Unlock Nightclub Success with These Expert Nightclub Tips | Connor Treacy

Chris Schneider (00:01.011)
So as I have said many times before on the podcast, nightclubs and bars are a different business. The actions you take are different. The process is different. The clientele is different. The finance and the math is different. How you factor cost. Everything about it is different. And the liability, security, the money are all different as well. And so as I've told you guys before, I am not a nightclub person. I don't know nightclubs. I don't particularly like nightclubs. I don't go to nightclubs. So I figured...

What better way if we want to understand nightclubs because that's part of the bar industry, then bring somebody in that understands nightclubs. So with that in mind, we have a guest today that doesn't just know nightclubs, but understands the LA nightclub market, which is probably one of the most competitive, difficult club markets on the planet. And so with that said, joining us is Connor Tracy. Connor is a multi-project entrepreneur. He has worked in tech. He's worked in music and entertainment. He's worked in hospitality.

And basically anything touching entertainment, nightlife, bars, restaurants, he's been involved in in one way or in other over the years. Most notably, he was a co-founder and was involved in Off Sunset in West Hollywood, which he was involved in for about three years. And currently he's involved in a company called Dobrik's Pizza in West Hollywood. So, Connor, first of all, thank you so much for being here and your willingness to share about the nightclub industry.

with the listeners.

Connor Treacy (01:31.234)
How's it going Chris? That was quite the introduction. I appreciate it.

Chris Schneider (01:38.183)
Well, I always like to make people feel good about themselves, right? But also I think it's important to really point out here because nightclubs are so different from what bars and restaurants are. And LA is such a different market in and of itself, right? Because you have the craziest people, well, and some of the richest people, right? You have one of the best nightclub markets, but one of the craziest ones. So along those lines, when we're talking about bars and nightclubs and all that, and LA in particular,

Why don't you illustrate for us a little bit? Because I, like a lot of the listeners, am a complete idiot when it comes to nightclubs because we don't work in them. Right? And there's very little things in the hospitality industry I say I'm a complete idiot about. Nightclubs is definitely one of them. So what's a little bit of that difference between bars and nightclubs? And what makes, in particular, the L.A. market even more different and more interesting, if you will, than the rest of the nightclub scene?

Connor Treacy (02:38.879)
Yeah, so I guess for the first question, the nightclubs in LA, it's very celebrity driven and you have to be cool. So it's very hard to open that the right way. And then I would say on top of that, the...

Hard part is once you are hot, how do you stay hot? Because everyone will be your friend while you're hot, but then the second there's like something new that opens up down the street, they're gone, right? So you have to figure out one, how to make it cool in the first place. And then two, how do you maintain that? And then the second question was kind of what's the difference between like a nightclub and a bar? Yeah, I would say honestly, a bar is probably more sustainable.

Chris Schneider (03:24.653)
kind of what's the difference between like a nightclub and a bar? I would say honestly a bar is probably more sustainable. just feel like a nightclub probably...

Connor Treacy (03:32.233)
I just feel like a nightclub probably if you get that thing going it probably just cranks out a lot more cash. But I'm sure there are a ton of bars that make a lot of money too. I personally would rather do a bar next. I feel like it's just a lot easier to maintain and just a lot more like chill and I don't know, less fickle than the nightclub business.

Chris Schneider (03:54.252)
I think that's true from my understanding of nightclubs. Part of what you just said I think is really interesting there because you said you know in nightclubs it's all about being hot and staying hot.

So you don't in a normal bar, we'd always think about, okay, build a community of regulars in a nightclub. You're not really building a community of regulars at any point. Are you? You're just trying to stay cool.

Connor Treacy (04:17.778)
Yeah, I I try to be, I try to be very hands on. I try to be in the club as much as I can. And like, I think when you are like a owner of the club, people, if you're in there all the time, they feel more inclined to want to go as much as possible. So I definitely like try or tried to be in there as much as I could. because I think that element is true, but there there's definitely like regulars. mean, there's people that would go every Friday and Saturday.

