From Real Estate Deal to Bar Owner: Gregg Singer’s Journey Building The Golden Monkey Lounge

Chris Schneider (00:02.044)
So I know we have a lot of listeners for the show that are in the industry. We also have a number of listeners on the show that are looking to get into the industry. And so something I wanted to start doing is to highlight the stories of people that have entered the industry, some without prior experience, because that's always when we talk about the highest instance of failure is getting in the bar industry and not knowing what you're doing, but have found success even though they didn't necessarily know what they were getting into. So joining us today is a

great gentleman who has had this experience, Greg Singer. He is the owner of the Golden Monkey Lounge in Glen Falls, New York. And Greg is an entrepreneur who has spent most of his time in real estate recently and ended up falling into a bar when he and his partner, Larissa Ovet, purchased a building in Glen Falls in 2023 and then ended up opening the Golden Monkey Lounge. So welcome to the show, Greg. I am so excited to have you here to tell your story.

Gregg Singer (00:59.287)
Well, thanks for having me.

Chris Schneider (01:01.948)
So before we start talking about Golden Monkey, why don't you fill us in a little bit about how you fell into the bar business? Because I know this was not something you intended to do, but ended up getting into.

Gregg Singer (01:13.102)
Well, in hindsight, I shouldn't have been working last night and then having an early morning interview. That's the bar business. You know, we purchased a building in Glens Falls with the intent of creating short and midterm rental apartments upstairs. In the building were three retail spaces. One of them was an existing bar that

Chris Schneider (01:19.282)
It is.

Gregg Singer (01:42.434)
was sort of defunct at the time. And in order for us to keep control of the building, control the noise, what was going on in the building, for our tenants upstairs, we all of a sudden decided, hey, I guess we're opening a bar. And it was pretty much nothing more than that. We just decided, hey, we're going to open a bar. My business partner, Larissa,

Chris Schneider (01:58.706)
I guess we're opening up.

Gregg Singer (02:11.574)
She and her family have had restaurants and other businesses that were in that world. So it wasn't completely new to her. I've worked in bars and restaurants, so it wasn't completely new to me, except that owning was not something I knew. So, yeah, it just sort of happened one night when we started working on the building after we bought it, that we were opening a bar.

Chris Schneider (02:32.594)
So yeah, it just sort of happened one night when we started working on the building after we bought it that we were opening the market. Well, and that makes a lot of sense, especially because we've talked and I do a little real estate as well and being able to control the volume when you, especially on something like short-term rentals, control how a business is affecting those rentals is really important for the short-term rental market. And so it makes sense why you would want to do that. Now, I know with

Gregg Singer (02:56.45)
Yes.

Chris Schneider (03:00.762)
Glens Falls, it's upstate New York. It's not a large city by any means, but you went with a little bit more of a contemporary kind of city type concept, a lounge concept, a little higher end than some other things that exist in that market. So as you were looking at your building, your space, how did you think through the concept you wanted to put there?

Gregg Singer (03:23.566)
Well, in my old life, I worked in advertising and marketing. So I have a little bit of an idea of what would work in certain markets. You have to have a niche. There were a ton of sports bars, just sort of your basic bars, and you can't go into a market and expect

to do well with the same idea. And me coming from Manhattan and knowing hundreds of bars in Manhattan, what I liked and what I gravitated towards. And Larissa is actually from the area, but she's traveled extensively. So we both had a great understanding of bars and what we liked. And we sort of sat down and just decided

Chris Schneider (03:55.794)
Right.

Chris Schneider (04:15.502)
and we sort of sat down and just decided

Gregg Singer (04:21.354)
what is going to be the concept and what is going to bring people in? What is what Glens Falls and Lake George, which is only 10 minutes away? What is that area need? What's missing? You know, and the idea of a kind of cool elevated cocktail lounge was kept rising to the top. And we figured that that was what really what the area needed. And

you know, soon after opening, people coming up to us and hugging us and telling us, you know, thank you for bringing something new to the area. On top of all that, the block that we bought the building on was a redevelopment block. Used to be the Street of Dreams is what it was called. And it was restaurants and bars and it was a happening street in Glens Falls. And we,

