Save cool runnings

Gilk · 2011-09-26T19:27:27+00:00

I don't know if this is the right place to be posting this but i just want to help .Apparently some Bloubosrand residents are doing everything they can to have cool runnings fourways closed down.We are already low on licensed venues to perform at. We can't loose another. I hear people saying "young people are always causing trouble " That's because there is no Entertainment for them.Closing CRF is just going to make it worse. I don't know all the details as to why they want Cool runnings gone but I'm sure what ever the reason its not Worth it ! please help by signing the petition www.petitionbuzz.com/petitions/savecrf

Averatu

Gilk wrote
Averatu wrote
Ray wrote Ag it's not so bad - I've been there. And to the one in Benoni where there is a sort of pub thing next door where a whole lot of guys from the bowls club go. Jissie they look sour then the kids start having fun hey.
It is the only place that puts on the heavier bands
You said it.That's why we want to keep it open. There are so few venues that will host metal fests or metal bands and closing CRF is just going to make things worse . Everywhere you go you will find drunk youngsters which goes hand in hand with fights breaking out.They seem to think they are invincible after a few drinks

-I've never seen or been involved in a fight at a metal gig. I have seen and been involved in several fights at hardcore gigs, so I just dont go.
-Bands should not be slaves to venues. In the 90's we played empty warehouses, old churches, the old fort in JHB (before it became constitution hill). Eventually venues where begging us to play. Get yer finger out yer rectum and "maak 'n plan".

IceCreamMan

cool runnings in melville used to make a lil dish of prawns wrapped in bacon that was damn fine ,damn fine...

StephenG

IceCreamMan wrote cool runnings in melville used to make a lil dish of prawns wrapped in bacon that was damn fine ,damn fine...

this comment is useless without more info... ??? ???

baked???

fried??

crumbed??

i NEED to know............ ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! at least give us some idea here. ?

IceCreamMan

StephenG wrote
IceCreamMan wrote cool runnings in melville used to make a lil dish of prawns wrapped in bacon that was damn fine ,damn fine...

this comment is useless without more info... ??? ???

baked???

fried??

crumbed??

i NEED to know............ ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! at least give us some idea here. ?

a gourmet ..good good

They was grilled ...not crumbed and not fried ....grilled with lashings of a sauce of your choice , i always ordered em with garlic ..damn fine ...jeeepers making my mouth water just thinking about it

StephenG

IceCreamMan wrote
StephenG wrote
IceCreamMan wrote cool runnings in melville used to make a lil dish of prawns wrapped in bacon that was damn fine ,damn fine...

this comment is useless without more info... ??? ???

baked???

fried??

crumbed??

i NEED to know............ ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! at least give us some idea here. ?
a gourmet ..good good

They was grilled ...not crumbed and not fried ....grilled with lashings of a sauce of your choice , i always ordered em with garlic ..damn fine ...jeeepers making my mouth water just thinking about it

finally a thread on here I can let the wife read................ i am now seriously gassing for prawns wrapped in bacon!!

Ray

Anyway Gilk (is that your real name?), I am pro the petition and did something there. Too many old people forget when they were young and the generation two or three above them were trying to sleep while they were banging tamborines and djembes.

Gilk

haha banging tamborines and djembes . best reply yet hahaha . No gilk is an inside joke from a very weird day of band practice and the name some how stuck ..

Airguitar

The saving of Cool Runnings needs to be done by themselves.

I've been to the one in Benoni twice, and the second visit was kakker than the first.
1) The service was lousy.
2) The waitrons (wtf??) looked like crap.. Untidy, overweight, greasy hair, smoking behind the counter, the list goes on (Not all of them, but more than one!)
3) The music was ok on the first visit and nonexistent on the second.
4) There is no sound isolation there, so the DJ next door was competing with the live musician.. Jarring!!

Music alone, even good music is not enough to make a venue enjoyable for the patrons. It has to work for them in all respects too, after all, they're going to spend some hard earned cash there, so the venue needs to deliver. I've come back from 10 years in Germany, and there too, there were live venues that worked, and others that sucked, all for the same reasons.
There is nothing worse than having the cops show up to shut down the show because the neighbours are complaining about the noise..
The venue owners/operators ought to take steps to soundproof or alter the layout/location of the venue.

We muso's tend to take this personally, thinking "They just don't like us, or our music, or how much fun we're having" but that's not what it's about.
Don't you just hate being asked to turn down? You wouldn't have to if the venue is set up correctly.