It's just yeah, I guess when it's like a bigger more popular known nightclub You do get more people from out of the country or whatever They're on vacation that want to check it out because they saw so-and-so Leaving it like in a paparazzi photo or something like that,

Chris Schneider (05:03.431)
And so I imagine because it's all about essentially staying hot and becoming hot, that means that nightclubs are way more, at least it would imply to me that they're way more important on your marketing aspect. Your marketing has to be perfect. You have to be hitting the right people and then convincing those people to come in. you had...

Mentioned earlier, you know in that build up to starting a club you have to do a lot to build that buzz to be hot when you open. What does that kind of look like?

Connor Treacy (05:37.254)
So, I can only speak from what I did, which was off sunset was kind of like a speakeasy, but like also a full blown nightclub at the same time. was like, it's like 150 capacity room and from the outside it was just all like grayish blacks with no signs or anything. So it had like a speakeasy vibe, like if you know, you know, but inside it would get, you know, poppin'.

You know, it like a, was not a bar. was not a lounge. Like it was a nightclub. And I would say the way that we opened that was really just word of mouth. And we didn't really have like an official like opening night. We basically would just start it off by saying, like come check it out tonight. Like we're just showing friends and family. We want everyone's opinion. And like, we kept doing that like twice a week until the momentum got there. And I would say after like,

Chris Schneider (06:30.995)
And I would say after like three months there was a buildup, like we were also making sure to tax like the best people we knew so that people were like, yo, like that off sunset place, the crowd's super good. And like no one like from the regular crowd even knows of it. You know what mean? I had that kind of, that's how we built it up. It wasn't like a giant banner on the sunset Boulevard.

Connor Treacy (06:32.389)
3 months there was a build up but we were also making sure to text the best people we knew so that people were like, yo, that off sunset place, the crowd's super good and no one from the regular crowd even knows about it. That's how we built it out. It wasn't like a giant banner on Sunset Boulevard opening night and fireworks everywhere and shit.

Chris Schneider (06:55.411)
And let me ask this because I'm pretty sure I know the answer to this question, but because I know you have a background in the music industry. When you say text friends and family, it's not like your uncle Bob, right? Like you actually knew the celebrities and your partners knew the celebrities. So you're not texting what most bar owners would consider friends and family. Your friends are known names that are going to attract paparazzi that are going to attract other people to the bar.

Connor Treacy (07:05.303)
No.

Connor Treacy (07:09.304)
Yeah.

Connor Treacy (07:21.91)
Yeah, yeah, yeah, no, for sure. mean, my mom went there once. She brought some of her friends and they were like, my God, the drinks here are so expensive. But yeah, no, was 28 when Off Sunset opened and I started kind of working in nightlife when I was like a teenager, like 19-ish. So, and before that I was like promoting at like 1O Tower Group, like.

Chris Schneider (07:25.779)
Yeah

Connor Treacy (07:50.466)
all those groups. Then I also was working at Interscope as an A &R and a manager for a few years. So yeah, definitely like, it wasn't like it wasn't just celebrities, you know what mean? I would I would say like my crowd is like a culmination of everyone I came up with. So there could be people that originally used to go to like my house parties when I was like in high school be like, No, I remember like when you did this and there'll be those people there'll be

Chris Schneider (08:00.721)
You know what mean? would say like my crowd is like a culmination of everyone I with. So there could be people that originally used to go to like my house parties when I was like in high school. like, I remember like when we did this and there'll be those people. There'll be people that I worked at with at Interscope. And then yeah, sure. There'll also be like artists or celebrities or whatever. So I try to make it a vibe where people go there and like, yo, there's like some cool people in here just in general.

Connor Treacy (08:15.971)
people that I worked at with at Interscope and then yeah, sure there also be like artists or celebrities or whatever. So I try to make it a vibe where people go there and like, yo, there's like some cool people in here just in general. Like it's a good networking experience even too or something. That's kind of what I try to go for.

Chris Schneider (08:29.075)
good networking experience even to or something. That's kind of what I try to go for. And I think there's a lot to be said in the bar business in general, not just nightclubs, but if you get to know the people and you can connect people, you can make magic, right? But I just wanted to make sure everybody understood that like your Rolodex and my Rolodex do not look alike with who we have access to.

Connor Treacy (08:44.14)
Yeah. Yeah.

Connor Treacy (08:55.98)
I know Chris, I haven't looked through your phone book so you may have some magic in there. Yeah.