Chris Schneider (04:51.828)
opening people coming up to us and hugging us and telling us, you know, thank you for bringing something new to the area. On top of all that, the block that we bought the building on was a redevelopment block. used to be the street of dreams is what it was called and it was restaurants and bars and it was a happening street in Glens Falls. And we really wanted to bring that back. We were the first on the block to purchase

Gregg Singer (05:17.036)
really wanted to bring that back. We were the first on the block to purchase and bring up a new idea. And it's right across from all this redevelopment that the city is doing, where they're creating a market center building, which is right across the street from us. So we wanted it to work with the town and we had a lot of meetings with, sorry, with the city. And we had a lot of meetings with the

you know, the mayor, redevelopment people, and wanted to create something that was going to work with what the cities envision, what they were envisioning the block to be. And they were super excited about what this concept was. They actually, you know, when they did the ribbon cutting on the ground across the street, they actually had the party at our place on the day that we opened.

Chris Schneider (05:57.79)
Nice.

Gregg Singer (06:16.149)
It was not the best of days for us to have a ribbon cutting party on our opening night, but it was great.

Chris Schneider (06:22.994)
But it was great. Oh, for sure. that's building. Because one of the things that I want to talk about a little bit later is community building inclusivity. Because I know you guys have been real big on that as you've done things. But that's showing building community before you even have your concept fully formed. Right? So you were going out, working with the city, meeting people, getting that groundwork, getting that face time with them as you're kind of innovating everything.

Gregg Singer (06:40.44)
Yes.

Gregg Singer (06:50.562)
Yes, Larissa and I are big on due diligence and you have to in order to be successful. So we did a lot of background work before even starting the development inside the bar. And that was, I think, very helpful in creating the success because people...

Opening night was one of our biggest nights. People were so excited to see the place. it's something new. Something's finally happening on South Street. The concept was also, you go to bars, there's a thousand TVs, there's pool tables, there's darts. We wanted to create a social atmosphere, almost like

Chris Schneider (07:18.898)
Sure.

Chris Schneider (07:40.22)
We wanted to create a social atmosphere almost like what you would see at the local pub, a place where people come to meet and come together and mingle. And so we don't have a lot of distractions at the Boba Monkey. It's all about socializing. have board games and stuff on the tables and cards. And it's really set up.

Gregg Singer (07:44.374)
what you would see at the local, you know, a pub, place where people come to meet and come together and mingle. And so we don't have a lot of distractions at the Golden Monkey. It's all about socializing. have board games and stuff on the tables and cards, you know, and it's really set up for the community to really enjoy coming together.

Chris Schneider (08:08.274)
for the community to really enjoy coming together. And before we dive into opening and all that, let's talk a little bit more on pre-opening, because I'm just curious about this. Because you come from a real estate background, so you're familiar with renovations, building codes, all of that. But I know a lot of folks, when they get into hospitality, especially when they're doing a build out on a bar if they've never done one before, they run into a lot of small little issues they didn't anticipate, whether it's

Fire code or health code or these just little code compliance things that always tend to pop up. Did anything surprise you coming from real estate and getting into hospitality in kind of that build out and the process of getting to opening?

Gregg Singer (08:53.492)
not to toot my horn too much, but, there weren't a lot of surprises because of what you just said, you know, I'm, I'm used to what code, you know, it's different in every town and city. the only thing that really hampered us opening, was the fire department. and it had to do with.

Chris Schneider (09:05.914)
Yeah.

Chris Schneider (09:17.5)
Mm hmm.

Gregg Singer (09:20.002)
the work that we were doing on the building and not actually on the Golden Monkey. We were putting in a sprinkler system, which is a fairly intense process of running pipes through the entire building, digging out the street in front of the building and connecting to the water line. So there were a lot of issues with this whole system. And the fire department didn't really want us opening the Golden Monkey until we were done with that.

Chris Schneider (09:25.82)
we were putting in a sprinkler system, which is a fairly intense process of running through the entire building, digging out the street in front of the building and connecting to the water line. So there were a lot of issues with this whole system.

didn't really want us opening the Golden Monkey until we were done with that. Even though the building had been previously working as a bar, but they wanted us to be up to code. So it took a little finagling for us to get sort of a temporary opening. then literally by the time we actually opened, the sprinkler system was in place.