Cool Runnings is a great idea that isn't working out, but easily could.

Mannoroth

My lady friend and I have contemplated and dreamed about opening up our own venue before ?

Wonder if we would be able to sustain such a place if we really put an effort into the sound, atmosphere, cleanliness and service (in other words, do what most of the current venues are not doing ?). I just dont think these places make enough money (Cool runnings case in point) to hire good quality staff, invest in proper equipment, advertise properly etc.

Then again, maybe they just don't care... Cant cost that much to give good service, be friendly, clean up the urine on the floor and keep the place clean.

Bob-Dubery

It depends on what you want to acheive. If you're looking for an outlet for music then why not just start something regular at another venue. An example of the sort of place I'm thinking about is the Alexander Theatre in Braamfontein (Yes... I've been there, for a gig, no problems). It's a good venue with a proper stage, decent lighting, theatre seating), bar downstairs, proper ticketing facilites. Find a place like that and set up an agreement that you put on a show (for example) every 2nd Wednesday night.

There's a sort of club within a club (blues & country) starting up at Tanz. You might be surprised how good a deal you can get if you target a night when the venue isn't that busy.

Doing it this way means that you don't have to arrange food and drinks, buy or sign a lease on a piece of property, don't have to keep the place maintained etc etc.

Look for a venue either out in the sticks where noise is not an issue, or that's not close to or in a suburban residential area.

guidothepimmp

How many folks here have had the experience of running one of these establishments?

Any thoughts how often broken urinals are repaired, how many glasses, sets of cutlery, salt shakers etc are stolen?
Any idea how many the bathrooms are cleaned but because some halfwit is plastered he can't hit a 30cm urinal from 15cm out?
How many times chairs and tables are repaired?
If noise is such an issue why when the zoning of the shop get done was a liquor licence and entertainment licence granted?

I agree that shabby waiters and k@k service is unacceptable but any idea how often that k@k service is because the shabby waiter is pulling a double shift cos the other waiter either didn't pitch or wa sent home for whatever reason?

Just saying, sometimes there is more to it than meets the eye..

Mannoroth

X-rated Bob wrote It depends on what you want to acheive. If you're looking for an outlet for music then why not just start something regular at another venue. An example of the sort of place I'm thinking about is the Alexander Theatre in Braamfontein (Yes... I've been there, for a gig, no problems). It's a good venue with a proper stage, decent lighting, theatre seating), bar downstairs, proper ticketing facilites. Find a place like that and set up an agreement that you put on a show (for example) every 2nd Wednesday night.

There's a sort of club within a club (blues & country) starting up at Tanz. You might be surprised how good a deal you can get if you target a night when the venue isn't that busy.

Doing it this way means that you don't have to arrange food and drinks, buy or sign a lease on a piece of property, don't have to keep the place maintained etc etc.

Look for a venue either out in the sticks where noise is not an issue, or that's not close to or in a suburban residential area.

Hmmm, Never thought about it that way... Good suggestion ? Come to think of it, don't know if it would really be worth the pain of taking ownership of such a place if you don't really aim to make a profit. My idea was more to provide a good quality venue to bring musos and fans together, invite international artists, arrange events etc. I suppose with all the criticism going around towards local venues my inner marketer is telling me there is a gap there somewhere!

Averatu

guidothepimmp wrote How many folks here have had the experience of running one of these establishments?

Any thoughts how often broken urinals are repaired, how many glasses, sets of cutlery, salt shakers etc are stolen?
Any idea how many the bathrooms are cleaned but because some halfwit is plastered he can't hit a 30cm urinal from 15cm out?
How many times chairs and tables are repaired?
If noise is such an issue why when the zoning of the shop get done was a liquor licence and entertainment licence granted?

I agree that shabby waiters and k@k service is unacceptable but any idea how often that k@k service is because the shabby waiter is pulling a double shift cos the other waiter either didn't pitch or wa sent home for whatever reason?

Just saying, sometimes there is more to it than meets the eye..

I used to arrange gigs for a venue in town, spent a fair amount of time behind the scenes, they where a shady bunch, it was a dump. Some nights the bar was dry by 10, because no one placed orders. As the saying goes, 'Crud in, Crud out'. Wings Beat Bar, it was all about the music, and you could tell, I ate thousands of their pizzas. Sadly they where badly affected by the mass exodus from the city center.

