Fiddlestrings Rules the San Angelo Bar Scene
Wow! That’s all I can think of when I saw Fiddlestrings at the top again, with a second six-figure month in a row. If you think of all the effort other venues in town leap to in order to attract a crowd, it is amazing that a hole-in-the-wall neighborhood bar, with dimly-lit dark rooms, and low ceilings, with a backyard swimming pool, is doing this well. Fiddlestring’s is the kind of place with a homely family feel. Except it’s the other part of the family. You know, like old Aunt Nelda’s former home, where she and Uncle Ted used to sit in front of the black and white television, smothering cigarette after cigarette in a Branson, Mo souvenir ashtray that’s balanced on the overstuffed arm of an off-brand Laz-Z-Boy recliner they bought at K-Mart in 1979.
And this is the top bar in San Angelo, two months in a row, beating nearest competitors like Midnight Rodeo by nearly $30k in sales! They do it with no bands, no gimmicks, no comedy nights. I don’t even think they have a pool league. Wow!
Graham’s Last Gasp
The Texas Country Music Festival, the all-day sweat-fest inside the cramped walls of the old Graham Brothers complex, was rumored to have been a flop. If the venue was on track to earn $30-35k for the month based upon May’s sales, the concert brought in maybe $25k-$30k in sales. According to the Texas tax filing form, one must report all door charges, so my opinion is that the tickets sold at the door are included in Graham’s alcohol sales total. They had the Randy Rogers Band, and they weren’t singing for free. Looks like the concert was a wash, best case.
Downtown Went Down
With the House of Fifi Dubois in the mixed beverage licensed club, downtown should see a boost. They didn’t this month. Blame it on the slow Summer months, or Fiddlestrings.
Fiddlestring’s amazingly sells 27% of the entire downtown intake. The Fiddlestrings bar didn’t need an open container law, a historical district declaration, a tax break, a government subsidy, an enterprise zone, or even the Randy Rogers Band, to top the charts. Don't allow my attempt at hyperbole and humor in the first paragraph take away from the great job Fiddlestring's is doing. The moral of that story is that that bar provides great service, fair prices, and they have a very loyal crowd. The point is, you don't need a fancy building, a gold-plated marketing budget, and a star-studded live music line-up to win the bar battles. That bar just kicks everyone’s ass with basic business principles.
By Area
| Area | Anchor | Gross Sales |
| Sherwood Way | Fiddlestrings | $483,289 |
| Southwest | Midnight Rodeo | $469,503 |
| Downtown | Blaine's | $390,806 |
The Top bars in San Angelo, June 2011
| Rank | Last Month | Venue | Tax | Gross Sales |
| 1 | 1 | FIDDLESTRINGS | $14,841.96 | $106,014.00 |
| 2 | 2 | BUFFALO WILD WINGS GRILL AND B | $10,927.56 | $78,054.00 |
| 3 | 4 | MIDNIGHT RODEO | $10,348.24 | $73,916.00 |
| 4 | 3 | FAST EDDIES | $7,334.04 | $52,386.00 |
| 5 | 10 | FAT BOSS'S PUB | $7,229.18 | $51,637.00 |