Gregg Singer (09:49.652)
even though the building had been previously working as a bar. But they wanted us to be up to code. So it took a little finagling for us to get sort of a temporary opening. then literally by the time we actually opened, the sprinkler system was in place and working. So that was really the only thing that

Chris Schneider (10:12.423)
So that was really the only thing that kind of surprised me. mean, there's a million permits that you have to

Gregg Singer (10:15.95)
kind of surprised me. mean, there's a million permits that you have to get. You know, our liquor license, we actually went through a consultant. And that was super smooth because we went through a consultant. And again, you do your due diligence, you hear these stories about people trying to do it themselves. And then nine months later, they still don't have even a temporary license. So we were smart about going through and working with a

Chris Schneider (10:22.418)
you know, our liquor license, actually went through a consultant. And that was super smooth because we went through a consultant. again, due to due diligence, you hear these stories about people trying to do themselves. And then nine months later, they still don't have even a temporary license. So we were smart about going through and working with the consultants to get our liquor license in state of New York, which, you know, they make it

Gregg Singer (10:45.484)
with a consultant to get our liquor license in the state of New York, which they make it difficult for good reason. so yeah, the fire code was pretty much the biggest issue we had.

Chris Schneider (11:05.397)
You know it's funny because fire that I find fire code on one hand is one of the easiest inspections compliance pieces But on the other hand when you're getting ready to open, it's one of the most difficult

Gregg Singer (11:16.258)
Yes, yes.

Chris Schneider (11:17.368)
Because they get very specific about very specific things. And to your point, it's all code. As long as you know the code and follow it, you're all right. But I don't know very many fire marshals that are terribly forgiving on any parts of their code.

Gregg Singer (11:29.376)
No. No, no. And they pretty much have carte blanche of being able to say or require whatever they want, which again is a fantastic thing. And they should have this control, but it makes it very difficult to get things going. The only other thing that we had, we have a hood in our kitchen, because we have a small kitchen.

Chris Schneider (11:40.794)
which is, which again is a fantastic thing and it should, they should have this control, but it makes it very difficult to get things going. The only other thing that we had, you know, we had a, we have a hood in our kitchen because we have a small kitchen, shareable plates. And that was one of the only other things that was, you know, we had to get it.

Gregg Singer (11:58.168)
We do shareable plates. And that was one of the only other things that was, you we had to get it. It hadn't been used in a while. The Ansel system had to be, you know, redone. And that took a little bit of work just to get that cleaned up and working. But luckily, we didn't have to replace it because then again, new code requires a lot more systems in place.

Chris Schneider (12:08.882)
the ANSEL

Chris Schneider (12:27.128)
yeah, for sure. that fire suppression systems in kitchens are amazingly expensive, I've always found. Every time I have to do something with one, just... And I look at the bill, I go, my God, this is crazy.

Gregg Singer (12:33.112)
Yes.

Gregg Singer (12:39.254)
Yeah, and that was really one of the few things that we did not throw out when we were redoing all the systems, the bar and the kitchen. Pretty much we kept the sink and the Ansel system. Everything else had to go.

Chris Schneider (12:57.394)
Those are good things to keep. So that gets you to opening and you open in October of 2023. And from talking to you before, know initially you guys had some, everything was banging. Like you see in a lot of bars when they first opened, because there's all that interest. But then you got into 2024 and as most people listening to this show know, because we've talked about benchmarking and data plenty of times, 2024 was not particularly kind to bars. We saw a slump in sales throughout the entire year.

Gregg Singer (13:12.899)
Yes.

Gregg Singer (13:23.447)
No.

Chris Schneider (13:27.282)
where it just kind of got worse and worse quarter to quarter. So what was that opening phase like? The kind of honeymoon? What was it like falling out of that honeymoon? And then how did you have to innovate and pivot to stay successful?

Gregg Singer (13:42.242)
Well, yeah, we opened end of October. We had really wanted to open in July, but some things held us up a little bit. So we opened at the end of October. And we were really happy with the way that everything looked. We were excited. Again, the city had their big groundbreaking ceremony with us.

the day that we were opening, they said, hey, three to five. And I said, sure, let's just do this. And so we had 50 people run across because it started raining and had 50 people just all of a sudden in the bar ordering drinks and everything. And it was fantastic. Our toast system went down. Everybody was just trying to juggle things as much as they could.

