A Wine Bar with PRCs

[waypastprime]

Originally Posted by acer3939

Uncle you around ah? no go HH with them meh or you kena outcast liao keke

Uncle no go coz I was bounded by the strict office hours rule. Haizzz... No wonder this place so 'cold'.

[Deltaboy55]

Originally Posted by darkbat

Hi Bro RockaFella

Let me first apologise in advance if my opinions and views may not be what you want to hear.

I think you need to be careful with the image of your winebar and how you want to project it. And frankly, there is something very wrong when I try to picture PRC ladies + wine in my head.

I'm not trying to be a snob or anything but you probably need to invest in a little bit of 'training' so that the drinking partners are knowledgable or at least can appreciate wine. And you can't fake this sort of things unlike beers, brandy or whiskeys. I mean the way you hold the wine glass can already give you away!

I think wine drinking is an art. And while I do drink a little for some time now, I will only describe myself as a causal wine drinker; and not really very knowledgable unlike bro deltaboy55

From my prospective, what I like will probably not be PRC ladies as drinking companion. The level of sophistication probably need to be a little higher. I really cannot imagine drinking wine and talking in Chinese. Dun ask me why. So I think at the very least, you need your gers to be able to carry out a conversation in English.

What I hope your place dun become is another JC. I wish you all the best in your business! Cheers!!

Yo bro Darkbat, I am just like you, a casual wine drinker and not any knowledgeable wine connoisseur. You brought up a valid point in that wine drinking is an art and perhaps having PRCs around may not really fit the image of a wine bar. But I have often wondered why is it that western-styled wine bars have not really taken off in Singapore save for a few? I am referring here to the lower-end ones and not the likes of Bleu in Shang. What I am trying to say here is that will the 'cut and paste' of french/aussie culture of wine appreciation/drinking onto our Singapore landscape, be successful? Look at the french/italian dinners - they last for hours because to them, it's their culture to take time to enjoy their food and to enjoy the company of their companions. In Singapore, you rarely find dinners at french restaurants lasting more than 2 hours. BBQ is very popular in Down Under where the Aussies enjoy their meat with their Shiraz or their Cabs. In Singapore, do we really pair our meat with wines at BBQs? More likely, it's our own Tiger and Heinneken! So what worked elsewhere may not necessarily work here because of our own multi-racial culture and drinking habits. Perhaps, a bit of ingenuity and creativity in its concept and marketing may provide the catalyst to evolve a whole new wine drinking culture here. Just my 2 cents' worth.

[acer3939]

Originally Posted by waypastprime

Haizzz... No wonder this place so 'cold'.

neber mind you still can join them for SH mah keke. sorry to the thread starter for side tracking

[MamboKing]

Originally Posted by Deltaboy55

............ So what worked elsewhere may not necessarily work here because of our own multi-racial culture and drinking habits. Perhaps, a bit of ingenuity and creativity in its concept and marketing may provide the catalyst to evolve a whole new wine drinking culture here. Just my 2 cents' worth.

Well thought and said bro deltaboy55,
juz as bro Tulan2 mentioned earlier , the PRCs drink wine on the rocks, a complete culture created by them, hence why not us? in Sillypore...
We in Sillypore mixed wine with sex and more sex...kekeke you noe wine gives a high, like no other drinks when it comes to making luv...oooooooahh

Hmm.. nice
Me also casual wine drinker....

Hopefully the place casual and discreet enough for me to bring some gf there n tcss loh

[RockaFella]

Originally Posted by RockaFella

Many thanks bro Delta...a practical comparision.
BTW, in your opinion, what would you like for the ambience? something like dempsey? Cuz I haven't really got down into reno the environment yet.
Thanks again in advance.

Hello bros, could I gather your views on what kind of ambience you like for a winebar ?
Thanks in Advance.

[DeanPaul36]

Originally Posted by RockaFella

Hello bros, could I gather your views on what kind of ambience you like for a winebar ?
Thanks in Advance.