Chris Schneider (09:00.435)
There's nothing that cool, I promise you. Unless you like bar consultants and people that are nerdy about the bar industry, there's really nothing that

Connor Treacy (09:11.233)
They're celebrities in their own right, you Yeah.

Chris Schneider (09:14.151)
Well, I guess that's, that's at least what I tell them when they come on the podcast with me, right? So one of the things too, I noticed in your marketing with Off Sunset that was kind of different to me, but I think makes a lot of sense when you're talking about a nightclub style venue, was you guys had a no cell phone policy.

Connor Treacy (09:33.557)
Yeah, yeah, we put stickers on the front of their phones where the cameras were so there was no camera, no photography was allowed inside the club or videos or anything like that. We kind of just wanted to feel like a fun house party, you know, with no judgment and just good vibes, you know what I mean? So whoever you were, you felt like you could just kind of have fun, you know, while you're in there.

Chris Schneider (09:58.451)
Well, I think that's kind of interesting because one of the things I've noticed over the years, because when I first bought a bar was 2011 was the first time I owned a place, but I had worked in them way before that. And cell phones have kind of made people stop having as much fun. Right. So the idea that you have a club with a no cell phone policy, I think is pretty cool. Just in that then everybody's a little bit more relaxed. They're not worried about.

Connor Treacy (10:14.142)
Yeah.

Connor Treacy (10:21.29)
Yeah.

Chris Schneider (10:25.681)
my God, this is now going to be on the internet and it's there forever. And to your point, a little bit more back to like house party days, right? When we were all younger and I, well, I'm a little bit older than you, not a huge amount, but I think I'm older enough that when I was in high school, there weren't camera phones, but when you were in high school, there were.

Connor Treacy (10:33.49)
Yeah.

Connor Treacy (10:46.878)
Yeah, but the quality wasn't that good, Chris. I'm gonna be honest with you. I didn't have an iPhone. Put it like that.

Chris Schneider (10:50.597)
Right. But you still have plausible deniability. I had no evidence at all. So that helped. But nowadays, right, you do anything there's evidence. So that no cell phone policy is really interesting. Now, I want to dive into a couple areas where I know the nightclub business and the bar business differ quite a bit that people don't always think about or they do think about and probably have some misconceptions. And I'm included in those people that probably have misconceptions.

Connor Treacy (10:56.339)
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Fair enough.

Chris Schneider (11:20.231)
So one of things that always stands out to me when we talk nightclubs is people talk a lot about having difficult guests, difficult personalities, right? You have celebrities, have entourages, they have demands, have expectations that exceed, know, some do go in the bar for a drink after work. Who doesn't expect to be treated special? These folks do expect to be a little bit special. So how do you deal with that? How do you deal with all the personalities and just getting everyone to get along and

Be okay with what you're doing.

Connor Treacy (11:51.672)
It can range man, it can be simply just a guy I've been friends with or a girl I've been friends with for five or six years and their ex shows up and I'm friends with both of them and they want to be at the same table and I have to just kind of put them on different ends of the table. Same could be for if two artists show up and there's the same kind of drama. So it all, you're kind of.

And the crazy thing too is I'm friends with so many people that I don't even know about the internal dramas sometimes. So you kind of just got to go with it. I try to just stay neutral and I try to make sure everyone's happy and I'll just kind of rearrange the room and stuff like that.

Chris Schneider (12:18.844)
Right.

Chris Schneider (12:33.853)
For sure. a lot of it sounds like is accommodating folks, but then, you know, I'm sure you have at least a couple of stories where somebody was just absolutely ridiculous in their requests and how demanding they were. I'm sure in my, have very little experience being around people that I would call celebrities, but in my limited experience, I know some of them are very particular about how things go on around them. how, do you have any advice?

advice or any insight on like how do you figure these people out and not piss them off? How do you avoid the issues before you just step on someone's toes in that sort of a

Connor Treacy (13:14.192)
Yeah, I mean, there can be like all sorts of things that happen. Like I, I even one time was like outside of the club and they're like, so and so is the Prince of wherever, like some country and like he's with like six security guards and like, I don't really necessarily know. Maybe he is the Prince. Maybe he isn't like it could, it could be true, right? Cause it's off sunset. And so he could also just be flat out lying to me. I don't really have time to vet it. So.

