Nell

Commerce

uncommon drinking habit indicators

I live in Brooklyn and own a rock and roll tiki bar in the East Village (Otto's Shrunken Head). Traditionally people went to bars as a meeting place, a kind of town hall. Today people are still coming in to celebrate and commiserate, however the purchasing is different. Top shelf whiskey, tequila, vodka... and imported beer sales are down. And the sale of cheaper domestic (ie $3 PBR) beer and well drinks is quite noticeably on the rise. Also, bartenders will tell you that regulars are still tipping, but the weekend warriors that only come in occasionally are either not tipping or tipping less.

538 East 14th Street, NY NY 10009