Mana Bar Melbourne Closes Its Doors

[Monsterfurby]

Seems like a bad idea, all things considered.

Games are becoming more and more something you do from home. Why pay money to play games and then pay for more expensive drinks THEN need to pay for parking/cab fare back home?

If you're into games so much that you'd want to mix it with your drinking you'll have a setup at home where you would invite others over to your place to drink and game.

Sunset industry if ever there was one, sorry.

I respectfully disagree. Console, PC and mobile gaming has become so omnipresent in society that you can't really stereotype "the gamer". We're far away from the nerd/home gamer cliché of the 80s and 90s today, and most really active gamers I know have a pretty active social life and would love to go out AND do so in a game-themed environment, interact with other gamers.

Much rather, I think they plainly overextended themselves, expanded to quickly. Possibly some personal issues between people as well since this seems to be a fairly small venture between friends, mostly. Also, if any gastronomic establishment - be it a bar, a restaurant or just a burger joint on the corner - is run badly, the consequences usually hit immediately and hard. The concept was good (after all, the main branch seems to run really well), but the execution in this particular location was seemingly flawed.

 

[NoeL]

This is sad, but honestly not unexpected. I was a Brisbane local for the last four years (you can see me standing in line in the photo of opening night... I didn't get in though :{ ) and visited the Melbourne bar when I was down there for Nightwish earlier this year. It wasn't any more dead than the Brisbane bar would've been at that time, but I know the Brisbane bar packs out completely on trivia nights (like, the whole place is shoulder-to-shoulder with people. They need to ban fat people on trivia night (loljk)). I guess Melbourne didn't have the best location... the expensive drinks is a problem at both places though.

Also, I like that both the bars are located on Brunswick st. Makes it easy to remember.

 

[gLoveofLove]

The worst thing for me was the closing time. We went out for for someones birthday one time, with the goal to visit the Mana Bar afterwards. The restaurant was maybe 5 mins from the bar. We still couldn't make it in time. A bar shouldn't close that early. That and the capacity.

 

[Smooth Operator]

Heard about this one, apparently it was depressingly small, expensive and was closed before the night even got started... I understand there are limitations to your venue but that just isn't a place I would want to go.

It's probably best to first find a place to stretch your legs rather then just get in for the brand sake.

 

[Tiamattt]

Does the main branch close that early as well? Pretty surprised to see a bar last for over 2 years when it closes at 11.

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

I've never been able to partake in the Mana Bar experience.

Grab a couple of your favourite beverages and a handheld then shut yourself in a closet for a few hours.

 

[evilneko]

Novelty bars are a risky proposition in general. Novelty bars whose novelty is something easily and cheaply done at home are pretty much nonstarters. To cover the cost of the novelty (in this case, games) you've either got to have a cover charge (which raises the barrier to entry and effectively shuts out most walk-ins) or raise refreshment prices considerably (which annoys people as demonstrated above). You might get lucky, but the odds are against you.

 

[octafish]

Does the main branch close that early as well? Pretty surprised to see a bar last for over 2 years when it closes at 11.

Last time I was in Brisbane the whole town closed at 9.00. I couldn't even find a take away place open after then on a Sunday night. I'm sure things have changed in twenty years though.

Melbourne is a bar town, they had a hell of a lot of competition, would probably have done better in a cheaper less terrible location. Closing the same time most people are starting to head out for the night wouldn't have helped.

 

[MonkeyPunch]

"...for various reasons, which we're not ready to talk about yet."
Fair enough.
"There weren't enough people coming into the bar, we ran out of options,"
Wait... I could swear that would be considered a reason.

 

[Colt47]

The Brisbane one is actually pretty good. I don't think they are in horrible straits or anything.

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

Melbourne is a bar town, they had a hell of a lot of competition, would probably have done better in a cheaper less terrible location.

The bar scene in Melbourne is downright Darwinian at times (Charlie not the Territory), especially when the market for retail/(whatever boozers are categorised as) properties has heated up... and the market for those sorts of properties in Melbourne is always in flux (as in the ebb and flow cycle is majorly compressed compared to the rest of the property market).

I think the way to go for the melbourne branch would be subletting a function room or saloon bar from an inner city pub on weekends (or thu-sat nights) or some pub popular with the young'uns... maybe a boozer near a uni. Hell, see if some uni bar is up for striking a deal. (*note to self... talk to Adelaide Uni student union prez about shit involving used consoles and used tvs for gaming nights! Bring in gaming socs and remind him of the advice I gave him about how to kick Resistance off campus. Also request Flying Fox from uni bar to back gates due to university no smoking policy)

Closing the same time most people are starting to head out for the night wouldn't have helped.

Yeah, that sure as fuck wouldn't help. Personally I'm no way near drunk enough to pay for overpriced cocktails before (at least) 2am... if at all (2am is the minimum for buying overpriced cocktails for interesting lasses... I have to be absolutely shitfaced to order one for myself instead of treating myself to a nice topshelf bourbon or, if available, a rye).

 

[Ruley]

This bar was a quick cash grab at the concept. the location was tiny, too small for the atmosphere it wanted to build. their was so little thought into the deployment of this franchise.

Couple that with the stigma of trying to get the stereotypical gamers out of their bedrooms to come visit the bar? It had a lot of problems.

The Brisbane bar is far superior to the Melbourne bar and i think it will carry on for a while yet. This whole idea wasn't as massive a success as the trio were hoping though.

 

[Midniqht]

Damn. The company I work for has an office near there and I was hoping to visit the next time a trip opportunity came about. Looks like I'll be out of luck. I actually don't mind smaller establishments, so that wouldn't have bothered me.I guess I would have to experience it to really judge.

 

[5mj7R7yf4Dwr3gdZyyu9PeGNwYjlNrjzuh3iTXQG]

Not expecting to go to Melbourne in the foreseeable future, given I live on the other side of the world, but I have concern for Yahtzee's well being.

I hope this doesn't harbinger hard times ahead.

238U

 

[Inco]

snipped for length

They just posted on their facebook wall that they are attempting to relocate or continue. So hopefully that would come to pass.

I was there for comic con at the begining of july and to be honest, I found it was a really good place to just relax and socialise. I enjoyed the time that I spent there, randomly challenging people to whatever game they were playing at the time and just chatting away with them while we played. Never knew em, still dont. But it was a good experience.

I never looked to be aiming to be something big, as many people are expecting, but definetely a place to really just get out of the house for a bit to stay.

EDIT- They also want to do a "Save your mana" event from the 27th to the 31st of August to try and help this come to pass.

Hi. I can't seem to find this post anywhere on the facebook page. Do you have a link?

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=652008044830268&set=a.176154865748924.40088.134791716551906&type=1&theater

Apologies for the delay, I was really busy until now. But that link should send you to the picture on the facebook page that has the details I have said.

 

[newwiseman]

I really want to visit a Mana Bar someday...

We have a "Game Lounge" (think that's the name) here, they kick out minors at 6pm and start serving beer/whiskey/etc, and it's like a block away from a shop that sells maple donuts with strips of bacon on them all night... It's a bit to loud (like a night club) for my taste but still fun and a great location for a walk home. It could really use a game trivia night.