We just can't let six security guards from outside that aren't with us off Sunset. But what I did do, in case he was a prince, I was like, hey man, you can come in and you can bring one guard. That's it. So I try to go on the fly and be fair because you also just don't know who you're talking to, especially in LA. So I just try to be nice and accommodating and fair.

Chris Schneider (13:57.063)
You know, so I try to.

Connor Treacy (14:12.866)
You know, so situations like that could come up, you

Chris Schneider (14:17.357)
Well, and that's something that's never occurred to me I've never had somebody come into one of my bars and claim to be a prince and then I had to think of the fact of like are you a prince or not a prince or are you and And so did you run into that from time to time where people were just totally full of shit?

Connor Treacy (14:22.489)
Yeah.

Connor Treacy (14:26.308)
Yeah.

Chris Schneider (14:32.179)
in how they presented themselves.

Connor Treacy (14:34.04)
Yeah, yeah, no, there's also people that are like completely full of shit or try to lie But I feel like I have a pretty good gauge because I've been around it since I was a teenager, right? So that was like a situation where like He could have fit the bill. So I was like, you know what? I'd rather let the random guy in with one security guard cuz I'm like, this guy's paying for six security guards I mean he at least is yes something go

Chris Schneider (14:44.359)
So that was like a situa-

Connor Treacy (14:58.746)
Who's gonna just go hire six security guards and roll down Sunset Boulevard? you're clearly like, so I was like whatever like I'll feel it out but Ended up working out wasn't that bad. Everything ended up okay that night But yeah, I feel like I'm pretty good at vetting out if someone's like full of it or not

Chris Schneider (14:59.673)
Right?

Chris Schneider (15:20.163)
Yeah, and I'm sure that takes time more than anything and just running into those situations. Now, in that case, since you were talking about this guy's security guards, I know in nightclubs, your level of security is way different than a bar, right? Because a lot of bars, bar in the middle of nowhere on Saturday night, you don't even have one security person there because you don't need it. And I assume you ran quite an extensive security staff.

Connor Treacy (15:42.21)
Yeah.

Connor Treacy (15:46.552)
Yeah, mean, we were like 150 capacity venues. I mean, we never had anything more than like 10 security guards probably, you know what I mean? Something around there. But there's definitely like the bigger nightclubs in LA where, you know, they have like metal detectors and all that kind of stuff. So I was in one time when there was a shooting.

Chris Schneider (16:11.816)
wow.

Connor Treacy (16:12.233)
Yeah, yeah, yeah. When like Shug night got shot, I was around during that time. So. Yeah, I was there.

Chris Schneider (16:18.343)
must have been a crazy experience. I would not have wanted to own that club when that happened. And so with that and having that additional security and because to me, go, well, 10 people isn't that much for 150. And I'm thinking that's that's one security guard per 15 guests. Like, that's pretty intense right there. You know, how how did you avoid issues on security? Did you run into a lot of fights and things even with that number of security people in the building?

Connor Treacy (16:23.329)
Yeah.

Connor Treacy (16:36.982)
Yeah.

Connor Treacy (16:48.373)
yeah, it could be like BET weekend and a huge rapper is in there with his boys and they just see some guy they don't like and then all of sudden there's an altercation in the hallway. There could be someone that's like trying to get in at the front and says something to the security guard and then there's an altercation. there's, it's kind of, you just kind of got to go with it and handle it as professionally as possible.

Chris Schneider (17:15.731)
And with that higher incidence of security situations in clubs, I'm assuming that comes around with higher liability, unlike the insurance end. And I'm also assuming that comes along with the fact that you get probably sued more than a bar would get sued.

Connor Treacy (17:33.013)
Yeah, I've never owned a bar, so I don't know. from what it seems like with all the nightclubs and even restaurants, it seems like it's like a pool for getting sued. You know what I mean? Because there's just so many people and everyone's drinking. And so there's just like a lot of variables with it. So I think that just comes to the territory.

Chris Schneider (17:51.986)
Well, and I think I mean, I own multiple bars for probably if I combine it all over a decade and I never got sued once. Now that's now that's probably it. I live in Indiana, right? It's not California. We're not as litigious here, right? California has, I believe, more plaintiffs attorneys than anywhere in the country. So it makes sense that there's more lawsuits there.

