I avoid postings like this, but I think it's important enough that it needs to be brought up....
I was at Old Chicago (Old Market, Omaha) on Monday and my wife decided to order a Lucky Bucket IPA (very proud of her, since she usually does not do IPAs).
They said it was happy hour, so all pints were $1 off. When we get the check I see they charged $4.79 for the beer. I brought it to their attention since I thought they forgot about the happy hour pricing. The sever mentioned this was the discounted price, and the regular price was $5.79.
I was stunned to say the least...a locally made beer for $5.79. I checked with a bartender at the Crescent Moon to see what their prices were...$4.00 everyday and $3.00 on Mondays.
I'm more disappointed that our local beer is being overpriced, then the fact I was overcharged. Just my two cents.
6 comments:
Wow. It's probably cheaper at the airport. (If it's available at the airport.)
Sometimes it does feel like Old Chicago takes advantage of people, especially if you are a part of their Beer Tour. Marking up a beer and then doing $1 off for happy hour is not a good deal and is a good way to piss off your customers.
How about the six pack price? I believe it was 9.99 for a sixer at HyVee, not quite an impulse buy. What's the ABV? I can't imagine why it's 2 dollars more per six than comparable craft beers.
As far as package stores go, I believe most places are $8-9. With Mr Butt's (36 & V) being $8, and Beertopia & Brix just under $9.
Zac uses a lot of flower hops in his hopback, which may account for it's price being a little higher than their Pre-Prohibition Lager and other craft IPAs. However, in my opinion, the flavor and aroma you get from the hopback is well-worth the extra cost.
I believe that Lucky Bucket IPA is $150 for a 13.2 gal keg and most craft beers available in Nebraska like New Belgium, Boulevard, Sam Adams, Empyrean are 15.5 gal kegs for $110-115. These craft beers sell for $4.29-$4.99 at Old Chicago. Old Chicago works on percentages so if the beer cost more to them they will charge more. I bet the Lucky Bucket lager cost less at Old Chicago since it cost less then the IPA per keg. The IPA cost more per ounce so it will cost more per pint. That is the way restaurants work. Old Chicago is a restaurant more than a bar. Restaurant have more overhead than bars and make some of that up in the bar. Lucky Bucket choose to charge more for the beer. The beer may cost more to make but all other beer that is shipped to Nebraska most pay a shipper's tax and freight. Just because Lucky Bucket is local they shouldn't get special pricing.
I never implied LB should receive special pricing. My point was the prices are not in-line with other bars/restaurants. It's known that the IPA is more expensive then the offerings from the larger breweries you mentioned. Those breweries are much bigger and very well-established, which lends itself to better pricing. However, I consider LB IPA as one of the better beers in the craft market, so I will pay a little extra to support our local brewers.
I expect Old Chicago to be a little higher than your standard bar, but almost $6 a pint is too much when compared to $4-$5 at most every other place in Omaha.
I'm not trying to run down any business. I just wanted to give people the facts and start a discussion...I think I did that judging by the responses :). I'm glad we are hearing both sides...thanks, Jason.
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