I heard on the radio this morning that the "world famous" Loockerman Exchange (also self-referred to as "the Lex") has closed its doors. Having visited this establishment a couple of times, I find this as no surprise. Rather than kick a man while he is down, however, I will point out what likely businesses would succeed in that prime piece of commercial real estate.
A few thoughts. First, there needs to be some sort of take out lunch place, like a Panera bread. I think even a local chain like Purebread Deli would do well. Or a Starbucks. In either case, part of that property would need to have that aspect to it in order to make money off the Dover lunch crowd.
I'll even tell you the key to success for any of these restaurants: Lunch under 60 minutes. Too many restaurants in Dover (the late Loockerman included) take far too long to serve your food. Most jobs don't appreciate taking lunch breaks that last longer than an hour (which includes driving). I thought that was a given, but there seems to be a shortage of restaurants in Dover that understand that concept. The non-exhaustive list, from my experience, includes: Lobby House, The Lex, 33 West, Smithers, and TGI Fridays, to name a few downtown. 33 West is the fastest of all of them by about 15 minutes (on a good day).
The second type of business that would succeed in the other half of this space would be a English pub, similar to Catherine Rooneys in Trolley Square or Kid Schellens. I also think an Iron Hill would do well down in Dover. My point is that these bars, unlike Lobby House or Smithers or Buffalo Wild Wings, could target a different crowd and capture an untapped market. Or they could segment the market. Either way, it's all about brand identity, of which the "world famous" Lex did not have.
While the article above cites to construction as costing them revenue, I find this excuse to be more of a red herring. The reason why that business failed is largely due to its business strategy (or lack thereof) and failure to understand the Dover market. I don't purport to say that I am an expert on these issues, but I do know that no business is going to work in that location unless it has multiple draws to get people to come back downtown at night. Parking is a whole other issue.
Perhaps if this new business worked with area businesses such as the Schwartz Center or Dover Downs, it could more effectively reach a more diverse market willing to part with both their time and hard earned money. I, for one, can't wait to see what business will try and succeed there next.
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The LEx was doomed to fail from the beginning. Here we had a great site for a business to tap into an area that needed something new. The two owners who have no experience in the bar business (or certainly show none) have this "little man's" syndrome..."I know what's right,period". This lack of knowledge was evident from the opening, or should I say the so called opening that was slated for August, then September, no wait October, no, no, no I meant November....please. And don't blame the building inspectors and the city, they plain did not know what they were doing. Now lets go to the opening night(finally) in Dec. 06...people waiting at the door to come in, everyone is excited...the doors open, the fun begins, or does it? Within an hour, the bars are so backed up that it takes over 20-30 minutes to get a drink...why? A number of reasons; first the staff was given no training on the computer system that was just installed the previous few days. Next the bars do not have enough terminals for the bartenders to ring on, so they literally stood in line to ring customers out. The glass dilemma is next. "Our customers want to drink out of a glass"... no, your customers just want to get a drink in under 20 minutes. That's impossible if you are constantly running out of glasses. And last, no change(currency). This is bar ownership 101...you need change to run a bar, simple. The owners/co-owners decided to hire a friend as a bar manager...bad idea. Friendship and business partners don't go hand in hand. Hire someone who knows what they are doing, not because he is a friend and you golf with him on the weekends. The bar set-up from the start was dismal, and many including myself brought it to the attention of the owner/managers, but to no avail...they know best. Then we have a co-owner who like to play bartender and runs up a house tab of over $200 almost nightly. For those of you not in the business, a house tab is basically liquor that is given away...you do the math on that one. Now you may be asking how I know all of this, well I worked at LEx for a time. I know what your thinking, a pissed off former employee is venting, not the case. I have been in the bar business for over 20 years, and while I do not claim to know everything, I do know alot. And so did many of the other employees who worked there, for however a brief time it was. I will leave my rant with this last note, I made a prediction that the LEx would not last a year because of the owners/managers (Mark, Brett, John) lack of basic bar knowledge. I know that Brett and John have left and by the way that was a good move...for LEx!, but you still have the all knowing New York big mouth who blames road construction for it's demise...nice job moron..."now go get your shine box"!
I agree that it's odd that the bars in Dover are so slow in serving drinks. From my understanding, it's a management and not a server issue.