Chris Schneider (14:23.135)
Right.

Gregg Singer (14:38.69)
We weren't really super staffed because we were, you know, you just aren't at the beginning. Not everybody knew what they were doing. And it was great. We had a great night. I couldn't have been happier. Everybody was super excited. People were coming up to Larissa and me saying, you know, thank you so much. This is phenomenal. This place looks amazing. You know, love the vibe. And this went through for...

about two and a half months. And I thought, wow, we just hit it out of the park. If this is the way it's gonna be and it can only grow from here, fantastic. know, like what a success. And then around the end of January, it started to tip off. And upstate New York, worst time of the year.

Chris Schneider (15:07.722)
Yeah

Gregg Singer (15:30.962)
you know, negative temperatures, zero degrees out, it's icy, nobody really wants to go out, you stay in your cave. So I thought, it's just the slump of winter. You know, we'll get through this. February was an abysmal month. Just wondering, okay, it's just the weather. March hit and

Chris Schneider (15:35.558)
zero degrees out, it's icy, nobody really wants to go out, stay in your caves. So I thought, it's just the slump of winter. You know, we'll get through this. February was an abysmal month.

just wondering, okay, it's just the weather. March hit and not much better. April hit not much better. And as you said, then we started seeing numbers, we start hearing things. And it was really do when I would ask some of our regulars, hey, I haven't seen you in a while, they would say, we're kind of cutting back, know, money's money's a bit tight these days. And that's how it went through.

Gregg Singer (15:59.886)
not much better. April hit, not much better. And as you said, then we start seeing numbers, we start hearing things. And it was really due when I would ask some of our regulars, hey, I haven't seen you in a while, they would say, oh, we're kind of cutting back, know, money's money's a bit tight these days. And that's how it went through 2024. And so what we had to do was

get more efficient. this was not a great thing when you first start out to have this happen. You kind of want your efficiencies to sort of happen organically. we had to force it. So it's an upscale cocktail lounge. So we have a lot of great liquors, a lot of great syrups. We make all our syrups.

Chris Schneider (16:53.454)
a lot of great liquors, lot of great syrups. make all our syrups, you know, in-house. We have a lot of fruit. We juice our own fruit. So we had to tighten everything up. We had to tighten up our staff, and we had to tighten up whatever we could, you know? And we just made it more efficient. And...

Gregg Singer (16:58.348)
you know, in-house, we have a lot of fruit, we juice our own fruit. So we had to tighten everything up and we had to tighten up our staff and we had to tighten up whatever we could, you know. And we just made it more efficient and sort of plotted through. And then summer came and that's when it picked up again.

Chris Schneider (17:18.866)
sort of plotted through and then summer came and that's when it picked up again. And we started to see a little bit of a rise in June, July, and August, which again, upstate New York, loves to see, know, weather. We opened up, we have a patio, we opened up our patio, and people loved the patio, you know, I built out pallets, pallets.

Gregg Singer (17:25.934)
And we started to see a little bit of a rise in June, July, and August, which again, upstate New York, everybody loves, you know, it's beautiful weather. We opened up, we have a patio, we opened up our patio and people loved the patio. You know, I built out pallet, pallet, you know, furniture and walls and stuff and made it kind of interesting. And we had plants and flowers and.

Chris Schneider (17:44.402)
furniture and walls and stuff and made it kind of interesting and we had plants and flowers and so we brought you know you try to bring people in for for purpose you know like they want to go out for a reason they want to have entertainment so we started having some events DJ events you know we started trying to get creative on bringing people in movie nights

Gregg Singer (17:51.406)
So we brought, you you try to bring people in for purpose, you know, like they wanna go out for a reason, they wanna have entertainment. So we started having some events, DJ events, you know, we started trying to get creative on bringing people in, movie nights, know, bartender challenge, know, things that...

Chris Schneider (18:14.162)
.

