OT: any club/bar owners on here?, thinking about taking over a club ... Options

[SirAndy]

so i've been thinking about opening a bar/club here in oakland for a while now and yesterday i was offered what i would consider the ideal venue.

the club has been at the current place for 25 years, comes with full inventory, liquor license, venue license, got a large outside patio where people can smoke & drink, full bar, full kitchen (!), large stage for shows. about 3000 sf of inside space.
the current owner has simply been burned out and wants to retire.

now i have run my own bar back in germany and i'm friends with several club owners back home, so i know the business side of it, but it would be great if i could pick someone's brain who has run a bar/club here in the US.
i'm sure there'll be quite a few differences.

if you know anything about the club/bar business, please PM me so i can annoy you with lots of questions!
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) Andy

[McMark]

oakland does not issue any new liquor licenses anymore

Kind of right, CALIFORNIA does not issue any new liquor licenses.

Allison and I have a pet dream of opening a pub in Napa. But that's just beer/wine, not big deal.

[purple]

oakland does not issue any new liquor licenses anymore

Kind of right, CALIFORNIA does not issue any new liquor licenses.

Allison and I have a pet dream of opening a pub in Napa. But that's just beer/wine, not big deal.

WTF is wrong with california?

dont the legislators have some other more pressing matters than restricting the flow of booze? ohhhhh, like hmmmm, that little problem of illegal immigration?

I remember when prop 249 was struck down by a judge even though it was voted in on a landslide.... that's when we were living there.

prop 249 (or was it 247?) was a proposal to not give any freebies to illegals.

then lois capps got elected to her dearly departed husband's seat in congress because she was his wife. god forbid someone who knows wtf is going on gets elected..

oh yeah, you dont need to know shit to be a politician, how dumb of me to forget.

maybe i'm just bitter... no more cali for me. it's got great weather and chicks, the lawmakers make that state unbearable anymore.

that club sounds badass though andy! good idea!