I also agree that the Lex was run very oddly for a bar. I can understand charging a cover for a live band, but a DJ? That doesn't happen in Philly or Wilmington, so I was a bit surprised to see it happen there.
For being a college town, I'm surprised that these local bars don't cater more toward the college crowd. For that matter, I'm surprised that there aren't any bars that cater toward the so-called "young professional" crowd either.
Is the answer that all the doctors, health care professionals, lawyers, teachers, etc. are married? Or that all of the 21+ year old Wesley/DSU students never venture off campus? I can't imagine the answer to that question is yes. For that matter, I can't imagine that Smithers is the only bar that seems to even have a "college night," and I'll reserve comment on that for another time.
Thanks for your post. Any thoughts on what would succeed in that location?
Let's not forget that the owner (Marc) would constantly harrass customers by hovering over them while being sweaty and discheveled with bad breath. How would you feel if you were having a nice meal with your wife/girlfriend and some wierdo was sitting next to her grabbing her and asking if she would like to "see the office". I would also like to say that I think the management (Jason Leone and J.R. Passon) did a wonderful job of trying to deal with Marc. The time those two put in is incredable. It's just a shame that they couldnt get the money in faster that Marc was paying his own personal crap with.
10:03 - what would be your solution to the problem then? There's a difference between criticism and constructive criticism. Although not directed at me, I encourage you to elaborate on your point further, without exposing yourself to legal liability.
While this comment is not directed at this person per se, I think it makes a good segway into talking about the great debate on blogging and where free speech starts to lose its protections, and that will be my next entry.
I agree, with your comments, it seems like I'm not the only one who saw this coming. As far as Jason and JR, again I agree, they seemed to have a true understanding of what needed to be done, but were always "outranked", by the others. As far as the owners lack of hygiene, you can't expect much more, he actually used to sleep at the bar. Now to a point you brought up about the patrons. I was told from the begining, that they did not want any college students in the bar. It was going to be upscale and cater to the people on the green. That would be fine, but these professionals have families and children, that they go home to each night...then have to go to work the next day. I could see trying to attract that crowd for a happy hour, but they are not going to stay around during the week until late night. And to ignore a customer base like the colleges within such a close proximty is bad business. And lets just mention , what I could only assume was a last ditch effort to salvage the place...the under 21 scheme. I'm still not sure how they slipped this by the ABC. Lets charge an outrageous cover to the minors just to get some people in the bar. And thats what the older crowd wanted, to be partying in a bar only to look over and see the neighbors 16 year old daughter...nice. Now for the "what to do with that place"...I'm sure the owners will want a ridiculous price for it, since it is now up to code and operational. However, ask any bartender, actually any good bartender, and they will tell you that the bars need restructing in order to serve the patrons more efficiently. With the right management the place will do well. If I had a lot more money, I'd but it myself.
The solution to the problem is simple. Fact is that in the year that Loockerman Exchange was open it did over $900,000 in revenue. Another fact is that in just the first 3 months, over $73,000 was paid out in non-business expenditures, ie. personal credit cards, cell phone/house phone payments, mortgages, personal electric bills, dropping $500-$1000 at a restaurant (which is just silly if you own one), etc. You just can't run a business that way, especially a new one. As for Dave, there were only two daves that worked there. One was a bartender (a bad one at that) and one was a barback. Neither of who would know what was going on.
I have no problem with paying a cover; it happens all the time (when there is something worth paying a cover for, such as a live band). I have no problem either targeting college students. I do seem to recall hearing they got busted for serving underage students, which typically carries a moderate fine.
The main problems I see with a business there (that doesn't understand the concept of a 1 hour lunch) is that it simply isn't a draw to bring non-college crowd (or to some degree, the "young professional" crowd) back to downtown Dover. The second main problem is parking, although I'm sure some sort of deal could be negotiated with the post office.
There are plenty of businesses that could work there, understanding that the main hurdle is that you have to run it like a business and not a personal party house, as these comments seem to suggest it was. It's the owner's money, so he can do what he wants with it. Most people like making money though, but maybe he has a unique understanding of the tax code that nobody else does. Alternatively, maybe he should have hired an objective consultant crew to ensure his investment was going to work.
In the current buyer's market, someone will snatch that place up. At the very least, maybe Zimmerman will buy it and turn it into a multipurpose facility with a parking garage.