Ray

Just so happens I've been to Cool Runnings on a few occasions. In Benoni. Now what kind of place is it? Is it the place where you take your wife so that you can be served by a waiter who will mince over so that you can feel that the wine is cold enough with the edge of your palm and you can swirl and sniff and look the part? Well, it's not that kind of place. It's where people go to listen loud and get loud and wasted. And if that's not your scene dont go there and then complain about it. There's other people who want to go there man. I dont know how old you okes who are complaining are but hell, if you didnt go to places like that and do those things when you were young then you didnt come from my home town.

Airguitar

Ray wrote Just so happens I've been to Cool Runnings on a few occasions. In Benoni. Now what kind of place is it? Is it the place where you take your wife so that you can be served by a waiter who will mince over so that you can feel that the wine is cold enough with the edge of your palm and you can swirl and sniff and look the part? Well, it's not that kind of place. It's where people go to listen loud and get loud and wasted. And if that's not your scene dont go there and then complain about it. There's other people who want to go there man. I dont know how old you okes who are complaining are but hell, if you didnt go to places like that and do those things when you were young then you didnt come from my home town.

I grew up in Benoni, and know all the Jols that WERE Jols from way back.. First I jolled in them, then I played in them. I also learned very quickly that a place like cool runnings will not survive on on the 25 and under crowd, they just don't spend enough money. Play a gig until 2am or 3am and tell me what percentage of over 25's are still there? I'm betting on 25%.
Dude, I am not asking to "Feel the wine", but if I'm paying 40 bucks a beer, I don't like cigarette ash all over it before it's opened, and a waitress that looks like Jabba the Hut!!!
Now that has nothing to do with my age, and everything to do with being professional. We're talking about running a successful business, and I'm sure the 18-25 crowd won't object to having clean glasses and waitstaff with no monkey gland sauce on their polo shirt. That is what it takes.

Averatu

Hey Airguitar, stop or I'll throw you whiff couscous!!

Airguitar

Averatu wrote Hey Airguitar, stop or I'll throw you whiff couscous!!

I'll eat it, boet... ?

epictring

Airguitar wrote
Averatu wrote Hey Airguitar, stop or I'll throw you whiff couscous!!
I'll eat it, boet... ?

Airguitar.. I see your 317 years old on your profile :roflmao:
#joking

Airguitar

epictring wrote
Airguitar wrote
Averatu wrote Hey Airguitar, stop or I'll throw you whiff couscous!!
I'll eat it, boet... ?
Airguitar.. I see your 317 years old on your profile :roflmao:
#joking

I'm so old, when I was in school hey didn't even HAVE History...

strataxe

Airguitar wrote
Ray wrote Just so happens I've been to Cool Runnings on a few occasions. In Benoni. Now what kind of place is it? Is it the place where you take your wife so that you can be served by a waiter who will mince over so that you can feel that the wine is cold enough with the edge of your palm and you can swirl and sniff and look the part? Well, it's not that kind of place. It's where people go to listen loud and get loud and wasted. And if that's not your scene dont go there and then complain about it. There's other people who want to go there man. I dont know how old you okes who are complaining are but hell, if you didnt go to places like that and do those things when you were young then you didnt come from my home town.
I grew up in Benoni, and know all the Jols that WERE Jols from way back.. First I jolled in them, then I played in them. I also learned very quickly that a place like cool runnings will not survive on on the 25 and under crowd, they just don't spend enough money. Play a gig until 2am or 3am and tell me what percentage of over 25's are still there? I'm betting on 25%.
Dude, I am not asking to "Feel the wine", but if I'm paying 40 bucks a beer, I don't like cigarette ash all over it before it's opened, and a waitress that looks like Jabba the Hut!!!
Now that has nothing to do with my age, and everything to do with being professional. We're talking about running a successful business, and I'm sure the 18-25 crowd won't object to having clean glasses and waitstaff with no monkey gland sauce on their polo shirt. That is what it takes.

+ 100000000. The problem with many places are...they're cheap. And that draws the 25 and under crowd, the students, who can then get drunk on R11 a beer. Thats R100 for 9 beers, more than enough. They don't really care what the facilities look like. Then that goes to poorly paid staff, and that goes down to poor service, poor facilities...I dont' know Cool runnings, I've been to Melville, and the overcrowding is not my scene. And yes, in my case, how many of ou are over 30 and go out to nightclubs, and where can you go?

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