We've got lots of pictures of Sandbar shirts in all kinds of fun places, like tropical islands and mountaintops and foreign countries, but this might be a first.
We recently spotted one of our shirts on the inside cover of a music CD!
One of Dave's favorite bands, Jason Boland and the Stragglers, travels through the Lawrence and Kansas City a few times a year, and he tries to make it to every show. Once upon a time, he gave Roger, the band's pedal steel/guitar player, a Sandbar shirt. We've been pleasantly surprised to see it make a public appearance a few times.
The band recently released a new CD, and Dave downloaded it from iTunes. Then, one of our Facebook fans (thanks Brandon!) posted a picture and a comment on our Facebook page letting us know that Roger is wearing his Sandbar shirt on a photo inside the CD's cover!
Like any good fan, Dave then went out and bought not one, but two copies of the CD. Unless you know our shirts, you wouldn't be able to tell it's a Sandbar shirt…but we definitely recognize it.
The Stragglers will be in Lawrence this Thursday, Dec. 1, at the Granada. If you like good Americana/red dirt/Texas country music, check them out. And stop by the Sandbar before the show for a pre-party; we like to think we've become the unofficial pre-party spot for these type of shows.
But we also end up with a rather large assortment of coats, jackets, hats, gloves, scarves and less frequently, other random items like cameras and purses. Often, the owner never comes back for them.
What do we do with all this stuff? Well, we do have a lost and found box in our office. Credit cards and things like cameras, phones and wallets stay near the register. We usually assume that the owner will come calling for those items quickly.
Coats, jackets, umbrellas and other apparel go upstairs in a tub. We'll hold onto your stuff for a long time. Probably longer than most places would. We like to think that the next day, when the hangover has worn off and you realize you're freezing, that you'll remember where you left your coat and come get it. Some people do. Some people don't.
Eventually, the leftover credit cards are shredded. We've made many attempts, some successful, to identify owners of left-behind cameras and wallets. With clothing, there's virtually no way to find out who it belongs to, so unclaimed property is eventually donated.
Earlier this year, we took a big box of coats, jackets and other apparel to Goodwill. A few weeks ago, we took another pile of winter items to Scotch Fabric Care for their "Share the Warmth" project. They'll clean the items and then donate them to the Salvation Army.
So if you find yourself missing a coat or umbrella after a recent night out at the Sandbar, call us. If we've got it and you can identify it, we'll happily return it to you.
People leave their credit cards behind at the bar nearly every night. We don't judge; we've all done it. Sometimes people decide to pay their tab with cash and forget to grab their card. More often, someone's just had too much to drink and walks out without paying their tab.
Usually, the person quickly realizes their card is missing and calls back that night or the next day, comes in to pick it up, and all is well. Just so you know, our staff will go ahead and run the card to pay their tab so we can balance our cash register; they'll usually also add a 20% gratuity to the total.
Occasionally, though, the card sits. And sits, and sits. And no one ever calls or comes back to get it. Eventually, when we've collected a pile of cards that are seemingly abandoned, we shred them.
What should you do if you discover you left your card at the bar?
Call the next day. Stop by the bar during regular hours to pick up your card. Bring your photo ID with you; we want to protect our customers and be sure we're giving the card to the right person. Be polite to the bartender.
What not to do?
Don't wait two days to call the bar, especially when you're from out of town and you're leaving Lawrence in the next hour. Don't track down the manager's cell phone number and bother him at home. Don't argue and complain about the amount of your tab. You'd be surprised how often this happens; remember, you were the one drunk enough to leave your card behind, so it shouldn't surprise you that you don't remember ordering all those drinks. We don't add phantom drinks to your tab.
And don't feel bad about forgetting your card! Don't be embarrassed and you don't have to apologize. It happens to the best of us.
We've got another new tropical drink! It's not really "tropical," it's more like "seasonal," but whatever.
Thanks to our Man on the Street, Pat, for passing on the recipe for this one. It's been described as "Christmas in a glass" by Sandbar friend Ellie, who can't stop drinking them.
What is it?
An apple cider-like concoction with vodka and other spirits. It's perfect for the upcoming holiday season. If you haven't tried it yet, what are you waiting for?
Thanks also to bartender Tegan, who gave the drink its name.
And for those of you who stick around Lawrence- or come home to Lawrence- for Thanksgiving, we'll be open that night when you need a break from your family.
Sandbar friends Mike and Anne tied the knot on Saturday night, and we think it's about time!
Their wedding and reception was held at the lovely Stony Point Hall outside of Baldwin City. It was an outdoor wedding, and yes, it was cold. But it was beautiful and even funny, with references to Friends (the TV show) and The Wedding Singer movie during the ceremony.
The most surprising part? After the officiant- a friend of the family- introduced the couple as husband and wife and they started down the aisle, the Lawrence Bar Band started playing!
You don't get many opportunities to see the Bar Band outside of the bar, and this was pretty cool. They played KU tunes while the wedding party and guests headed back inside, and then they put on another show once everyone was back inside.
Here's a short video:
The happy couple hired Sandbar-tenders Blair and Andrew to man the bar all night, and they did a fine job. Even if they were dressed in white button-down shirts and ties instead of their typical T-shirts. Ask Andrew about the kids' table.
Congratulations, Mike and Anne! Your friends at the Sandbar wish you many years of happiness and tropical drinks!
There's a little tradition we like at the Sandbar on Tuesdays, and I don't mean the long-running $1.50 almost anything special (although we like that, too).
Tegan often works the early shift from 5-9 p.m., and she brings cookies. She likes to bake, but she doesn't actually like to eat the cookies, so she brings a container full of cookies for customers and friends to eat.
And if you've never experienced one of Tegan's cookies, you are missing out. Tonight's cookie was a bite of oatmeal Reese's Pieces deliciousness.
Be sure to stop by on a Tuesday night, you might be surprised with homemade cookies by Tegan!
Friday was 11.11.11. Dave and friends thought this was funny and a reason to have eleven drinks. No, they weren't going to do eleven shots at 11 p.m. or anything crazy like that, but they decided to finish off eleven drinks by 11:11 p.m.
They started early. Like 5 p.m. early. And at least a couple of those "drinks" were Dirty Banana shots which may or may not really count.
The last drink of the night, though, made up for it. They finished off with a "Bear Fight," which apparently is a car bomb followed by a Jager bomb. Not one of Dave's new favorites, by the way.
Last night, the Bear Fights made a reappearance. Bartender Tegan was wise (or at least wiser than the guys) and made hers a Cub Fight instead.
That's bartender Tyler sneaking his way into the picture.