It appears that no matter if the individual was a bartender, barback or parking lot attendant they had the insight to know the mangement couldn't operate a one man newspaper stand on the street corner. And if you think you are the only one who had those figures you're wrong, they simply show a complete lack of money management skills. But hey, maybe that's what they wanted...in any case...seeee yaaaa!
And remember you shouldn't always go by names...especially in a comment area...someone may have given a false one
The Loockerman Exchange never got a fine for having minors in the place. Why? Oh yeah...they have a restaurant license. They actually had a leg up in that aspect. I remember being in my lower 20's and having friends that weren't quite 21. going to a place where you can take your underage friends is a good draw.
They wouldn't have gotten a fine unless they were serving underage minors. One of the bartenders told me that they had been busted for underage drinkers, which is why they had to card all of the people they were serving. Perhaps she was mistaken.
There were minors that came in drunk, and the ABC agents arrested them...Had noting to do with Loockerman.
As embarrassing as it is to say, Marc Pomi is my Uncle. I just found this site and am absolutely humiliated by what I am reading. My father (Marcs ONLY brother) died when I was young and I was put into foster homes. For the last two years, I have been suffering from severe health problems and paying my own way through college. During that whole time, my uncle was telling me that he had no money at all to help me and that my grandmother had left me nothing. I am writing this now because I feel sick to my gut after what I have read. I want him to be held accountable for his actions and for people to know exactly just what kind of man he is.
Uncle Marc, if you are reading this, you are lucky my father is dead because if he were alive, he would kill you. How can you live with yourself?
As embarrassing as it is to say, Marc Pomi is my Uncle. I just found this site and am absolutely humiliated by what I am reading. My father (Marcs ONLY brother) died when I was young and I was put into foster homes. For the last two years, I have been suffering from severe health problems and paying my own way through college. During that whole time, my uncle was telling me that he had no money at all to help me and that my grandmother had left me nothing. I am writing this now because I feel sick to my gut after what I have read. I want him to be held accountable for his actions and for people to know exactly just what kind of man he is.
Uncle Marc, if you are reading this, you are lucky my father is dead because if he were alive, he would kill you. How can you live with yourself?
hey jackass you should get your facts straight.if you have something to say say it to my face. you probabally never had more then ten bucks to your name.you are a typical uneducated employee who takes no risks but knows all.ask jason today what he thinks his answer may surprise you.i know who you are so tell me to my face what you only have the testicals to say online
Wow. This is another great example of why the internet is such a great draw for the ignorant. I'm amazed at how so many people can make comments on such a subject to which they have no or little knowledge of, especically you Jill. It's great for all of you to make comments and not know the full story. Yes the owners made mistakes, and there's no denying that. But are any of you perfect? The majority of the problems started when people were stealing. I don't know about any of you, but in NY, stealing is a bad thing. Also, as for the cover charge, you can't get into a night club in NY with a DJ without a cover charge! We're so sorry that the owners tried to bring you an upscale establishment! I hope for all of your sakes that you never enter the real world and see what it's like, because you obviously would never make it.
For the record, the above two comments are from the same poster in Smithtown, NY (71.125.25.#).
I agree that this thread has taken a turn for the odd, particularly considering that it started as simply my observation that the business most likely failed for wont of a better location.
Nevertheless, in an effort to make this a more productive dialog, I make a suggestion to stop pointing fingers as to why this business failed and instead make suggestions as to what businesses could possibly succeed in its place. As I have suggested, there are some, with probably similar start-up costs, that could do better.
In response to the last post, I agree that in NY, most clubs and bars charge a cover. My point was that economics of this area are a little different - upscale can work, but probably not to the degree that places like Deep or Ava Lounge has. It may work in Wilmington, and maybe Dover, but not at that location. Just my thoughts.
For the record, the February 4th comment is not from the same poster, as I did not post the February 3rd comment. The original goal of the business was to spark downtown revitalization, with the hope that the economics of the area would improve. I don't think anyone quite realizes what start up costs actually are. If things continue there the way they are going, then no business will succeed there. The people of the town have to want to make their main street area better, it won't happen by magic.
so lets get this straight as long as i agre with you everything is ok and we shouldnt point fingers.you should be able to say untrue facts as long as you agree. liable slander are two words you should investigate.
