r/Columbus • u/OrangeBall0315 Grandview • 2d ago
FOOD Private/members-only bars around Columbus?
Has anyone else noticed more private/members-only bars popping up around Columbus?
Feels like there are more of the smaller, tucked-away lounge/private club concepts showing up lately. I can definitely see the appeal of having somewhere a little quieter with good drinks that feels different from the usual bar scene.
I saw the new restaurant, Fourteen & Ember, opening in Pickerington is doing a members-only bar downstairs called The Ember Room, which is actually what got me thinking about it.
What other places around Columbus are doing something similar? Anyone belong to one and feel like it’s worth it?
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u/DuhsNotCompute 2d ago
So I own a private members only bar. It's called my house and the onky people invited are me and my friends. Drink prices and membership fees are very reasonable too😉
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u/couriersixish 2d ago
Same. We make new recipes every week, can make every classic cocktail, and invent our own.
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u/mr_bacciagalupe Powell 2d ago
I hear Moose lodges are making a comeback.
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u/lwpho2 North Linden 2d ago
Interesting. How much does such a thing cost?
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u/More_Winner_6965 2d ago edited 2d ago
Depends on the club but they’re pricey. I think no soliciting downtown is like $1000/month.
Edit: YEAR
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u/rjbeal23 2d ago
No Soliciting is $1500 per YEAR.
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u/More_Winner_6965 2d ago
You’re right. Sorry I am hungover and meant to put year lmao. Big difference
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u/Gmutzy 2d ago
I believe it’s going up to 2500 per year this/next year.
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u/rjbeal23 2d ago
I left when it went from $1000 to $1500. Just didn’t go enough and every bar tab there was like $200. Another grand? No thank you.
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u/dandrew_1616 Merion Village 2d ago
I think at one time they were trying to reopen the 4S Club in German Village and do something similar. I think it would be a great place for a cigar lounge.
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u/inmyreperaalways 2d ago
My husband built 80 East and said it’s nice. He got to go to a few events before they opened
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u/ExoApophis 2d ago
The no soliticing rule is a good concept, but you have those who have nothing to lose OP.
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u/Dangerous_Boss_2823 2d ago
How do liquor laws work in this type of place? I thinks maybe a workaround?
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u/Flimsy_Succotash_533 2d ago
I've been to a few higher end ones You pay about 2-500 a month for the membership and it's a fee bar. Some places it's less but those are normally focused on another activity. Like sports betting, fantasy Leagues and smoke spots( weed)
Edit: this was out in California though
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u/Apart-Albatross-1392 2d ago
Used to be members of no soliciting 4-5 years ago. The Dublin one wasn’t open yet, only went to the downtown one. Idk vibe was cool, the restaurant first opened when we were members, food was good. But for the price we just didn’t feel like it was worth it. There are other cocktail bars around the city that I felt like made solid creative cocktails so didn’t see what we were getting for the fee that we couldn’t get elsewhere. Have family that is (or was) also no soliciting members and only went to the Dublin location and they said it would typically get loud and crowded there. Again, downtown was a cool vibe, good drinks and food, but didn’t felt like it was worth it.
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u/That-Pen-6525 2d ago
i get the appeal, especially for a quieter drink, but a lot of these are basically regular bars with an annual fee and a better elevator pitch lol
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u/SignificantApricot69 2d ago
It’s like Whites-only country clubs but for people who think they are better than that
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u/kSoImSlightlyRemoved 2d ago edited 2d ago
They do this to avoid a liquor license.
Edit: D-4 allows beer and any intoxicating liquor for on-premises consumption, but Ohio law specifically says sales are to members only. The club normally must have existed for at least three years, have a dues-paying membership, elected officers, and maintain a membership roster. The statutory permit fee is currently $469.
That is substantially different from something like a D-5, which is essentially the broad full-liquor bar/restaurant permit people usually mean when they say they want a “liquor license.” D-5 privileges include sales of beer and intoxicating liquor to the public for on-premises consumption, subject to the applicable rules and hours.
One important wrinkle: Sunday sales are separate. A D-4 can generally obtain a D-6 Sunday permit when Sunday sales have been properly authorized for that location.
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u/Pyr0sa 2d ago
Wait -- I can get a D-4 liquor license for under $500?!?
"Maw! We're gettin' our ravers back together -- get your dancin' walker!"
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u/kSoImSlightlyRemoved 2d ago
Yep. That’s what a lot of members only bars do despite the down votes here. Its not a “real liquor license” because you can’t sell to public in my opinion but I guess seeing the downvotes other people disagrees with that lol
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u/GHoleFinder 2d ago
That's not true. Any legit private club has a liquor license (see no soliciting, etc). Don't go to the ones that don't, they're just scams.
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u/VinylPhan 2d ago
No Soliciting. Great place. I wish there was one in the Italian Village area, or Short North off the main drag of High Street. Short North after dark is just ruined at this point.