Forsyth Mo – John's Frosted Mug
is a bar slash restaurant that has been an icon in my small town for
a number of decades. When I was working, I'd often stop there for a
couple of cold beers and maybe a game of pool after I'd get off. I
started going there back in 1992 or so and feel that I know the venue
fairly well.
That was then, and now is now, however.
The Mug, in my opinion, faces a number of issues that could prove to
be problematic for any long term survival. Let me list five of them
here;
- I cannot remember when either the outside or the inside has last seen a significant effort at renovation. In 2018, it's now showing some clear signs of wear and tear that likely do little to improvement customer expectations.
- The Mug is a smoking only facility, meaning that there are no accommodations for non-smokers there at all! At a time where people have quit or are quitting in record number, this venue has become less and less appealing to larger and larger numbers of potential customers.
- The menu and especially the specials have become predictable and therefore uninspiring. While the quality of the food there is good, recent price increases may be playing to a smaller dinner crowd.
- The lone pool table has issues, (this according to a few avid players I've talked to). Apparently the rails have some dead spots that makes clean play a problem.
- Screaming infants really have no place in a smoke filled adult bar, yet they make regular appearances.
These are all problems that have pretty
straight forward solutions. I decided to post this, not to condemn
the establishment, but in the hopes that some needed changes can be
made so that it will once again become a thriving and popular place
to grab a cold one on a hot summer day.