Gregg Singer (18:17.912)
kind of bring people in because they're like, wonder what that's about, you know? And then by early fall, know, September, October, it started to pick up. And we've seen a rise. I mean, obviously we're into April at this point, which is stunning that we're past winter, but, you know, through the winter, we started to see much better months. So coming out of this horrible 2024, going into 2025,

we've seen much, much bigger gain going into 2025. And we've had a lot more events. like that's the thing that we know we have to do because every time we would have an event, we had a silent disco. People hadn't ever heard or seen a silent disco and loved it. And so...

Chris Schneider (18:56.132)
a lot more events. like, that's the thing that, you know, we know we have to do because every time we would have an event and we had a silent disco, people hadn't ever heard or seen a silent disco and loved it, you know. so having those things happening at the bar are bringing people in and then they'll come in also on off nights where there isn't an event, you know, and live

Gregg Singer (19:14.85)
having those things happening at the bar are bringing people in and then they'll come in also on off nights where there isn't an event. And live music. So last night we had some live music. So creating these things, keeping it efficient, sticking with, like you were saying before, building this community. Larissa is a local.

to this area, so she's really involved in the events and things happening. I'm not, I'm an outsider. I'm from Manhattan area. I'm a transplant, seven years ago. So I don't really know that many people, they know me from the bar, but so keeping this community connection and letting people know that we're still,

Chris Schneider (19:55.531)
you

I don't really know that many people. So, you know, keeping this community connection and letting people know that we're still, you know, part of what's going on on South Street and really pushing to build what the city really wants to happen there. it really comes down to entrepreneurs and private business is what creates

Gregg Singer (20:12.334)
part of what's going on on South Street and really pushing to build what the city really wants to happen there. And it really comes down to entrepreneurs and private business is what creates that stuff. The city can't do it all. We have a building next door that was a derelict building, this huge building next to us. It's finally being redeveloped.

Chris Schneider (20:26.612)
the city can't do it all. Right. know, have a building next door that was a derelict building, huge building next to us. It's finally being redeveloped. So now South Street is becoming this thing. It's this rebirth of South Street. And people know that we were part of the beginning of that. And they're

Gregg Singer (20:40.09)
Now South Street is becoming this thing. It's this rebirth of South Street. And people know that we were part of the beginning of that. And they're coming in because of it.

Chris Schneider (20:55.227)
And let's dive in a little more there because I think it's great because the two things I love to talk about are community and efficiency, right? And pivoting and making business more efficient because I don't think you can have a bar and survive without being as efficient as possible all of the time if you want to make decent money. But that's interesting on the numbers end, but the community end is how you keep those folks coming in, right? It's how you build this culture that

pulls people towards you. So I know that you guys have done a lot with inclusivity. And when we talked before, I think something we both kind of had experience with, and from my bar experience, like I had a bar that was known for being inclusive, but it's basically because I didn't care. Right? It's kind of a backwards thing sometimes where it's not caring about who comes in and just being nice to people builds this community and inclusivity that other people don't get in their establishments.

Gregg Singer (21:47.565)
Yes.

Chris Schneider (21:52.41)
So tell us a little bit about that, how you've really tried to foster that community and build inclusivity into what you're doing.

Gregg Singer (21:58.666)
It's funny because I was just talking to one of our patrons last night about it, because we just had a, last week we had a drag show. And it was two different pride organizations that came together and created a drag show at our place. And we were talking about that last night that

Chris Schneider (22:12.422)
different pride organizations that came together and created a drag show in our place. And we were talking about that last night, that you don't want to get pigeonholed into becoming a certain type of bar, whatever it is. Like you were just saying, it's an all inclusive. And I agree with that.

Gregg Singer (22:27.07)
You don't want to get pigeonholed into becoming a certain type of bar. Whatever it is. Like you were just saying, it's an all inclusive. And I'm, I agree with that. I think that people should just be nice. People should be happy and enjoy themselves and shouldn't really worry about what other people are doing or what other people think. And we decided

Chris Schneider (22:42.13)
I think that people should just be nice. People should be happy and enjoy themselves and shouldn't really worry about what other people are doing or what other people think. And we decided...

Gregg Singer (22:57.184)
early on that we wanted to be a safe space because there are not that many safe spaces, especially here. And so we decided that early on we were going to do that. And in keeping open and not caring about who and what people are, we sort of evolved into a safe space that people really enjoy.

