Off-Campus Dining at Bars
By Quinn Peplow
Fall 2022
Going out to the bars is exciting, fun and people do it to have a good time. This makes life for you who dine off campus interesting and it can help you make memories that can last forever. You probably have homework assignments and projects that stress you out so going to an off-campus bar helps relieve your stress. For off campus dining at bars, you need safety, quality, health, and good prices to go out.
Safety Awareness and Precautions For Going to Bars
When you go out to the bar, you must be aware of your safety. You must be responsible in driving to the bars that are off campus or have someone responsible give them a ride. Rides from other people are not cheap, but it is helpful and the safest way to go to the bars. You do not want to be in a drunk driving accident that you caused because you were not responsible. Sometimes you can ask your friends, parents, or other people that you know on campus or around the area to take them to the bars. If the student is driving to the bars off campus, then you must be responsible and not drink that much and sober up before you leave. You can also choose to not drink at all and order water or snacks if you can because bars vary.
Nick Barone who is a bouncer at a bar called Sips that is off campus in Iowa State University stated as far as bar safety Sips did not have a parking lot. The you that would go would have to walk there or be dropped off. The bar is located just outside of the college campus, so a lot of you on campus can walk there and it is usually a ten-minute walk from your apartments to Sips. There were always cops waiting outside of Sips as well to make sure people got home safe and did not decide to drive drunk. Barone brought up strangers and creeps at the bar that people can encounter, and you need to protect themselves from any danger. Nick Barone said,” If you don’t go looking for trouble, trouble won’t find you and know your limits to cause less trouble.” This is important because there are people who go to bars looking for trouble and people should do their best to avoid bar fights. There can be bar fights that harm you and those fights can start stupid exchanges that were misunderstandings.
How to Identify a High-Quality Bar
The bars must have good quality for you to make memories and have a fun time. The off-campus bars might have a nice dance floor for you and the scenery needs to be exhilarating. You want to go to a clean and fresh dance floor that gives them an exciting experience for your night. The scenery needs to have dimed lights and loud music with a live DJ or band playing. DJ’s need to interact with the crowd and welcome song requests to match the happiness and intensity of the party. This will spice up the vibe and volume of the bar making it a party feel. The off-campus bar must be popular and have people going to it to be excellent quality. You do not want to go to a bar that has no one in there because it would ruin your night and the vibe. Nick Barone from Sips, said for quality you have your bar being strict for twenty-one-year-olds only because your competitors let several underage teens with fake ids go in your bars. Barone also stated that you have a dance floor with music, and a DJ which is important for your vibe. Compared to Sips’ competitors he stated that his bar was more social than people trying to go your and blackout. College you go to college bars and try to get crazy drunk when you got the cash to blow from your parents or from earning it.
At the Embassy, a source that worked there stated that the bar had to be clean and fresh for customers to come in. No customer or college student wants to go to a bar that is dirty and greasy because it would leave bad reviews for the restaurants, and no one would bother to go to that bar. He said that the bar has to be welcoming and have a friendly staff for reoccurring customers to come in. This may be essential for you because you want to be treated with respect and kindness, so you can come back. If you were treated with disrespect, then you would not come to that bar again and have a bad opinion about that bar. The server at the Embassy said that you have a music Spotify playlist that is relaxing for people at the bar and the place is low key. This bar is not as crazy as other college bars and is a social event for people.
You must be responsible in driving to the bars that are off campus or have someone responsible give them a ride. Rides from other people are not cheap, but it is helpful and the safest way to go to the bars.
How to Budget and Know Fair Prices at Bars
The prices for the drinks at the off-campus bar have to be good and sustainable for you to come back. You want to go to a nice bar that can retain you and your friends almost every weekend or every two weeks each semester. Bars can offer late happy hours or specials on certain days to help off-campus college students. Some of these you have to get money from your parents and some do not work because of school. Then you also must be aware of how much you are spending and know what drinks are the cheapest.
I interviewed the bouncer Nick Barone from Sips and he said that his bar would have deals on Wednesday through Saturday. You are always adjusted and changed, but you would have Fridays and Saturdays a buy one gets one free drink deal, Thursdays half off Sips mug, and Wednesdays $1 drinks for mixed drinks and all draft beers. An expert source at the bar The Embassy stated that prices at that bar were a little bit expensive, but it was quality beer that people would buy. There weren’t any crazy specials, so college you should be aware that not every bar has specials. This means you should save your money and do research online for bars that will offer specials and deals. According to the article “Alcohol Pricing,” bars aim for a 20% pour cost and 80% margin on liquor sales. Most places will have drinks between $5 and $15. College you should save up money from your summer jobs and spend around $20 a night when you go out at the weekends. College you should consider having some drinks at your apartment before you go out to save money and still have a good buzz.
Mental Health and Healthy Options at Bars For You
When it comes to bar health you can order lighter beers or seltzers to reduce calorie intake. In regular beers there are more carbs and calories, so if you are worried about watching your weight, you can choose the healthy alternative. Nick Barone, the bouncer from Sips stated your bars would sell a lot of light beer and seltzers to customers. You were big money makers probably because you are marketed a lot now on television and social media. There are also some healthy food options at bars and pubs, but it varies because most bars sell alcohol. The server from The Embassy stated that the bar sells healthier drinks, but also you and pope, interacting with each other is healthy. This is true because social interaction is important for humans and of your mental health.
Going out to an off-campus bar and having a fun time talking to people is healthy instead of staying inside playing video games all day. He stated that ever since covid ended teens need to get outside and hangout more. The bars can be a great way to help your mind relax and enjoy life for the sake of your health. According to researchers from the article “Is Alcohol Good for Mental Health,” the combination of a public setting and alcohol can produce pleasant feelings and promote wellbeing for people. The study also found that people who regularly visit a bar feel more socially engaged with others and trust more people in the community. College you can increase your social skills and social circles if you attend bars regularly. This is a good skill to have when you get older because you will have to get out of your comfort zone if you want to impress people at a job.
When it comes to going to bars off campus listening to these tips and information is valuable for college students’ safety. This can be valuable for friend hangouts and taking your parents out to a fun night the best and safest way. You need safety and health information to make the best judgment when you decide to have a fun weekend. This information can help avoid trouble and harmful situations for college students. You off campus need to check for bars safety, quality, price for drinks, and health to have the upmost experience.
Quinn Peplow is a student at North Central College. He is currently 22 years old and has lived in Plainfield for most of his life. This is his last semester at this school, and he will be graduating with a business degree and a minor in marketing. He currently works at the local Target in Yorkville for extra money during school. His favorite hobbies are watching football, playing video games, working out, and playing football with his two dogs. His typical weekend is going to work then the bar and finishing off his Sundays with football and homework.