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The_CerealDefense t1_ixnt7ta wrote

People try this every handful of years in cities big and small and almost never works out, mostly for business reasons.

Anyways, Im actually surpised on the lack of non-alcoholic beverages in most bars. Anywhere in the west, even small bars usually offer a handful of stuff like kombucha, teas, or specialty soda and more, even on tap. NYC its very minimal.

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AnacharsisIV t1_ixnz7dj wrote

Iirc this does brisk business in Mormon towns and I wonder if this business model could be exported to those Islamic cities with more money than sense like Doha or Abu Dhabi

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The_CerealDefense t1_ixo0x27 wrote

No clue. But I suspect there may be cultural issues in those areas that may not work out. (Not sure just initial thoughts, it’s an interesting idea)

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AnacharsisIV t1_ixo270q wrote

As long as you're not using bacon grease in your cocktails what cultural issues could you run into?

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The_CerealDefense t1_ixo2rzf wrote

I’m not sure if the bar/social life aspect would work in those cultures. Especially mixing men and women. And dating isn’t as straightforward and such. I’m not sure how many locals would be open to “bar culture”. Even in many counties that are fine with alcohol, bar culture can be almost nonexistent or very different than the west.

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CaroleBaskinsBurner t1_ixppahy wrote

Abu Dhabi already has a ton of bars and nightclubs that sell alcohol. So a non-alcoholic bar wouldn't be a cultural problem.

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The_CerealDefense t1_ixr7oq2 wrote

Aren’t those for non-locals only? Not sure

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CaroleBaskinsBurner t1_ixrddse wrote

I think it gets a little dicey for native Emirati Muslims (like they're technically not supposed to drink but it's not entirely enforced), but the country's population is 89% expats. Which includes a lot of people (mostly Indians, Pakistanis, Filipinos, etc but also Brits, Americans, Africans, Canadians, etc) who were born and raised there.

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Quirky_Movie t1_ixpft7w wrote

Aren't the only places you can drink the bars and restaurants in their entertainment district. They must have something like this already.

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AnacharsisIV t1_ixpjt7f wrote

Iirc there's a strong coffeehouse tradition in Islamic culture but the whole "mixing liquids to create new drinks" isn't a major part of it.

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FormerKarmaKing t1_ixq28rk wrote

Yup. Alcohol is hard to replace as a product bc having one makes you want another. Like even people doing injectable opioids don’t do one after another after another. Not saying that to be funny, but the average bar tab relative to the bar’s rent is really hard to replace, whether it’s marijuana, non-alcoholic, whatever.

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The_CerealDefense t1_ixr7toj wrote

Yeah. The average ticket is one (of several) things that makes the non alcoholic version a lot worse. Of course your costs are lower but it’s basically a coffee shop at that point.

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CasinoMagic t1_ixqg512 wrote

The term "California sober" does imply California, after all.

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