Monetary concerns cause experiment
Almost like an evil paradox, college students love to party hard but often have no money. In Baton Rouge, Friday nights before a big game promise big parties, big drinkers, and big bucks. This Revelry writer’s mission was to see if an LSU student can enjoy an extravagant Friday night on a budget of $15.
8:50 p.m.
Fred’s Bar had ladies-night, which includes free cover until 9:30 p.m. and free drinks until 11 p.m., so I stopped there first to pick-up my wristband and a free drink.
The early crowd consisted of about 6 guys. Two were shooting pool, and the other four were enjoying a beer and conversation. Oddly enough on “ladies night” there were no ladies.
“People do not normally start coming out until nine,” said manager Chris Pipsair. “Since we started ‘ladie’s night,’ our Fridays over the last 20 months have been really good.”
The unoccupied bar made it easy to see the rustic decor. There are three wooden bars with a deep chocolate stain matching the wall paneling and floors. The walls are decorated with various college flags.
Because the bar had such a cozy feel I decided to order a glass of White Zinfandel. Pipsair pulled out a cute-one serving bottle from the refrigerator. My wine was served in a large manly glass, but the wine was cold and that is all that matters.
Just as my watch hit 9 p.m. there was a line of 7 ladies at the door. It was the first line of the night.
I left Fred’s at 9:10 p.m. So far I had not spent any money.
9:18 p.m.
A friend called to inform me Tiger Bar was having a private party, which would not end until 11 p.m. This ruined my plans to hit Tiger Bar for free drinks until 11 p.m. Tiger Bar is a great example of drinking on a budget, because for $3 anyone over 21 can drink free. It is not a huge loss that I could not go, because there are plenty of other bars to visit.
9:25 p.m.
Although Redstar can get lost among the tall buildings downtown, once I walked inside I knew I was at the right place. The interior truly lives up to its name. On the right is a chrome bar reflecting the red lights that flood the entire bar. The overstuffed red velvet couches lining the left wall make for a laid back atmosphere.
The reason I chose to make an appearance at Redstar was because it offered excellent ambience for sipping on a dainty drink and free cover.
Jeffrey Kauffman, Redstar manager, said, he does not want to charge cover just so people can come up here and drink. That would be ridiculous. There were no drink specials at 9 p.m., but after, drinks are free for ladies. I decided a Cosmopolitan would be the perfect dainty red drink to match my surroundings. Although it was pricey at $5, it was smooth and delicious. I left a tip this time before departing at 9:50 p.m.
10:10 p.m.
With $11 left to spend I arrived at Rotolo’s for no cover and $1 drinks for the ladies, or so I was told on the phone. When I approached the front door, manager Dino Crescioni told me it was $5 to get in the bar. I was shocked. I informed him I called at 6:00 p.m., and the employee said there was no cover.
“We normally don’t charge cover unless there is a band,” Crescioni said. “Then we start charging around 9:30.”
Knowing he could lose a customer, he let me in for half price.
I stayed for two glasses of $1 wine and to watch the Ashley Solaria Band play. The cover band was entertaining and played rarely covered songs like Zombie by the Cranberries and Blister in the Sun by the Violent Femmes.
Two hours and $5.50 later I left Rotolo’s to go back to Fred’s for $1 shots after midnight.
12:08 a.m.
The return to Fred’s was absurd. The doorman tried to charge me $5 to get in even though I had on the hot pink wristband with red written all over it. He then asked me to prove I already had been inside the bar that night.
Aware that the wristband meant nothing, I warned him that I had actually talked to the manager that night and he could clear it up. He let me in for free. The bar had so many people inside that it was obvious they were breaking fire codes.
It took about ten minutes to push my way to the bar. A $1 shot of Jagermeister plus a dollar tip kept me well under budget. Even with the tremendous heat I cut loose on the dance floor, but only for a minute for fear I would die of heat exhaustion. The outside patio offered a place to sit and mingle for the rest of the night. Then when the clock struck 2:00 a.m. I made a mad dash for the door.
2:19 a.m.
My designated driver arrived, and I finished my five hour night of barhopping with $3 in my purse.
With all the unexpected difficulties I managed to have a fun night while gaining the knowledge that bars love to squeeze more money out of patrons.