The Bottom Rail by Verbal Shredwright

Will you pay $30, $40, $50 dollars or more for a pizza just because your on vacation? How about for a burger and fries? How about $7 or $8 for a beer? Maybe you already are used to over-paying for everything. Okay let's say there is a whole army of gapers out there who have this kind of money and are willing to waste it this way… would you wait for an hour or two before you could get in, get a seat and place your order after shredding all day? This is what's happing at some resorts around ski and snowboard nation, especially on weekends and holidays.                                                                                  

A simple way to look at is there are the same number of condos, hotel rooms, etc… but not the same number of seats available to go out to eat. So what happens? First, people become frustrated by lack of options, long waits and high prices especially on holidays and weekends. The result is either changing lodging options from hotel rooms to condos with a kitchen. This could explain the recent boom we've seen in resort towns with air bnb, vrbo and various grocery delivery services.

It's worth reiterating two very important statistics at this point before we go any further. First, Millennials now spend more money on travel and entertainment then Baby Boomers. And secondly, over 60% of ski & snowboard travelers consider the après scene when selecting their resort destinations. Visitors who prefer to go out and spend money ultimately will select resort destinations who offer a wider selection of après, bar and restaurant choices.

Lost occupancy results in fewer options, longer waits and more expensive checks for customers who are already frustrated by the over-priced goods and services. Whether a Bar or Restaurant is under construction or sitting idle with its doors closed to the public... they have 3 things in common:

1. They are NOT serving meals to any guests

2. They are NOT creating any jobs

3. They are NOT generating any F&B tax revenue

Landlords who own the buildings housing your favorite bars and restaurants do not care about the guests having options with reasonable wait times and prices, they do not care about the community image, its employees and tax revenues…they only care about themselves. Again we face the question are these resort destinations really for the many skiers and snowboarders… or nothing more than a real estate investment for only the wealthiest few?

The number of stories about established and successful local bars and restaurants being forced out by enormous rent increases are growing. One or two instances isn't an issue, but one or two every season? That's a RED FLAG to anyone who is paying attention to what guest are saying. So what's up? It's no coincidence rents are being raised beyond what food and beverage outlets can afford. If the landlord cries no one will rent the place at the higher rent they hope to hoodwink the local community and seek to have the property rezoned to rent it to wealthy private clubs or private ski lockers never to serve the guests of the resort and community again.

Vacant restaurants and store fronts are never a good look for any resort community. One has to wonder if these landlords were fined the amount of F&B taxes the restaurant paid the prior year how quickly they would get the doors open and stop giving the community a black eye for their own selfish purposes. The vast majority of visitors and residents know the demand exists for more dining and nightlife options not less, and the statistics bear that out. Perhaps, it's time to consider some form of rent control for bars and restaurants to ensure a resort communities ability to meet the needs and expectations of the majority of their visitors?