Join The Club

Last night I visited some of my friends who are still in college - naturally we ended up at the local bar. This particular bar has a large selection of bottled beer and a few on tap that rotate like any other bar, so it is a great option if you are looking for something more than the usual American light beer.

A few years ago the bar started offering a 'beer list challenge' which anyone can attempt. There are a series of three lists (Bronze, Silver and Gold) which each consist of a checklist of a variety of different beers. The lists start off with common and less expensive beers and end with some more expensive stuff (some upwards of $12 per bottle). I don't know about other colleges, but when I went out with my buddies on a weekend we would split some pitches or whatever light beer was on tap - only during a meal or special occasion would people consider springing for a bottle of beer that was more expensive than a whole pitcher. Sometimes when we were watching a game at a bar on a weekday we'd enjoy something more 'classy', but even then I never went for the uber-expensive stuff.

The amazing thing is that the number of people who have completed at least one list is growing rapidly. Once a list is completed (they are regulated by the bar staff so someone can't cheat) a small name plate is riveted to the front rim of the bar near the cash register. When I left school there were probably about 25 name plates...last night I noticed that the number of those grew by at least another 25. Once completing the next list, a different color plaque is exchanged with the old one, which states the lists completed and the dates.

Each time a list is completed the bar knows exactly how much money was spent to obtain that little name plate on the bar. I would estimate that each list would generate over $100 without breaking a sweat. This bar found a way to sell different types of beer to college students who normally would rather spend 8 bucks on a pitcher of the cheap stuff. That's the type of thinking that makes money.

I considered starting a list my senior year figuring it would cool to come back to visit years later and see my name on the bar - but the first thing I did was figure out how much it would cost to get that nameplate, and it wasn't worth it in my opinion. I just couldn't justify spending that kind of money when I was in college and had minimum income. If I ever open a college bar - this is one of the first things I'm setting up once we open for business.