Fire & Ice Bar & Grill

They need a web site so you know if they have a band, Motorcycle Poker Run, or just a boring night.
Let’s get some information out to the customers. Todd needs to work on this.

Have been there twice to see an out of state band (The Living Deads) that play there occasionally. The bar is pretty clean and I’ve had great service from the bartenders, both male and female. The regulars that go there seem like really nice people. If it wasn’t more than 10 miles from my house, I could see myself hanging out there periodically.

Lots of potential here, but I’m not sure the owner knows what it takes to run a bar successfully. With the money spent on fixing the place up (it’s pretty nice) I can’t imagine they’re not losing money with the kind of business they are doing. I’ve been in here quite a few times and I almost think they run the place as a hangout for their friends rather than as a money-​making business.
Service here is very good, however — the bar staff is very friendly and helpful (the blonde bartender with the cute dimples is a favorite) and the food is very good as well. Prices are affordable, and it’s nice that they finally added some draft beer here. The décor isn’t that original, but the place is new and clean, which is a big plus. Bar itself is very large, restrooms are spacious and clean, enough parking available — especially for the level of business they are doing now.
Now the downside. There are just a few obvious things — pool table should be at the back of the house, rather than right at the front; they should switch it with the performance area — especially with the big windows, people driving by could see if they have a live band or not. Anything would help — they have a nice place here, but they need to get more butts on barstools. Hanging grand opening signs out front isn’t going to cut it — I have no idea why they don’t bother to insert a simple listing in the Beacon «Enjoy» section when they’re having a live band; I don’t even think it costs anything to do that. Last Saturday night, they had a great band in there — but hardly any people, because no one knew they were there. They also do some fun trivia nights — with a DJ — but apparently no one knows about that either, since they usually play to a handful of customers.
Much of the clientele here followed the owners up from their old bar on Martha Ave. — but that small crowd is LOST in this big place. I doubt that they will pull much neighborhood business from the other nearby bars, so unless they get NEW people to stop in and check the place out… That means spending a few buck on advertising — and I don’t mean just having a Facebook site — getting «liked» by a handful of regulars and «talked about» by 5 people isn’t cutting it. One other thought: How about a Ladies Night? I don’t think another bar in Ellet does that, and Wednesdays are open, believe me.
Customer mix here is ok. Some bikers (don’t worry, they’re harmless), regular folk, a few overweight chicks, a handful of «lookers» now and then, typical guys with shaved heads and «door-​knocker» facial hair, people who still smoke pot, old guys with nothing better to do, a handful of neighborhood folks waiting for the place to get better… you get the picture. I’d really like to see this place do well, but unless they raise their game, they’re going to end up like The Bourbon Room over on Canton Rd. That place closed so fast, few people even remember that it was open.
Addendum — July 2014: Seems like the owners have figured it out and the crowds seem to be of a more consistent number and quality. Definitely worth checking out.