Photo: David Demic
“When the doors opened and everyone came in at once, there was a little panic between everyone,” bartender Joe Hruska said.
The stress and excitement of the Crow Bar & Grill finally opening was underway.
“We had a list of drinks on our order tape about 7 feet long within four minutes. It was a couple of hours before we really got into a flow of things,” Hruska said.
And with all this business flowing in the doors, there were some kinks that the newest of Laramie’s bars suddenly faced.
“We had seven or eight kegs on tap opening night and all the beer was pouring warm and the pressures were way too far off. They had just been installed that day, so we never had time to fiddle with them,” Hruska said.
This beer malfunction made it difficult for customers’ needs to be met. Overall, the process of opening the Crowbar & Grill was no easy task. Co-owner Andy Glines, who worked at Big Hollow Food Coop before he decided to open his own gastropub with friend and co-owner Justin Turner, describes the hoops he had to jump through to get the business going.
“I guess the pieces that took the longest were … our building permit which [took] about two months,” Glines said. “We were changing this entire space from basically just a retail store to a kitchen.”
Glines has learned a lesson in the short few days of being open.
“Everybody says ‘don’t open until you’re ready,’ but the first thing we found out was like when we thought we were ready – you’re really not,” Glines said.
After opening night, and realizing the issues that popped up, there are some changes being made to accommodate the flow of business.
“We are currently waiting for a walk-in cooler to chill the kegs and get some kinks worked out with the tap lines as well,” Hruska said. The Crowbar & Grill hopes to serve up to 15 craft beers on tap.
“Another issue has been keeping a steady list of bottled beers for people to choose from. The distributors didn’t expect us to be needing so much of so many, and we keep buying out their stock,” Hruska said.
The Crowbar & Grill sets itself apart by its mood and relaxed atmosphere.
“It’s a great place to go for groups just wanting to eat, sit around and talk and enjoy some beers and cocktails you don’t normally find in other establishments in Laramie, or go on a date, or just got sit at the bar and have a conversation with someone,” Hruska said. “The Crowbar and Grill is different because of the atmosphere we are trying to provide.”