Well, normally I would not engage with someone of little intellect as yourself, but in this case I'll make an exception. First of all, before you call someone uneducated, you may want to think about getting some common sense and click spell check, since you can't spell and have poor grammar. Let's have a spelling lesson...ok...it's spelled probably, not "probablly" and (I really love this one)...testicles, not "testicals". Oh and by the way...capitalize the first letter after a period, just thought I'd throw in a grammar lesson for you as well. How do I know so much information you ask? I have a Master's Degree, that means I'll forget more than you will ever learn. As far as having only ten bucks in my pocket, that may be case somedays, but I've never ripped anyone off or stolen from anyone, and I can pay my own mortgage...my conscious is clear. And you will notice I've stopped posting to this site a long time ago since the outcome of the people or place makes no difference to me, but if you would like to converse in person, you know where to find me. Otherwise don't waste my time with this childish banter.
In response to the Feb. 5 9:21 AM comment, I think that's a good point. The start up costs of most businesses, particular restaurants, are considerable, and if not properly projected, can lead to deeper losses than are sustainable. It's why most businesses fail within a year of starting up.
The problem I see with that particular area of Dover is multifaceted and warrants an additional entry. I make note of the comment on this page, and am going to give some thought during one of my commutes to what businesses could actually thrive there.
Also, 9:21 is correct in distinguishing himself from the commentator from 2/3 11:17 and 2/5 10:28.
Regarding the points about anonymous commentary, it's an interesting issue that two people wrote about in the paper a while back (point/counterpoint). My views are more aligned with the counterpoint, but if you think there's a third point of view that is missing, feel free to post a comment there.
News is that The Loockerman Exchange will be open sometime at the end of the summer under new LOCAL ownership. Core management team will still be intact.
Well, I'm not sure if the news about the restaurant reopening is true, but I do know some things. First of all, for downtown revitalization to occur, the community and township must support it, not just make empty promises, as were made to the previous owner. Downtown revitalization takes so much more than words... I personally work in this field right now and know the extensive planning and costs which go into it. If the community really believes that this was not the proper area for this sort of business, then it will not succeed again, especially since the business will be taken over by underhanded manners. Local ownership or not, the fact still remains that there is not town and community support and unless there is, Dover will still be a very poor and outdated town.
On a side note... I find it interesting that someone who started with childish banter has the audacity to post about continuing such banter, especially since said poster initiated it. Said poster also has great arrogance stating that he hasn't stolen from anyone or ripped them off, and making such accusations with only pure gossip to base such accusations on. Facts are facts, and a poster should have them straight before spreading slanderous gossip.
The person who is opening it is a well respected member of the community and has his support. I'm not at liberty to say who just yet, but I am confident that there will be no problems. As far as being taken by underhanded manners, that is not so. The previous owner had an investor try and help him, but instead the guy tried to steal it from him by taking everything out. The landlord revoked the lease, and the current ownership came in. The only underhanded thing I see there is the investor.
I saw in the paper that the Loockerman Exchange is set to reopen and have posted my recollection of the article here.
The LEx is slated to open tonight. (Although, it may not fair well with the competition coming from Bubba's...its their 4th anniversary Party with Mike Hines performing) And its now called Leone's Loockerman Exchange. Guess who bought it?
A lot of the problems with LEx was with the management... and the staff... charging arbitrary covers based upon your looks. I'm looking forward to it opening... hopefully the experience will be much better.
Well, we must have done something right because we packed the place even with Mike Hines playing at Bubba's and Kristen and the Noise playing the Fireman's convention at JW's...and with the same management as last time...so apparently it's not the management that was the problem. As for charging covers based on looks...we do not do that. the cover is based on the time of night and the amount of people inside. if it's 12am a person is not going to spend enough money to warrent them taking a spot in the place. Also, if we're getting close to max capacity, raising the cover will help us slow the traffic comming in. please remember that this is a business and the cover charge is used to pay for entertainment and high security. we run anywhere from 10-12 bouncers on friday and saturday, and this is for the public. People like comming to our place because they feel safe. Make no mistake...we don't put this much security on because we have alot of problems...we put this much on so there won't be any.
J.R.
I always had a great time at the LEx! Can't wait to stop by this Friday to check out the new and improved LEx!
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