Name this wine & beer bar...

I am writing a business plan for a group - They want to open a wine and beer bar with a coffee shop/ French cafe type setting - 12-20 wines by the glass, another 35-50 wines by the bottle, 35-50 assorted American craft beers - only cold plates for food - cheese and meat plates from local butcher shops and cheeseries - salted in the shell peanuts and hand rolled pretzels for the beer geeks -

The place is going to be in the middle of farm country in western Minnesota in one of the biggest towns outside the Twin Cities (15,000 people) with another 10-20 towns in a small radius outside the city -

I am drawing a blank looking for a name for these guys - could use some help - any suggestions?

The only one I can come up with so far is LA VIEILLE FERME - taking liberties with the Beaucastel boys - but I want something artsy and unique -

Rochester?

How about City Slicker Culture Outlet Mall?

[snort.gif] [snort.gif] [snort.gif]

Even though I hate Starbucks, I always liked their idea of “the third space” as in neither home nor work but still familiar & comfy, your regular hang so to speak. How would you say that in French (or Icelandic, given the setting)?

Favorite bar name EVAH: Lesbian hang on the fringes of the French Quarter in NOLA in the early 80’s: The Soiled Dove.

Runner up: gay bar in similar location: Aunt Mabel’s Maison d’Beauté & Chain Saw Repair

A Fish Out Of Water? [wink.gif]

The Barnyard

works for both wine and beer!

C’mon, Thomas. “artsy and unique” works in parts of St. Paul and Minneapolis, NOT in Minnesota “farm country.” Honestly, I’m kinda diggin’ “The Barnyard” – but I realize that doesn’t really fit-in with the idea of a coffee shop/French cafe type of setting. I wonder if the “coffee shop/French cafe” business plan is a good one, really. I am very curious which town this will be in.

How about something related to harvest, with an allusion to quality?

Belle Vendage (my French is nonexistent, does that work concordance wise?)

K.I.S.S. - Bistro Vin-Bière - It’s Minnesota for God’s sake!

Le Trough du Vin.

ALKO-HOLE!

That’s right - I forgot you have a Minnesota connection Brian -

The town is Marshall Minnesota. Population 12,000 people - it’s kind of the center of Southwestern Minnesota and has the biggest college in the area (Southwest State - over 10,000 students) -

By French cafe - coffee shop - I mean a very relaxed environment with mish-mashed tables and chairs that don’t match, with a 60s music vibe - 12-15 wines by the glass, all $5 or under - 35 beers (by the bottle to start) all, under $4 - it’s going to be cheap, cool and the kind of environment that college kids and older farmer couples would enjoy - there are so many generic cafes in this part of Minnesota - the population needs something completely different - and the college kids need a cool place locally to hang out (that’s cool) and drink themselves into smithereens -

Marshall is a very cool old fashioned town with a bustling downtown (old pre-1900 brownstones) - it’s where the major retailers like Walmart, Target etc are (which bring in all the people) -

There is so much cheap rental space in Marshall, I can find a choice spot with a kitchen, over 2,000 square feet, on the main drag, for less than $1,000 a month. This couple could average less than $10,000 in sales a month and still make money -

THEIR ALTERNATIVE - This couple has been offered a building on the river in Granite Falls Minnesota which is about 35 miles north of Marshall. The city is romancing them to put a wine bar in this building with a $5000- check to help them out - The problem is, this is a town of 2,500 people and nothing else - and in the middle of nowhere - no one would drive 30-40 miles to Granite Falls just to have a glass of wine - and the buildout for the location would be over $50,000 -

MY RECOMMENDATION - Open the wine/beer bar in the highest traffic area of Southwestern Minnesota (Marshall) where the rents are just as cheap - The buildout would be less than $20,000- and you would have the largest amount of people at your disposal. Their break-even point would be immediate - they could be profitable in the first year (because of the low overhead) - then if they find the like the business - go for the Granite Falls site -

This couple come from a very wealthy family (who hired me) and need to show them they can succeed before the big bucks come out - I think my plan is easy to reach and would take the smallest amount of investment - and make the kids look like rock stars -

And did I tell you about the NUTBAR? A separate bar serving all of the micro-beers and a big selections of nuts to peanuts - it small servings - cashews to exotic shelled nuts - not to mention Martin’s Pretzels from Amish Country in Pennsylvania - the best pretzels in the world - now how could a beer lover refuse them?

Ye Olde Pube



Just kidding!!! neener


I’ll offer up what I would name my bar, if I ever opened one, “The Office.” Mainly so patrons could truthfully say, “I’ll be at The Office” or, “Spent all weekend at The Office.” HarHar.

Good luck with your new place. Very exciting!!!

Cheval de Lyon or just Cheval

The College sports teams are the Mustangs. Marshall is in Lyon county. You could work with a horse theme.

Thomas,

FWIW, I am in complete agreement with your opinion and reasoning re: Marshall being a better idea than Granite Falls. Granite Falls, with a pop. of 2,500 in po-dunk MN, doesn’t exactly sound like the ideal spot to open a wine bar to me, either. The Marshall plan definitely sounds like it could work – being on the “main drag” is of incredible importance. IMO, the success of this joint will entirely hinge on whether the owners can attract the college crowd. To do that, they need to stay open late on Thur., Fri., and Sat.; they need to hire attractive young people (which should be easy-peasy in MN, the land of the incredibly gorgeous blonde girl flirtysmile ); they need to keep prices CHEAP (and have specials); IF there’s going to be music, it has to be CURRENT music; their Grand Opening should feature MEGA-CHEAP drinks (as in, almost giving it away for free!); this new place cannot give-off one ounce of pretentiousness, or else it will fall flat on its face.

I’m still skeptical this will work for 'em (MN just doesn’t feel like a “wine place” to me, and I reckon those feelings would be even stronger if they weren’t based on the little slice of CITY life I get every time I return (to Eagan, with visits to St. Paul, Minneapolis, and other first-ring suburbs)). That said, it sounds like the initial investment is very reasonable, so the worst really isn’t all that bad.

It’s all going to turn on whether they can get the college crowd in there. Granted, I’ve never been to Marshall, but from looking at a map it’s pretty obvious that is big-time farm country out there – those folks chew tobacco and drink Grain Belt.

Good luck. Keep us updated! [basic-smile.gif]

How about a play on the colleges mascot? Translate it into French to make it sound fancier. LE whatever the French for Mustang is or Chez whatever the French for brown and gold is? Or some variation of these.

It makes it clear that your courting students, but moving up scale. Good tie to local community etc.

A twist on this is the name of a bar that was in the town where I did my undergrad degree- The Library. A student could tell their parents that they were at the library with a straight face.

]

great name i think… but i can see the phone call now from mom or dad.
how did you get these grades, you are at the library everynight.

The Backwoods Cafe

Something French is a cute idea, but it has to be pronounceable otherwise it may come across as a bit intimidating just like wine can be already.
As far as an “artsy” name I dunno. How 'bout The Pour House? I’m not that creative. lol
Try Googling “wine bar” and see what others have done.

I don’t have much MN experience, but I think if you’re trying to draw a college crowd, an “artsy/fancy” French name is not the best choice. Far too easy for it to be pretentious-sounding, and if people aren’t sure what kind of people are supposed to be there (is it for college kids? late 20s/early 30s affected urbanity types? sophisticated food for the upper crust?), it won’t catch on. I would lean towards something simple that conveys some sophistication with a dose of the sort of rootsy feel of artisanal beverages. My suggestion: The Bottle and Cask. (note: there appears to be a pub somewhere in Scotland with this same name).