Chris Schneider (22:57.7)
early on that we wanted to be a safe space because there are not that many safe spaces, especially here. And so we decided that early on we were going to do that. And in keeping open and not caring about who and what people are, we sort of evolved into a safe space that people really enjoy. We have a lot of

Gregg Singer (23:26.424)
We have a lot of Pride events and we have, like I just said, we had a drag show and we've become a safe space for the Pride community. And I'm really proud of that. I think that it's very important to be inclusive and to keep people safe and to create a space that people

Chris Schneider (23:43.41)
It's very important to be inclusive and to keep people safe and to create a space that people want to come to because they know that they're included and not going to be harassed.

Gregg Singer (23:55.862)
want to come to because they know that they're included and not going to be harassed. And that's what we created. And I agree with you. There is a component to sort of not caring, not caring about what people do or say as long as they're nice.

Chris Schneider (24:08.533)
created and I agree with you there is a component to sort of not caring about what people do or say as long as they're nice. As long as they're kind.

Gregg Singer (24:24.334)
as long as they're kind. And I'm a big proponent of that. you know, coming from Manhattan where there's a mix of everything in the world, every person in the world is in Manhattan. And I grew up with that. And it just became sort of second nature to me that, you know, who cares what anybody, you know, wants to be or does?

Chris Schneider (24:29.52)
big component of that and you know coming from Manhattan where there's a mix of everything in the world every person in the world is in Manhattan and I grew up with that and it just became sort of second nature to me that you know

Who cares what anybody wants to be or does? That's their choice and I'm okay with that. And that's sort of what we've done. And people really seem to appreciate it at the monkey. And I'm very proud of what we've created. And sometimes we don't get great comments online and I don't care.

Gregg Singer (24:52.142)
That's their choice and I'm okay with it. And that's sort of what we've done. And people really seem to appreciate it at The Monkey. And I'm very proud of what we've created. And sometimes we don't get great comments online and I don't care.

Chris Schneider (25:16.658)
Well, and you and I talked about that some too before I mean it is very true if you have an inclusive space if you just if you don't care who comes in Eventually you get some of everybody and then that means that there's some of everybody on the extreme sides of every Group in the world that will look at you know, my god. Why why do you let this group it? Why are you okay with these people?

Gregg Singer (25:38.542)
Exactly.

Chris Schneider (25:42.116)
And so I know you've had some experience that how have you balanced that when you've come across those issues?

Gregg Singer (25:48.486)
I've had a few people who have been a little, obnoxious, we'll say. and I just basically, I don't engage in it. I tell them that I don't really appreciate those comments or, you know, how you're saying things. and if you don't like it, there are many other bars in town. You don't, you don't need to come to the golden monkey.

Chris Schneider (25:54.874)
Mm-hmm.

Chris Schneider (26:14.982)
Yeah.

Gregg Singer (26:18.474)
And it seems to work. Nothing has escalated so far and, you know, they finish up and they leave. And if that's what, you know, those people want to be that way, they're not going to be that way at the Golden Monkey.

Chris Schneider (26:20.37)
It seems to work. Nothing has escalated so far and they finish up and they leave. If that's what those people want to be that way, they're not going to be that way at the Golden Month. Yeah. And I think that's the approach I've always taken and it's approach I love because it's really easy to look at somebody and just be like, you know what, dude, you can be racist, you can be sexist, you can be homophobic, you can think, you can be...

A misogynist, you can be misandrist. Like, I don't care what side of anything you fall on. Just don't do it here.

Gregg Singer (26:56.086)
Exactly. Exactly. Yeah, we don't like it here and we don't want it here and you can finish up and pay and leave.

Chris Schneider (26:58.631)
And it...

Right.

Chris Schneider (27:06.406)
Right. And it's so simple, but it's I think is really hard for a lot of people to do. And it's really hard to build that inclusive environment, even though on one hand it's so simple.

Gregg Singer (27:18.924)
Yeah, and we're very open with our staff about it as well. We have a lot of young staff who are sometimes not used to dealing with this element. And I basically tell them, you don't have to. I'll deal with it. Larissa will deal with it. Our manager will deal with it. Sexual harassment.

Chris Schneider (27:27.506)
young staff.

