Tony’s Pubs-N-Subs began vying for a piece of Elon’s shifting bar scene, forcing its competitors have move away from the nightlife, preferring to set themselves apart in a different fashion.
West End Terrace’s new ownership has positioned its business as more of a restaurant and less of a bar. At the same time, Elon University has succeeded in cornering a segment of the student event organization market with its repurposing of Tap House.
Reclaimed in fall 2013, Tap House is becoming one of the most popular places for student-run organizations to hold events, a distinction once held by West End. Since last fall, the university-owned space has held 155 events.
Though Tony’s hosted only five events since opening this winter, its doors are usually packed on a Thursday evening with swarms of students. According to bar owner Tony Caruso, it isn’t exactly hurting in the revenue department.
“We’re just very popular because of word of mouth,” Caruso said. “We don’t do a ton of advertising, but on a college campus, word of mouth wins every time.”
When it comes to events, cost also matters to students. Tap House charges a base fee of $85, with additions for the sound system, food or provided alcohol. Tony’s prefers a flat rate that comes with a DJ, which varies event-by-event.
Though he’s hosted less than a half-dozen events so far, Caruso said he’s looking to expand. He points to a difference in the kind of patrons who seek out what Tony’s has to offer.
“Most of my events have been nighttime theme parties,” Caruso said. “The most common patrons we host events for are sororities their clientele.
Adam Bell, assistant director of student activities, said groups ranging from student organizations to morning music classes reserve Tap House.
“Almost everyone who rents out Tap House belongs to a student-run organization,” said A. “We rarely have Greek life members or athletes wanting to rent out Tap House, although we highly encourage they utilize the space.”
Tap House isn’t limited to parties, though. Campus Rec often uses the facility for different purposes along with formals and banquets.
“It’s a great place to rent because of the state-of-the-art sound system and stage set up,” Bell said. “That’s what makes it popular.”
Recent events held at Tap House include Spectrum’s Dragstravaganza, the Class of 1994 reunion, open mic nights and the music department’s fall and spring concerts.
Despite the fact that Tap House has hosted some events with success, it often flies under the radar for students.
Freshman Caroline McLaughlin recently attended a date party held at Tony’s.
“Even though Tony’s is new and is still working on meeting the needs of its customers, the overall experience was fun and enjoyable,” McLaughlin said. “It’s great to have another bar around campus.”
Securing the spaces
In addition to clientele, the process for renting out Tap House and Tony’s vary.
It’s slightly more complex to rent out Tap House because two members of an organization must be trained with using Elon’s Space, Planning and Calendar Event Scheduling (SPACES).
“SPACES training happens once a semester,” Bell said. “It’s a training process two students in an organization must go through in order to be granted permission to rent spaces for an event.”
In addition to being SPACES trained, one must file a formal rental request with Bell.
After the request has been received, forms asking for various pieces of information are sent.
“The forms ask for a description of the event, set up details, and contact names,” Bell said. “It’s also important to know whether or not they’ll need the sound system set up in Tap House or not. The equipment is expensive, and student workers will need to run it for the event.”
Another unique perk of Tap House is that students are allowed to have alcohol in the building.
“It’s the only place on campus that alcohol is allowed,” Bell said. “However, we have to be aware in advance so we can hire officers to monitor the location.”
If an organization wants to have food at its event, coordination with Aramark is necessary — and if there’s alcohol, it is required there is also food present.
Other than food cost, renting Tap House is fairly inexpensive for students.
The process for renting Tony’s is much simpler than that of Tap House.
“Typically I’ll receive a call from someone asking about renting the space for a particular date,” Caruso said. “All I’ll really need to know is what sort of event they’re throwing and whether or not they’d like food provided.”
While the process takes less time, it can be slightly more expensive than Tap House.
“The most I’ve charged an organization is $300,” Caruso said. “Most times, regardless of the price, we’ll provide a DJ.”
Bell recognizes that both Tony’s and Tap House are needed to provide the student body with a variety of event locations.
“I know Tony’s is the popular hot spot right now, but I also know that Elon organizations need this space,” Bell said. “We need multiple venues for many different events.”