Connor Treacy (18:03.957)
Really?

Connor Treacy (18:10.527)
Yeah.

Connor Treacy (18:15.775)
Yeah.

Chris Schneider (18:19.367)
But I think for a lot of folks that are listening that are, you know, Midwest or the South, they're going like, wait, people get sued all the time in LA. So it's common. What you're saying is in LA, it's not that uncommon even as a restaurant to get sued. And as a nightclub, you're definitely getting sued from time to time.

Connor Treacy (18:36.405)
just went into it like I was in One Oak when there was a shooting, right? So I was like, anything that happens at Off Sunset, there's been guys or girls before me that have owned a venue that have gone through worse shit than me. And they made it through. Cause I literally was in a venue when there was a shooting and that didn't happen at Off Sunset, thank God. You know? Well, yeah, so that's the mentality I tried to have where I was like, it could be worse.

Chris Schneider (18:51.047)
Mm-hmm.

Chris Schneider (19:05.907)
I guess that's the best mentality to have in that situation. don't know what else you could do, right? Because if that's just the culture and that's part of that part of the business, then there's no way to avoid it. Now with that, so you have all the security, you all these lawsuits, have all this extra headache beyond bars. But you also in exchange for that, I mean, like you're open what? Probably three nights a week, two nights a week?

Connor Treacy (19:09.064)
Yeah.

Yeah.

Connor Treacy (19:34.843)
nights.

Chris Schneider (19:35.731)
Three nights a week. So you're packing a lot of action into a much smaller space of time. And tell me if I'm wrong on this. I think I saw something that with Off Sunset the first couple years that you guys were doing like four million in revenue a year.

Connor Treacy (19:53.075)
The first year we did, yeah.

Chris Schneider (19:55.581)
So that's, that's 4 million in revenue on what? 150 nights total. Give or take.

Connor Treacy (20:01.555)
Yeah, it's like a 30 or 40k a night or something like that on average. Which isn't that crazy, by the way.

Chris Schneider (20:05.413)
Yeah. So, so it's, it's, well, not for, not for an LA nightclub, but for.

Connor Treacy (20:11.568)
Yeah, no, like one oak when I was there was doing over 100k a night when it was super hot. Yeah.

Chris Schneider (20:18.067)
But that is going to sound crazy to a lot of the folks that are listening that own little bars and they're going, wait, I did 30 K last month, you know, because smaller bars, you can get to that those kind of numbers or 30. I mean, 30 K in a week for a lot of people is not outside the norm. The idea that you're doing 30 K in a day and doing four million in a year off just three nights a week just shows that level of volume that you're punching through.

Connor Treacy (20:25.528)
yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Chris Schneider (20:45.189)
And the other thing too, I think we should of course mention with that monetary number there is in nightclubs, you can charge a lot more than a bar.

Connor Treacy (20:54.896)
Yeah.

Chris Schneider (20:56.049)
And it's like I was looking at the off sunset the menu that exists there currently, which I know you're no longer involved, but just looking at the current menu, you know, there's a bottle of Bacardi for 625 bucks is a hell of a margin.

Connor Treacy (21:09.103)
Yeah, it's not bad, Yeah.

Chris Schneider (21:11.503)
No, not at all. Not at all. Because I mean, it's above a Cardi cost 25 bucks ish, give or take, depending on where you are in the country. And with bottle service, I'm assuming you guys did all the fanfare around bottle service that a lot of clubs do. it's also... Yeah. Well, and it looks like from just looking at the menu that's on the website, it looks like it's mostly bottle service.

Connor Treacy (21:20.689)
Yeah.

Connor Treacy (21:30.225)
We definitely did bottle service that app.

Chris Schneider (21:40.723)
is a lot of what was going on. And there's all that fanfare around it. really, and tell me if I'm wrong on this, I've always had the impression in head that bottle service at the end of the day is slightly easier than cocktail service. Because yeah, you got to make sure that you keep the mixers up. Yeah, you got to pour some drinks when you stop by. Yeah, you got to make sure that the bottle when it runs empty, you get them another one. But it's a lot less running back and forth.