Chris Schneider (27:38.62)
You don't have to. I'll deal with it. Larissa will deal with it.

Chris Schneider (27:45.638)
you know, sexual harassment has come up as well. I said to them, there is zero tolerance to any of it. You immediately walk away, we're fine with you telling them, that's not appropriate, I don't appreciate this, please stop. And if they don't, and you don't wanna deal with that, come to one of us. And I'm okay again.

Gregg Singer (27:47.482)
you know, has come up as well. And I said to them, there is zero tolerance to any of it. You immediately walk away. We're fine with you telling them that's not appropriate. I don't appreciate this. Please stop. And if they don't, and you don't want to deal with that, come to one of us. And I'm okay, again, dealing with somebody who's

Chris Schneider (28:14.63)
dealing with somebody who's going to be obnoxious and sexist or whatever kind of harassment's going on, I don't mind dealing with it. there's no reason for it, especially at our place. So it's not tolerated at all.

Gregg Singer (28:15.822)
going to be obnoxious and sexist or whatever kind of harassment's going on, I don't mind dealing with it. And there's no reason for it, especially at our place. So it's not tolerated at all.

Chris Schneider (28:38.018)
One, think it's good just to have places that are returning to the concept of polite society in a lot of ways. But with that, Greg, our time is almost up for the day. Is there anything else you would like to add to the conversation that we have not hit on so far?

Gregg Singer (28:43.788)
Exactly.

Gregg Singer (28:54.504)
yeah, I mean, the one thing that we didn't talk about was, something that you and I had discussed earlier was, that, that there are a thousand reasons why Larissa and I should have failed by now. and, and, you know, those nights when you're, wake up in the middle of the night and, and 7,000 thoughts are running through your head and you're like, what am I doing? you know, the,

Again, I've never opened a bar. This is my first bar. However, I've been a business person for a long time. I was in advertising, I was in manufacturing for a while, and now I'm in real estate development. Being smart, doing your due diligence is the top thing.

Chris Schneider (29:41.52)
now I'm in real estate development.

You know, being smart, doing your due diligence is the top thing. Do as much research as you can. You know, we, from designing the back bar, the kitchen, you know, I personally built out almost everything in the Golden Monkey, my own hands. I think there's something to be said for that because I know.

Gregg Singer (29:53.036)
Do as much research as you can. From designing the back bar, the kitchen, I personally built out almost everything in the Golden Monkey, my own hands. I think there's something to be said for that because I know every system and every problem that can happen down to the toast POS system.

Chris Schneider (30:14.226)
Yeah.

Gregg Singer (30:23.054)
When something goes down and I'm there, we can work on it. Otherwise, you're in deep shit. I think that knowing and researching and listening to podcasts like this, understanding efficiencies, understanding protocols, if you don't do your research, you're dead.

And that's paramount to being able to continue in your business. And every day you have to continue doing that. It's not something that you can just do all of it up front and then you're good to go. You have to evolve every single day. And if you don't, it's not gonna work. And maybe even if you do, it's not gonna work.

You just don't know. And that's part of the excitement of owning a bar is that there's a million things that can happen. And I think it's great to have someone like you who is putting all this information out to keep people on their toes and understanding what you need to be doing and doing it.

Chris Schneider (31:39.25)
putting all this information out, keep people on their toes, and understanding what you need to be doing and doing it. Well, I appreciate that, Greg. Now, I'm sure some people listening are also thinking, OK, Greg sounds like a cool dude. I want to check out this Golden Monkey place. What is the best way for people to get in touch with you and to learn more about the Golden Monkey?

Gregg Singer (32:07.086)
Really just going to our website or going to Facebook or Instagram are the best ways to get to us. There's an email at the bottom of our website so people if they wanted to reach out can reach out to me. You know, that's pretty much the best way and or stopping in.

Chris Schneider (32:28.412)
Perfect. Well, we will put a link to the website, the Facebook and the Instagram in the show notes. If you're listening and want to learn more, you can just scroll down and click on those links there. But with that, Greg, thank you so much for being here. Really enjoyed this conversation and I wish you the best of luck with the Golden Monkey as you go forward.

Gregg Singer (32:47.182)
I appreciate it. Thanks for having me on.