In Memoriam: Ames Business/Restaurants

ISU22CY

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Dec 15, 2012
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FAC was dying back in 2010. Sips wouldn’t get busy until after 11 or 12 all the time a decade ago. Pregaming overtook people going out early.
Doesn’t help that the big four prices are utterly ridiculous for college bars.

Signed, a former Welch bartender.
Interesting I turned 21 in fall of 09'. We mostly would do it at Es Tas though because who wouldn't learn their lesson on tequila shots. I want to say they would start theirs around 3?
 

AuH2O

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Sep 7, 2013
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As I said in my post, it depends what the composition of businesses are. And if you think “brain power” will make any business venture successful, you haven’t been in business much.

I hope and think it will work but to say it’s a slam dunk is way too optimistic, in my opinion.
I don’t think it’s a slam dunk, but I also think the “its only going to be busy on game days” idea was the singular challenge all the planning and market analysis was based around. It doesn’t mean that analysis pans out, but there are lots of agreements and requirements for shows and events through the year.
 

MJ271

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I think it will be crazy busy for all ISU sporting events but dead during the other 90% of days.

In my opinion, they’ll need a brewery a
+ a few bars to attract the non-Ames crowd for some bar hopping options. If this is retail + commercial + 1 restaurant + 1 brewery, I don’t know how it lives up to expectations.

Either way, it will be fun as hell during football and basketball games.
I'm not sure the AD has ever been selling a vision where all of Cytown was supposed to be all or nearly all entertainment options. The plans have always (as far as I remember) had significant retail and commercial components. Isn't that precisely because they want to ensure there's traffic in the area when there aren't events going on?
 

ClonerJams

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FAC was dying back in 2010. Sips wouldn’t get busy until after 11 or 12 all the time a decade ago. Pregaming overtook people going out early.
Doesn’t help that the big four prices are utterly ridiculous for college bars.

Signed, a former Welch bartender.
I was at ISU around that same time. The big FAC bars from what I could remember were Micky's and Peoples (RIP). Sips was big Wednesday nights for quarter drinks.
 

CyDude16

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Oct 2, 2008
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I was at ISU around that same time. The big FAC bars from what I could remember were Micky's and Peoples (RIP). Sips was big Wednesday nights for quarter drinks.

If I wasn’t working FAC, we’d be at element/chasers, mickeys, paddy’s, or headliners/yokes.

Chasers was goated because they had orange soda on the gun, and we’d demolish $5 fishbowls of whiskey, orange sodas from 2 to 5.
 
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DFWClone

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Aug 19, 2013
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FAC was dying back in 2010. Sips wouldn’t get busy until after 11 or 12 all the time a decade ago. Pregaming overtook people going out early.
Doesn’t help that the big four prices are utterly ridiculous for college bars.

Signed, a former Welch bartender.
I was at Iowa State from 2013-2018, FAC at AJs outdoor patio was packed every single Friday from when classes started in late august till about mid/late October when things got too cold and then start back up when the weather would get nice-ish again.

As for bar prices, I see a lot of people ITT saying “Welch bars are expensive” and maybe those are local Iowans that are used to beer prices at towns of less than 2k people and have 1 stop light, I don’t know, but I don’t think I’ve ever once thought “these prices are expensive” when paying for booze in Iowa.

Is going to Welch more expensive than buying a handle of Hawkeye vodka & sprite and sitting in your apartment in west Ames? Yes but it’s not like you’re going to break the bank on Welch either.
 
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CyDude16

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Oct 2, 2008
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I was at Iowa State from 2013-2018, FAC at AJs outdoor patio was packed every single Friday from when classes started in late august till about mid/late October when things got too cold and then start back up when the weather would get nice-ish again.

As for bar prices, I see a lot of people ITT saying “Welch bars are expensive” and maybe those are local Iowans that are used to beer prices at towns of less than 2k people and have 1 stop light, I don’t know, but I don’t think I’ve ever once thought “these prices are expensive” when paying for booze in Iowa.

Is going to Welch more expensive than buying a handle of Hawkeye vodka & sprite and sitting in your apartment in west Ames? Yes but it’s not like you’re going to break the bank on Welch either.

The Big Four, and to a lesser extent Ajs/BNC have raised prices significantly over the years compared to other college bars. I’ve spent a lot of time in other college towns for work, as well as bars across the state.

Prime example is mug night prices, given the increase in cost of product, it still doesn’t align to what they charge.
 

cycloneworld

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I was at Iowa State from 2013-2018, FAC at AJs outdoor patio was packed every single Friday from when classes started in late august till about mid/late October when things got too cold and then start back up when the weather would get nice-ish again.

As for bar prices, I see a lot of people ITT saying “Welch bars are expensive” and maybe those are local Iowans that are used to beer prices at towns of less than 2k people and have 1 stop light, I don’t know, but I don’t think I’ve ever once thought “these prices are expensive” when paying for booze in Iowa.

Is going to Welch more expensive than buying a handle of Hawkeye vodka & sprite and sitting in your apartment in west Ames? Yes but it’s not like you’re going to break the bank on Welch either.

Yes and no. We bargated at Welch Ave before the K-State game and pitchers of Miller Lite were $17 each ($20 with tip). Those aren’t exactly small town prices…more in line with larger city prices.

If you are a college kid, those aren’t the $1-$3 beers we were used to on Welch.
 

WoodCy

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Feb 28, 2014
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FAC in the mid to late 1990s was Cy's, Peoples, and Welch Ave.

Mickey's was old school Panchero's, not the current crappy Tex-Mex chain. Home of the Gordo burrito. It was reasonably authentic Mexican food, almost identical to La Bamba Burrito, if you know, you know. They would stay open until after bar time and did a hell of a business in the early morning hours.
 

DFWClone

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Aug 19, 2013
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Yes and no. We bargated at Welch Ave before the K-State game and pitchers of Miller Lite were $17 each ($20 with tip). Those aren’t exactly small town prices…more in line with larger city prices.

If you are a college kid, those aren’t the $1-$3 beers we were used to on Welch.
Alright, I agree with that. $20 pitchers of miller lite is absurd in Ames (anywhere tbh). I didn’t frequent Welch Ave all that often when I was in school, so not sure what they were back then.

I think we always paid $3 for Busch pitchers and $5 for blue moon pitchers at Es Tas.
 
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CloneFanInKC

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Jul 26, 2021
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Yes and no. We bargated at Welch Ave before the K-State game and pitchers of Miller Lite were $17 each ($20 with tip). Those aren’t exactly small town prices…more in line with larger city prices.

If you are a college kid, those aren’t the $1-$3 beers we were used to on Welch.
$20 pitchers of domestic lite beer is laughable.
 

CyPhallus

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Oct 19, 2021
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Just as another data point Busch Lite pitchers at Tip Top were $13 a few weekends ago. I'm assuming that is probably rock bottom in Ames so WAS being $17 probably isn't too out of line, just a touch high maybe.
 

cycloner29

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Dec 17, 2008
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Was wanting some Mongolian Beef from the Mandarin, so I took it upon myself to make some along with some fried rice. Not quite the same as the Mandarin, but the taste takes me back though.

IMG_4724.jpeg
 

Big Daddy Kang

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London came to mind but didn’t make my timeline from ‘84. Cy’s Roost probably should be added but their hours are different. They celebrated 20 years back in ‘97. Closed for three months in ‘01 due to violations and lost their liquor license. I can honestly say I’ve never been to Thumbs.
Torks Pub>Thumbs. Although both lotsa fun.
 

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