenient.

Second, you were a twentysomething when you went there often, and stopped going as you got a little older. You stopped going because it didn't have the appeal to bring in an older crowd. Pub grub at a sports bar gets old. I bet this also coincided with you and your buddies having long-term relationships, getting married, etc. and the significant others didn't want to go to Schanks.

Third, businesses that had to rely on spendthrift O&G goofs were doomed to failure. They were passively bringing in more revenue through no work of their own. The underlying fundamental interest in the business was masked by "over-spending" from a temporarily cash-rich clientele. They were always going to be the first to lose revenue when O&G took a downswing.


For myself, I never went to Schanks often, but in retrospect I mostly went in my 20s, mostly with friends who lived in Tuscany/Arbour Lake/Citadel. After those friends moved elsewhere, and after we all got older, we just stopped going. It held no great appeal anymore.

[Locke]

As an aside though, I'd love to know how much Schanks' fixed costs are/were.

The monthly rent on that enormous place right on Macleod Trail must be staggering, add in food costs, staff wages, payments for cable/UFC broadcasts, it goes on and on.

I just personally think the 'Gigantic Sports Bar' era is coming to a close. The operating costs on a place like that must be monstrous and to make up for it on the margins of beer and food seems either impossible or at least unlikely.

Did they get a cut of the OTB proceeds? I cant even remember if they had VLTs.

That being said, I liked Schanks. We'd go there a couple times of year for Drafts or Events and it was great for that but it isnt a place I'd pick to go with friends to catch a game.

I remember years ago going there for a meet & greet / question period with Roger Millions. Way, way back in the day.

[jayswin]

Yeah, they just don't seem to be as much a thing in Canada as the US. Americans love their big warehouse style bar that resembles the "at the game" feeling with chanting, cheering fans.

Canadians just don't seem as in to that, and like you said, to make that work you need to be significantly packed all the time due to the building cost alone. A lazy weeknight with 20 people in the bar at a neighbourhood pub is a good business night, but a disaster at a warehouse style sports bar.

[Derek Sutton]

The Schanks of Lethbridge has officially closed its doors too. Average Joes has been THE Sports Bar here for 20 years. It was also the only place in town bringing in bands both new and old, as well as Dueling Pianos once a month. The downtown has been in decline for a few years now, this location is not one I’d leave my vehicle at overnight. The franchise pubs opening up in the suburbs have killed the business and recent ownership changes could not save it. They’ve been posting everything from the pub for sale on marketplace the last few days.

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by jayswin

Yeah, they just don't seem to be as much a thing in Canada as the US. Americans love their big warehouse style bar that feels resembles the "at the game" feeling with chanting, cheering fans.

I'm guessing at lot of those bars in the States do a big portion of their business on Sundays. Going to the bar on Sunday to watch sports all day isn't really a thing in Canada. The big sports day in Canada is Saturday night, and most bars should be busy on Saturday nights anyway.

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

I'm guessing at lot of those bars in the States do a big portion of their business on Sundays. Going to the bar on Sunday to watch sports all day isn't really a thing in Canada. The big sports day in Canada is Saturday night, and most bars should be busy on Saturday nights anyway.

Anecdotally, while Sundays are huge, those bars are a big draw anytime down there. Monday night football, thursday night football, basketball, lunchtime, dinner. They just love their big sports bars down there.

[you&me]

Originally Posted by jayswin

Anecdotally, while Sundays are huge, those bars are a big draw anytime down there. Monday night football, thursday night football, basketball, lunchtime, dinner. They just love their big sports bars down there.

College sports is another huge draw that is all but nonexistent in Canada.

I can definitely see why a huge sports bar is infinitely more viable in the US.

[OutOfTheCube]

Originally Posted by timun

Same. As much as people are lamenting Schanks' demise in this thread it's a pretty strong indicator of the business's ongoing viability when this thread is full of stories about how often people used to go to Schanks'...

Ah, well, maybe I should let you know about my two gold medals from the event then...

[SeeGeeWhy]

Originally Posted by troutman

CP needs a new host for live drafts.

The old peanuts pub near westhills is an insurance broker now as well.

[blankall]

I think Canadians just get really lame once they have kids and/or hit 35. They get this mentality that if they enjoy a few drinks with friends all of a sudden they've abandoned their duties, committed some kind of horrible moral transgression, and won't be able to take full advantage of their lives due to a mild hangover.

[rotten42]

bad food...bad service.....and now no sports. Good residence!

[csnarpy]

Originally Posted by calgarywinning

Didn't read anything about the long deceased Coconut Joe's, Fox and Firkin and the Hard Rock in Eau Claire. Some pretty happening places in the day.

FYI, the original Schanks ownership group owned Joe's and the Fox.

[Derek Sutton]

Originally Posted by rotten42

bad food...bad service.....and now no sports. Good residence!

Add to that; High drink prices and the consequences and awareness around impaired driving.

[Muffins]

Originally Posted by rotten42

bad food...bad service.....and now no sports. Good residence!

I dunno, that sounds like a bad residence to me.

[TorqueDog]

Originally Posted by timun

I think what you're saying here is hinting at some underlying issues that Schanks had.

First of all, you only went there when you lived close, i.e. when it was convenient for you. It's telling that when you moved a little further away—only an extra five minutes' drive, mind you—you stopped going. Schanks was not worth the extra ten minutes worth of driving to-and-from. It wasn't good enough to draw you there after it became only slightly less convenient.

It was nearly a 20 minute drive. As well, it happened to coincide with a very messy situation with an extended family member that I no longer talk to or associate with in any way. It was also their regular joint (they were in their late 40s when this all went down) and I didn’t want to risk running into them.

I stopped going around age 23, and none of us got married until our early 30s. There were just more options and places to go, but that does speak to your point that it just didn’t have that killer feature to bring us back (but again, the family member situation played a major part in discouraging my return).