No More Reggie’s For Me
I waited kinda long to say this, but here it is. I am disappointed. I have waited since my first semester, when it closed down “for a while”, to get some decent-priced beer on campus, maybe some shots, maybe even some greasy fries. I have been waiting for Reggie’s to open, because it used to be -our- thing. 770 days. I even paid and drank the first two drinks at the new place : a Grand Marnier and a pint of Guinness.
Now, I like the new people behind the bar: good drink service, a funny manager. Heck, I showed up at 1:42 and he opened up earlier for me! Good experience, but something is missing: money from my wallet. Let me get this straight, no one stole anything, every penny that I spent was my decision, but the prices are making my bar-going habits completely unsustainable, and here’s why:
The new concepts that they brought forward sadden me. Whoever took my “Thirsty Thursdays” and made it into “Totally Thursday” can honestly take those bright, undimmed LED lights that blind me, and shine light where light shouldn’t shine. The Food and Drinks menu (and specials) aren’t Student-priced:
A quick look at their menu shows the following: 9$ Martinis, 9$ for a double Cocktail, 7–8$ Wine… And then the funny part begins: cheapest beer at 5$, no pitchers — and that’s just the alcohol — because, believe it or not, 12$ pizzas are a thing, and so are 14$ tacos…OK, I thought to myself, I’m pretty sure I can get a good burger for a decent price. THINK AGAIN: 9$ hot dog, and 15$ burger. I’m in the middle of downtown, 4 blocks (maximum) away from over 20 good bars, and 20 good restaurants. I wanted a student bar with affordable prices. What I got instead, was a semi-posh bar, with an overpriced drink menu, and a ridiculous food menu. The day I’m going to go buy the “Smoked Salmon Croutons” before going on a pub crawl, I’m hoping my credit card will melt in the machine.
But wait! There’s more! Because believe it or not, there are 6$ deals. What a life-changing list. Bite-sized burgers (remember, I’m about one-and-a-half blocks away from McDonald’s) and Hummus “Served with naan bread and vegetables”. And the alcohol specials are making me cry — of laughter, that is — because 6$ specialty shooters, and 8$ JD’s drop shots are not a student bar’s most coveted specials. Not even close.
From here on out, this goes to my fellow Engineers. We went and asked them for some specials for our Lizard Lounges, saying that we’ll bring them over 50 people on a Friday night. They responded with a very interesting “we don’t need your business.” It was a ghost town at Reggies, when at McKibbins we had trouble walking from one end to the other. Lizard Lounges cannot possibly happen in our own back yard, because 3.75$ for a “tall can of Pabst” is not acceptable. You know why? From 4 to 9, at McGill, you will find 2–2.50$/cup Guinness, Sapporo, and other good beers (at their Blues Pub).
If you’re willing to do a fair comparison, let’s take 2 places that I’ve been to, and my wallet and I enjoyed. Gert’s and Pub Universitaire. (McGill and ULaval). Snack menu at Gert’s is actually all below 5$, (except for the Mozzarella sticks at 7$). They sell pitchers. They seem to be aware of who the clientele is. Reggie’s 0-External 1.
Pub Universitaire’s Food menu is similar to Reggie’s in terms of cost. (They do have 1.75$ wings, though, but they have a full menu with legit food) Bottled beer mostly below 5$, pitchers at most 15$ (cause yeah, they have pitchers too). Shots at the same price as Reggie’s. Overall almost as pretentious by their menu, but clearly better prepared and aware that their clientele is not deep-pocketed. Reggie’s 0-External 2.
Also, keep in mind, these are not the “specials;” these are day-to-day prices. 10$ pitchers happen at Pub Uni, and Gert’s has decent priced pitchers of pretty much everything. How much do you reckon that 100 Génie (ETS) costs?
Now, it’s kinda late, and I don’t have the patience for an actual conclusion, but here it goes anyhow. The next time I’m spending money at Reggie’s is when I’ll see pitchers, my Thirsty Thursdays back (just cause), and a little tiny understanding of who the clientele actually is. Until then, McKibbins will take my money, cause the shots are cheaper, the pints are cheaper, and they have cider on tap.
Cordially,
Eddie (Eduard ConU)
Some resources for y’all:
Gert’s http://gertscampusbar.ca/
Pub Uni http://pubuniversitaire.com/