Nes Cafe

[Matt_B]

Thanks jbomb - looking forward to the weekly report as always. Thanks for all the effort you put into it, I'm sure I speak for many people here when I say it is very much appreciated.

[DC]

Given that the brewery held the lease, and obviously would prefer all coffeeshop-bars sell alcohol after the split, it's pretty easy to imagine the brewery greased the owner quite nicely to render this favorable ruling.

The margins in an individual coffeeshop-bar might be better on weed, but national and international beer revenues are hard to fight when it's time for payola.

We've been with the same brewery for over 14 years, Gulpener is a small brewery in the south of Holland and they like to look after they're customers. They were willing to pull out of the premises and let us continue as a coffeeshop and even wrote to the owner politely suggesting it was a good idea. Don't forget, we're openining a busier new bar....so they want in there. But, when you've made yer money...then ya can make yerself a whole new set of principles again, which I believe is what has happened to the owner.

R.I.P Nes?. Not exactly dude.

[courtjester]

Then let's find a canal and drown the owner, to see if his beneficiary has better sense.

So I'll be drinking a Gulpener (fine beer, had it in Maastricht) and smoking joints at Nes in April.

The book stays, yes?

[Hitonda_Obong]

This is truly a bizarre (business?) decision on the part of the owner, IMO.

Look, there are plenty of places in AMS that don't sell cannabis where you can get a really good brew. Like Arendsnest at 90 Herengracht where you can sit outside by the canal and discreetly smoke your own. The coffeeshop-bars like Nes and 420 have decent brew, but on its own its not the top choice at all.

But, no matter how good the brew, you don't see people lined up spending 20, 50, 100 euros for the product.

I suppose a smoker-friendly bar will attract more tourist traffic than a bar that bans cannabis smoking. But, I would expect the traffic to go way down if the smoke is not for sale.

Obviously this owner-guy has not made any calculations or otherwise this is not about business at all.

[cheese]

i cant believe it! sorry to hear dave! i really enjoyed my time with the ms at your coffeeshop during my last trip. Lots of good smoke and good beer! and cossie little shop to get comfortable in.

All the staff were great as well , see ya on the next trip either way!!

smoke a big one dude! hope you feel better.

cheers

[DC]

Look, there are plenty of places in AMS that don't sell cannabis where you can get a really good brew. Like Arendsnest at 90 Herengracht where you can sit outside by the canal and discreetly smoke your own. The coffeeshop-bars like Nes and 420 have decent brew, but on its own its not the top choice at all.

I suppose a smoker-friendly bar will attract more tourist traffic than a bar that bans cannabis smoking. But, I would expect the traffic to go way down if the smoke is not for sale.

Obviously this owner-guy has not made any calculations or otherwise this is not about business at all.

First off, you can get fined for discreetly smokin yer own outside anywhere. So I don't really see the upside to that. Secondly, you've never been in the Nes when it's just been a bar so how ya can incorporate it into any comparison of any other bar, or how it is gonna be, is a tad beyond me. Afterall, very few bars are judged on the drinks they sell, it's more down to the atmosphere they provide. As for the owner, well...when you have a certain amount of money in the bank your decisions change from being based on what you 'need' to what you 'want'. Of course he hasn't calculated anything, he doesn't 'need' the money. He could effectively leave the building to rott and it wouldn't bother him financially at all. But, he 'wants' to be clear from any drug related business connection, hence his decision.

Canal?. If this cat lived in town I'd have personally dumped him in one by now.

The Book. It's probably best if it gets moved to another coffeeshop, I'll leave it up to you guys to decide the details on that.

[itsmymagicallife]

First off, you can get fined for discreetly smokin yer own outside anywhere. So I don't really see the upside to that.

DC, As I read in Expatica, the new ban will only be in areas where trouble has previously occurred.

"25 January 2007
AMSTERDAM – A majority of the city council in Amsterdam voted in favour of introducing a city-wide ban on smoking marijuana in public in areas where young people smoking joints have been causing public nuisance.
The decision comes after a successful trial ban in the De Baarsjes district of Amsterdam.
The experimental ban led to less public nuisance, city district De Baarsjes concluded after the year-long trial."

[nytvd]

Firstly - I think courtjester may be on to something regarding greasing the owner one way or another...history has proven that behind every "moral stand" is a pocketful of money....

Secondly I disagree with Hitonda's critique of the brew in t'Nes - the beers there are excellent....I especialy love the Neubourg and do not see it in many other places.

Lastly - if I can smoke at t'Nes I will keep on coming and if I need to smoke somewhere else and have my beer there - that will work too.

[DC]

First off, you can get fined for discreetly smokin yer own outside anywhere. So I don't really see the upside to that.

DC, As I read in Expatica, the new ban will only be in areas where trouble has previously occurred.

"25 January 2007
AMSTERDAM – A majority of the city council in Amsterdam voted in favour of introducing a city-wide ban on smoking marijuana in public in areas where young people smoking joints have been causing public nuisance.
The decision comes after a successful trial ban in the De Baarsjes district of Amsterdam.
The experimental ban led to less public nuisance, city district De Baarsjes concluded after the year-long trial."

This isn't even the first step on the road to a full public area ban. Who says what a nuisance is?. Anyway, sorry, I was thinking about 2 things 'outside' and a 'terrace'. I should've simply said 'you can discreetly smoke yer own outside anywhere, everywhere.....etc.'

Conspiracy theory 1: Is no good because the Nes is worth more to us as a coffeeshop than to the brewery as a bar, therefore we would 'grease' any palm more. Just how much do ya think a small bar in a quiet street is worth to a small brewery?.....can't see it being enough to fund the principles of a millionaire.

Random point: Bluming makes amazing stoner munchies!

[DrGonzo]

LOL.... all the time Stones Cafe was without a license they had a runner to go to Stones Corner for you......

Doesn't take to much of a leap of faith to imagine a similar service.




PS.... Only with a better product at the end!

[jBomb]

Random point: Bluming makes amazing stoner munchies!

The truth in this statement is unequivocal. Thanks a million, Ming.

jBomb

[Hitonda_Obong]

I didn't mean to make it sound like I think there is something wrong with t'Nes in anyway. There isn't. My comments are just relative comparison. There are lots of places to get a great brew. Even if they are no better than the beer at Nes, the main point I thought I was making is that with this change the Nes is now in a different market. You can't be sure the availability of cannabis wasn't a main factor in the customer's decision to go there. Any bar in Amsterdam could be a "smoker-friendly" bar if they wanted to be.
Anyway, from what DC says the owner doesn't care about money, so all practical things like market analysis make no difference.