| 6 | 9 | SWA-GITO, LLC | $6,154.12 | $43,958.00 |
| 7 | 17 | GRAHAM CENTRAL STATION/CONCHO | $6,146.56 | $43,904.00 |
| 8 | 6 | THE DEADHORSE | $6,076.42 | $43,403.00 |
| 9 | 14 | TEXAS ROADHOUSE | $6,068.30 | $43,345.00 |
| 10 | 7 | GRINNERS DAIQURI BAR | $6,016.08 | $42,972.00 |
| 11 | 11 | OUTBACK STEAKHOUSE | $5,832.26 | $41,659.00 |
| 12 | 8 | BLAINE'S PUB | $5,798.38 | $41,417.00 |
| 13 | 5 | SHENANIGAN'S BAR | $5,751.90 | $41,085.00 |
| 14 | 12 | WOOFERS & TWEETERS BAR & GRILL | $5,272.26 | $37,659.00 |
| 15 | 16 | CHEDDAR'S CASUAL CAFE | $4,785.20 | $34,180.00 |
| 16 | 15 | CHILI'S GRILL & BAR | $4,726.12 | $33,758.00 |
| 17 | 13 | THE PARROT'S HEAD TAVERN | $4,676.28 | $33,402.00 |
| 18 | 21 | DESIREE'S PREFERRED GENTLEMENS | $4,616.08 | $32,972.00 |
| 19 | 18 | SPAM'S BAR AND LOUNGE | $4,183.76 | $29,884.00 |
| 20 | 22 | THE ORIGINAL HENRY'S | $3,763.06 | $26,879.00 |
| 21 | 35 | BLUEBONNET CONCESSIONS | $3,618.86 | $25,849.00 |
| 22 | 23 | THE STAGE COACH SALOON & DANCE | $3,478.58 | $24,847.00 |
| 23 | 20 | CORK AND PIG TAVERN | $3,373.02 | $24,093.00 |
| 24 | NEW | THE HOUSE OF FIFI DUBOIS | $3,267.04 | $23,336.00 |
| 25 | 19 | GIZ & HUM'S BILLIARDS & BREWS | $3,058.30 | $21,845.00 |
| 26 | 49 | THE WALL | $2,989.56 | $21,354.00 |
| 27 | 25 | THE GRILL | $2,822.26 | $20,159.00 |
| 28 | 26 | APPLEBEE'S NEIGHBORHOOD GRILL | $2,667.28 | $19,052.00 |
| 29 | 30 | SAN ANGELO COUNTRY CLUB | $2,472.12 | $17,658.00 |
| 30 | - | BENTWOOD C C L L C | $2,379.30 | $16,995.00 |
| 31 | 27 | LOGAN'S ROADHOUSE | $2,301.74 | $16,441.00 |
| 32 | 32 | THE WHARF RESTAURANT & TAVERN | $2,247.84 | $16,056.00 |
| 33 | 33 | QUICKSAND GOLF COURSE | $2,163.28 | $15,452.00 |
| 34 | 28 | FUENTES CAFE DOWNTOWN | $2,116.38 | $15,117.00 |
| 35 | 31 | KIMBO'S SALOON | $2,078.02 | $14,843.00 |
| 36 | 24 | PARTY RANCH | $1,977.64 | $14,126.00 |
| 37 | 36 | SAN ANGELO HOST/SAN ANGELO HOS | $1,882.02 | $13,443.00 |
| 38 | 34 | CARINO'S ITALIAN | $1,620.50 | $11,575.00 |
| 39 | NEW | THE PENNY PUB & GRILL, LLC | $1,232.70 | $8,805.00 |
| 40 | 38 | TWIN MOUNTAIN STEAK HOUSE | $911.54 | $6,511.00 |
| 41 | 45 | THE RIVER TERRACE RESTAURANT | $861.14 | $6,151.00 |
| 42 | 37 | LOS PANCHITOS AT EL PASEO | $780.08 | $5,572.00 |
| 43 | 39 | BONSAI GARDEN | $697.90 | $4,985.00 |
| 44 | 42 | SAN ANGELO SPRINGHILL SUITES | $620.48 | $4,432.00 |
| 45 | 43 | WESTERN SKY | $595.42 | $4,253.00 |
| 46 | 41 | LOS PACHITOS | $455.98 | $3,257.00 |
| 47 | 40 | CRAZY GOAT/CHIVO LOCO SPORTS B | $410.20 | $2,930.00 |
| 48 | 44 | THE VENUE | $398.02 | $2,843.00 |
| 49 | 46 | ICHIBAN JAPANESE STEAKHOUSE | $360.92 | $2,578.00 |
| 50 | 47 | ROSA'S CAFE & TORTILLA FACTORY | $325.92 | $2,328.00 |
| 51 | - | COACHMAN CLUB | $262.64 | $1,876.00 |
| 52 | - | PEASANT VILLAGE INC/SOUTH PARK | $240.38 | $1,717.00 |
| 53 | 51 | CHINA GARDEN RESTAURANT | $106.26 | $759.00 |
| 54 | 56 | UNIVERSITY FOOD SERVICES | $89.60 | $640.00 |
| 55 | 53 | DUNBAR RESTAURANT | $73.78 | $527.00 |
| 56 | 54 | F L 'S GARDEN | $0.00 | $0.00 |
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