Is that true? mean, am I thinking properly on that?

Connor Treacy (22:08.848)
It's a lot less running back and forth as far as because when we're doing bottle service It's okay. Yeah, I mean It's probably a lot less back and forth than compared to like a restaurant or something like that but I feel like if someone's spending a lot of money like Whoever the host is like that's banning that table like there'll probably be running back and forth there to make sure that the guest is having a Good time and they're happy and getting everything that won't be yeah. Yeah.

Chris Schneider (22:33.907)
Oh yeah. Yeah. Cause I, mean now for, and thinking about that, you had, cause the language you use at nightclubs is a little bit different. Host is basically a server, right? Is that correct? Okay. So you have a

Connor Treacy (22:45.901)
Yeah. Well, there's like the, you know, mainly like bottle girls that were like, they would be handling like the clients, like getting them drinks and hosting the table and stuff like that, primarily.

Chris Schneider (22:52.55)
Mm-hmm.

Chris Schneider (23:00.783)
And how many tables would they handle? Just out of curiosity.

Connor Treacy (23:06.146)
think we had like 10 clubs in the table, 10 tables in the clubs, maybe like half and half, so there'd be like two or three hosts, hosts probably something like that.

Chris Schneider (23:19.057)
Okay, it is the service is a little bit easier because you're doing bottle service, but also you have a little bit higher kind of servers per table compared to like a bar in the middle of nowhere where you'd have one person on 20 tables because you're giving that higher level of service. You need that additional attention on the tables.

Connor Treacy (23:38.157)
And they get paid, I think they get like a tip on top of whatever gets spent, right? So if you're getting 10 to 20 % on a table that is sort of like 20K worth of bottles, it's not that bad.

Chris Schneider (23:45.81)
Yeah.

Chris Schneider (23:53.571)
No, that's not bad at all. mean, waiting, doing some cocktail service or bottle service for the night and then making a couple grand, that's a really good deal. In most of the country, servers are not making a couple grand in a night. That's pretty unique, I feel like, to nightclubs and really those bigger markets.

Connor Treacy (23:55.115)
Yeah.

Connor Treacy (24:03.126)
Yeah. Yeah.

Connor Treacy (24:17.654)
Yeah, and One Oak would be even bigger, right? So I just can only imagine there the amount of workers and how much everyone's making way bigger deal.

Chris Schneider (24:27.473)
Yeah, and it's, it's, the, me, the nightclub numbers are just crazy because it's, it's so much action packed in such a small space with so much liability and everything involved. It's, it's like if we took everything in a normal bar and turned the intensity up to 11. That's what I feel like a nightclub is. And that's why I always say, I don't know them. And I, I'm an idiot about it. Cause I don't know how to turn that up to 11.

Connor Treacy (24:44.949)
Yeah.

Connor Treacy (24:53.6)
Yeah, yeah, yeah. it but when it works, it works. You know? Yeah.

Chris Schneider (24:58.877)
For sure. And at the top, because we're getting a little short on time, at the top you had said, hey, if I was going to do this again, I might do a bar rather than a nightclub. I know currently you're in pizza, of all things, not even booze at all, just pizza. How is that transition for you? Have you enjoyed moving from nightclub to pizza? Do you think? I mean...

Connor Treacy (25:08.832)
Yeah.

Chris Schneider (25:27.087)
Is it better? you think is it worse? What do you like more? What do you like less?

Connor Treacy (25:31.327)
Well, so the stuff with Dobrik, really I was trying to open a restaurant next in LA. And so I had originally met with him about potentially investing in a restaurant. And then he was talking about his pizza spot and we ended up doing a deal with that. But I would say the thing I learned the most from doing those like celebrity CPG restaurant type deals is

It's a lot easier to talk to like venture capital firms and stuff like that. So I wasn't ever really talking to people like that with Off Sunset. So it opened my eyes, honestly, where now all of a sudden you could talk to these VC people about writing like a $50 million check, whereas with Off Sunset, you're really only probably raising like a million and a half or 2 million, right? So it kind of blew my mind where I'm like, I've been swimming in a small pool.

