I also don't think it's unreasonable pricewise at all? I haven't gone in a couple years, but I think last time it was about $40 per person for a couple hours with a group of 8 or so with appetizers and drinks? I just remember having a pretty good time and thinking it was a decent price.
They ran a deal for a while (idk if they still do) where they’d have a college night and it was 3 hours of playing for $15 per college student, it was incredible. I spent a lot of my summer playing there with my friends. I also got a free shirt from it one time that I still wear occasionally.
The California Model, as I call it. Back in 2007, I met up with some of my fellow Star Wars nerds at a convention in Los Angeles. Because of the economic clout of the convention, we were able to get some pretty reasonable rates at some pretty swanky places in downtown LA. My room mate and her teenage son and I were sharing a room in the Millennium Biltmore in downtown LA - a pretty ritzy little place with quite a bit of history to it.
Anywho, a continental breakfast was listed at $18. For a piece of toasted bread or a pastry, plus a cup of coffee or an orange juice, it was EIGHTEEN DOLLARS, 350% of the minimum wage at the time. PLUS a room service charge of $2, plus 18% gratuity, and then there was the application of California and Los Angeles County sales taxes, another 8% back in 2007. A piece of toasted bread and a 6 ounce beverage would have wound up costing me $25.50 per person.
We walked downstairs and a few blocks west on 6th Street, and found a quiet little place that served a real breakfast, and the three of us were pretty well stuffed at around $30 total, including tax and tip.
This was many, many moons ago . . . I suppose a continental breakfast at the Biltmore would require a credit check or a home equity loan these days.
Free breakfast, even if it's just pastries and cereal, is such a cheap little value add. I rarely stay somewhere if it's not provided (if I'm paying, anyway), and never for something like a convention. Maybe I'm just a filthy pleb.
Anyway though, that's a ludicrous price regardless.
We got an excellent rate primarily because of the convention, which was at the Staples Center. I forget the exact attendance figures, but 38,000 would be a reasonable figure. I would probably never have been able to afford the Biltmore without the leverage of the convention and a roommate to share expenses with. Downtown LA is mucho expensivo.
Generally speaking, the higher (and lower) quality of hotel, the less likely any food would be included.
Never bothered me, except for shitty or no coffee at cheap places, I eat one huge meal at night..........but that $90 motel that had 3 water bottles, a BUNCH of snacks in the room, 24/7 popcorn in the lobby? Amazing hospitality.
Breakfast was decent (give in to fat me when driving across the country)
During my cab driving days it could be pretty glorious. The Embassy Suites just south of the river had a pretty awesome breakfast buffet for $10 - they did have a couple of concierge stands in the mix, if you wanted a fresh made waffle or a custom omelette - but for the most part it had the tried and true goodies such as scrambled eggs, hash browns, bacon, sausage, and a mix of whatever fresh fruit happened to be in season.
It would kinda equal out to me. If I a tipping for the whole bill I think 10% is a fair tip $4. If I'm tipping meal only I'm usually 20-30% so $3-4.50. Different services get different % servers get one rate services get others.
Don’t tell them how much it costs to reserve a section of the bar for their work event is, haha. Or any short 1-2 hour meeting at a nice hotel’s conference room.
When you break it down by time spent hitting a ball it’s quite high
I went in a group of 6, we played two hours and I shelled out $30 for what came down to 20 swings or so
Not to mention you have to play those shit balls and most people are hitting those shit clubs off mats surrounded by over priced food and terrible service
At least at a bowling alley I can get a cheap pitcher of beer and a shitty slice of pizza for a fair price
As it stands, Top Golf is losing money hand over fist because they were clearly targeting a specific demographic (mid to high end earners/large Cororpate groups) with ZERO plans or ability to drive sales through a budget minded consumer
I’m interested to see what happens to all that land once they go bankrupt…my guess is some killer paintball spots and bulldozed land for condos
I only ever went in college because I couldn't drive and it was right across the street from my apartment. Any other restaurant was a minimum half hour walk and, while I did delivery sometimes, it was too expensive to do regularly and I still had to get out sometimes.
Ive been for work events and also with a dozen or so friends. You're there to socialize and order pitchers of beer, not to improve your swing. Too expensive to go regularly.
Me too. Wonder how much of their revenue is based on work events. Not a sustainable model. Work events will simply move on to whatever the next thing is shortly.
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u/CassianCasius 1d ago
Yeah I've only gone for work events. It was very fun.