Assignment 7A - Testing the Hypothesis, Part 1

Assignment 7A – Testing the Hypothesis, Part 1

Additional Bar in Midtown

·      Opportunity:

o   University of Florida students, who live in Gainesville, Florida, go out at night in midtown and are constantly waiting in long lines because of the lack of bars and clubs in the location.

§  The who: University of Florida college students

§  The what: Midtown is overcrowded causing students to wait in long lines

§  The why: There are not enough bars and clubs in midtown, which causes there to be overcrowding

·      Testing the who: This is a potential need for others located in Gainesville. Not just students go out at midtown, some adults living here will also go out. And they have to deal with the over crowdedness and long lines as well. But, I think the majority of the “who” are students who commonly go out at night to midtown bars and clubs.

·      Testing the what: One question to ask is, “Are all bars and clubs a problem, or just some?” I think there are typically 2-3 bars that are overcrowded with long lines. This is also not a problem every day of the week. Most lines occur Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday nights. More specifically, the lines occur during prime hours of going out. Usually between around 8:30PM-11PM.

·      Testing the why: Some other possible “why” explanations for this opportunity are students could be looking for a new, unique bar or club to go to that is not offered in midtown. Although there are many different options of places to go in midtown, there is an opportunity to open a new type of bar that would appeal to more people. Currently, there are some bars that are underutilized, so this opens up an opportunity for a different type of bar to open.

·      Interview #1:

o   For this interview, I spoke to a girl who goes out around 2 nights during a typical week. She spoke about her frustration of the lack of options in midtown. This student feels that there are 3 popular bars to go to on any given night. The other options in midtown are either not fun or never crowded enough to go to. When I mentioned to her potentially opening a new bar or club in the empty buildings near midtown, she was quick to respond that it should be a 21+ bar. She said that although this is an ongoing issue in midtown, if the bar that opens is not popular with students, it will not have an impact on the problem.

·      Interview #2:

o   It was important for me to interview someone who does not go out often. I wanted to get their perspective on introducing a new bar or club in midtown. She explained to me that she is not into going out and drink, so heading to midtown at night has never been something she took part in. She said she’s heard people complain about lines, but doesn’t understand because there are so many options already to go to. Including some restaurants that turn into places to go out at. In her opinion, a new bar opening is unnecessary. She feels that the empty space near midtown could go to better use, such as opening a new parking garage or a popular dinner chain. This way it would benefit all students, not just those who go out.

·      Interview #3

o   I decided to interview a 22 year old male student here at UF. He said he only goes out a few times to midtown a semester, partly because he doesn’t like going out in large crowds. He shared that he goes to downtown in Gainesville much more often. When I asked him if he would consider going to midtown more if there was a new bar opened he sounded doubtful. He wants to go to a bar with more of a laid back feel, and midtown bars don’t have that atmosphere he said. Even if they aren’t as crowded it’s not the same as being downtown. He feels that no matter how many bars are in midtown, it is always going to be crowded with long lines, partly due to how close all of the bars are located.

·      Interview #4

o   I also interviewed a young bouncer here at a popular bar. He is a student, but works 3-4 nights as a bouncer. He said he doesn’t go out often because of how much he works, but he gets to see more of midtown than most people see. When I mentioned to him the opportunity to open a new bar in the open space near midtown he said he had talked about the idea before with friends. Because he’s heard so many people complain about the lines and overcrowding, he thought it was a great idea. However, he said that it needs to be the right bar that is going to be popular with students. If no one wants to go, then it won’t be effective at lowering line waits.

·      Interview #5

o   In this interview, I spoke to a local here in Gainesville. She has lived here most of her life and often goes out in midtown and downtown, despite being older than most students. She told me that she doesn’t often go out on nights when it is busy and she never goes and waits in lines for bars. She prefers to go downtown, where the atmosphere is more relaxed. When I brought up the idea to open a new bar in midtown she said she has previously given thought into what should go in those empty buildings. In her opinion, it is a good opportunity to open up a new restaurant/bar in that area, that is more focused on food and casual drinking.

·      Given your interviews, what do you know about the opportunity that you didn’t know before?

o   I was initially surprised after these interviews at the diverse responses I received on what should in the empty buildings by midtown. But after thinking about it, there is probably a small percentage of students that go out often enough for a new bar to significantly impact them. Many students are also 21, so a new bar would have no impact on them.

o   In my second interview, I started to think about what other options should be considered to go in the empty buildings. I think it is important to consider all options, especially the ones that will impact the most students. While I still think a new bar or club would be beneficial to many students, it may not have the largest impact on the community.

o   These interviews also made me consider the impact downtown has on this decision. Downtown is a very different atmosphere from midtown, so when opening a new bar in midtown, it is important to consider what type of feeling it should have and why students would want to go there.

o   Before making a final decision on this opportunity, I think it is important to interview a diverse, large group of UF students, to get the best idea of what students want.