Like you say lor...winebar with lots of PRCs, dats the ambience oredi what...kekeke

[owen10]

if u intend to haf such a concept then b prepared 4 potential social risks, like d occasional (or regular?) spot checks by AVs which r inevitable. u may say tt d area is discreet, but if it's eventually known in SB (or other forums) it may oso draw d wrong attention of certain bodies. sad to say, PRC gals do not haf such a gd reputation in sg after recent reports on JC, Geylang, Boat Quay etc.

r u ready for all this? (dun b mistaken ... did not mean to pour cold water! )

[romaleouf]

Originally Posted by owen10

if u intend to haf such a concept then b prepared 4 potential social risks, like d occasional (or regular?) spot checks by AVs which r inevitable. u may say tt d area is discreet, but if it's eventually known in SB (or other forums) it may oso draw d wrong attention of certain bodies. sad to say, PRC gals do not haf such a gd reputation in sg after recent reports on JC, Geylang, Boat Quay etc.

r u ready for all this? (dun b mistaken ... did not mean to pour cold water! )

Think if a Wine Bar concept, it would be open to all. AV checks or ICQA checks are for overstayers. It is just a place where PRC MMs gather, unless the owner of the establishment intend to derive some revenue from them being there.

That is to say that for Student Pass Holders, is it wrong to patronise a Wine Bar to have a sip of wine? This is what is intended right? Correct me if I am wrong. Even for Social Visit Pass or Tourist Visa, you mean PRC MM cannot patronise our pubs or discos all across town? So, I guess this why I say it is debate-able and open to interpretation.

As for JC, Geylang, Boat Quay etc. Unless they solicit business openly without any hesitation, then AV is going to come round faster than you think. Otherwise, I think it would be a very good concept. As opposed to KTV, or Pub or Disco.

Will support and patronise if you can give the location.

Just my One Ren Min Bi worth.

[owen10]

Originally Posted by romaleouf

...That is to say that for Student Pass Holders, is it wrong to patronise a Wine Bar to have a sip of wine? This is what is intended right? Correct me if I am wrong. Even for Social Visit Pass or Tourist Visa, you mean PRC MM cannot patronise our pubs or discos all across town? So, I guess this why I say it is debate-able and open to interpretation.

As for JC, Geylang, Boat Quay etc. Unless they solicit business openly without any hesitation, then AV is going to come round faster than you think. Otherwise, I think it would be a very good concept. As opposed to KTV, or Pub or Disco.
... .

hi bro thanks for yr opinion. notice d key word in my post is POTENTIAL risk. of cos there's absolutely nothg wrong if d PRC on a pass visit d bar for a drink. d law has nothin agt tt. however wif d presence of tis foreign gals, there's always d potential vice activities n overstayers like u mentioned. if there r any checks by Garment ppl it may juz scare d shit out of customers n deter them fr comin bk. afterall customers can always butterfly elsewh.

dun get me wrong ... im oso a supporter of PRC gals. i may visit such a pub/par shd it materialises. juz offering my s'pore 5c to d threadstarter for some serious thoughts ....

[RockaFella]

A very big THANK YOU to both dear bros, Romaleouf and Owen10!

Indeed both of you brought out two bright, fantastic sides of a coin superbly...the essence of pros and essence of cons to the long term biz impact. the risks involves and the legal front where the biz stands.

I will for sure keep you bros posted abt the opening.
DANKE,
Thank YOu.

[HuiGe3387]

Let me share and reiterate wat some brudders here have mentioned.

PRCs are very practical and down-to-earth. What they get in return (hui2 bao4) must correspond to what they give or sacrifice (fu4 chu1). The jute ones will ask whether the new place can earn more $$ than what they currently get. Eg from 9m to 2am, a jute WL can earn $200 - $500 at a high class ktv. Ask them earn less, they rather stay at home watch tv or play mahjong.

The right gers will attract the right crowd/customer. The market segmentation gotta be set right, else will attract the wrong crowd and make the place "cheapo".

I still try to imagine how PRC go well with fine wine & dine. PRC is quite cina but red wine, fine wine, alcohol is very ang mo pai. Maybe better go Carrie Models jio some models and have some swimsuit nite, etc.

Just my 2 cents worth of contribution. Do let me know when your new place open. I will sure support for the opening and probably jio some jute gers there.