Chris Schneider (26:23.281)
Mm-hmm

Connor Treacy (26:28.734)
Yeah, you know, so that's that's kind of I would say out of that situation and doing that deal The VC way next if I was gonna scale something

Chris Schneider (26:30.062)
What?

Chris Schneider (26:40.294)
So and in. Because I I've not worked with VCs much in hospitality. I'll be real honest with you. I most stuff I do smaller, more independent based stuff. So when you're looking at the VC are the VCs more interested in something like pizza just because it's lower liability. It's not alcohol. It's a little bit more predictable.

Connor Treacy (26:45.684)
Right. Yeah.

Connor Treacy (26:58.729)
They don't, from at least from what I've gathered from talking with them, they don't like investing in single brick and mortar type stores. But what does interest them, especially if there's a celebrity attached to it, is so and so is making this popcorn brand and we can sell it in Walmart or Target. And that's huge reach, especially if it's a big celebrity. that's mainly what I've realized from it.

I still like having nightclub stuff and I would do a bar but definitely if the right opportunity came again in the future I would do another deal like that maybe with so and so celebrity or so and so artist with so and so product and trying to push that out because I feel like that's like you can just scale it a lot more than a niche speakeas nightclub.

Chris Schneider (27:43.591)
I feel like that's like, you know, scale it a lot more than a niche.

Chris Schneider (27:51.955)
So I'm sure some people are listening to this and they're going, hey, I didn't know about nightclubs. Now I know a little bit more and it sounds, and some of this sounds really good. Some of this sounds really not great. And you're saying, hey, as a person, would, maybe I would do it again, but I might go a different avenue in the future. If there's someone who wants to get into nightclubs, is there any like single or a couple of pieces of advice that you think is most important for them to know?

Connor Treacy (28:23.185)
think you need to be there every night or pretty close to every night. You need to be very hands, especially if it's your spot, because a lot of those people will keep coming and feel at home if you're there. If they feel like the owner doesn't even care, then why would they care? So I feel like if you do want to get involved in something like that, be prepared to be super hands on and be very involved.

Chris Schneider (28:54.355)
That's a good piece of advice, especially because to me, nightclub owners always do just like the people sitting in back rooms smoking cigars that are never actually in their own clubs, right? And so that's a totally different thing. And I have a feeling, though, you're 100 % correct. And my view is just from watching bad movies in the 90s.

Connor Treacy (28:56.411)
Hahaha!

Connor Treacy (29:04.785)
Yeah.

Connor Treacy (29:13.005)
Yeah, maybe I was doing it wrong. don't know.

Chris Schneider (29:17.489)
Hey, well, you were successful, so I don't think you were doing it wrong. But with that said, we're almost out time today. Is there anything else you would like to add?

Connor Treacy (29:19.108)
Yeah.

Connor Treacy (29:25.925)
Honestly, I feel like I gave it my all. I feel like I shot it straight from the hip. you know, I hope this was somewhat helpful for anyone listening.

Chris Schneider (29:32.367)
Awesome

Chris Schneider (29:36.389)
Well, I think it should be helpful for a lot of people. And with that said, I'm sure some people are going, hey, Connor seems like a cool dude. I want to get in touch with him. So if somebody is listening and they want to reach out to you, what is the best way to get a hold of you?

Connor Treacy (29:47.843)
You can find me on Instagram at TheConnorTracy. You can find me on LinkedIn. And then I have a website, connortracy.com. I would have tried to grab Conor Tracy, just that on Instagram, but someone took it for me.

Chris Schneider (30:05.715)
It's rough, you know?

Connor Treacy (30:09.157)
Those handles, man, those handles.

Chris Schneider (30:12.357)
Yeah, and it's not the early days when Gmail was new and you could get whatever handle you wanted and then just use it everywhere, right?

Connor Treacy (30:18.062)
Yeah, yeah, Instagram the Connor Tracy.

Chris Schneider (30:23.047)
Perfect and we'll put all those in the show notes. So if you're listening, you want to get a hold of Connor, just scroll down into the show notes. There'll be links for Instagram, LinkedIn and his website right there. With that said, Connor, thank you so much for being here and helping us explore a little bit about nightclubs and how that's different and what we need to know about that side of the industry.

Connor Treacy (30:42.627)
Thank you so much, Chris. I appreciate it.