[Darknites]

Maybe I'm not a very "refinded" drinker, or maybe i've been to China KTVs q few times.. hence, I do not have any problem mixing wine with PRC gals or speaking Mandrain.. furthermore, since you have already identified that mid level crowd, there is no need to engage the ang mo type of gals, otherwise, you will be driving the cost to the top level crowd..

To me, like most pubs, the critical success factor is your PRC.. when you mention PRC, i can picture those 18-22 yo mms, but i can also picture the 30-40+ pdmms.. so, what type of prc would you be having?

Cheers,
Shadow

[Deltaboy55]

Originally Posted by HuiGe3387

Let me share and reiterate wat some brudders here have mentioned.

PRCs are very practical and down-to-earth. What they get in return (hui2 bao4) must correspond to what they give or sacrifice (fu4 chu1). The jute ones will ask whether the new place can earn more $$ than what they currently get. Eg from 9m to 2am, a jute WL can earn $200 - $500 at a high class ktv. Ask them earn less, they rather stay at home watch tv or play mahjong.

The right gers will attract the right crowd/customer. The market segmentation gotta be set right, else will attract the wrong crowd and make the place "cheapo".

I still try to imagine how PRC go well with fine wine & dine. PRC is quite cina but red wine, fine wine, alcohol is very ang mo pai. Maybe better go Carrie Models jio some models and have some swimsuit nite, etc.

Just my 2 cents worth of contribution. Do let me know when your new place open. I will sure support for the opening and probably jio some jute gers there.

Hi bro HuiGe3387, I think you could have misunderstood the thread-starter here. I don't think he is trying to start a fine-wine-and-dine place. He already said earlier he will be targeting the mid-to-lower segment of the wine drinking market, not the French First Growths or the Aussie Penfolds Grange-s and Henschke-s. I think he is trying to collect from us our various views, as representation of the market at large, before he makes a decision to create a separate, distinct identity for his wine pub/bar. He is toying with the idea of using PRC-s as a marketing tool, something of a crowd-puller if you may say. It has to be him, as the boss of this place to stack up the costs if he were to use this strategy. While I support his bold and refreshingly new idea, I am sure he is also mindful of the potential social implications arising from this concept - drawing the attention of AV and the Immigration Dept. Wine-drinking is a relatively new experience in Singapore. It should not be bound by artificial man-made 'rules' of what's the correct way to appreciate wines. I have always said that wine appreciation is very subjective. As long as it tastes good to you, it's a good wine as far as you are concerned. Not necessarily red wine must go with red meat; why can't chicken rice go with a nice, delicate Pinot or even a soft and rounded merlot? By the same +++en, why can't we have PRC-s to go with a local-styled wine bar? We can even re-educate them to appreciate the other many varied styles of drinking wines, not necessarily on the rocks or with 7-Up and Coke! At the end of the day, it's really up to the owners to determine for themselves what kind of a wine bar they want and what type of crowd they want to attract there. Sorry, I think I have spoken more than I should. Cheers.

[HuiGe3387]

Thanks for your feedback, bro Deltaboy.

I think the point I want to make to the threadstarter is get the segmentation right (my ang mor char bor MD always tell me).

Eg, If cater to the low end market, it may turn out to be no different from those coffee shops at Lai Meng Hotel or at GL. The WLs will be the older ones or those cannot-make-it. In this case the ambience will be different and kept simple.

In any case, the type of gers will be the crucial point. That explains why disco pubs got ladies' nite to bring in the males to spend their money. To bring in the chio PRCs, there must be a dangling carrot to attract them. Or else they would choose to go TAM work or they can earn more under the OKTs. Like I said, they are very down to earth and are here to earn $$$.

Regarding the point about the AV raiders, they also don't care. When they raid BS, knn those gers in jeans and tank top sitting at coffee shop below they also bring back to question. Their mentality is rather kill wrongly than let go by mistake. The raiders will even take the gers' handphone and start calling every stored number to disturb. Whadda ..... So no matter what precaution the pub owner take, the raiders will be waiting to pound...

Just my 2 cents worth of comment.