Cover fees for bars on the Square have been noticeably high during certain game weekends. File Photo
Students wanting to go out for a drink on the Square during recent game weekends have been noticing a recurring trend: increasing bar cover fees.
Both Alabama, Tennessee and Auburn weekends have seen increasing bar cover prices. One local bar owner, who wished to remain unnamed, said larger cover prices come with the territory of higher profile game weekends.
“The bigger profile games usually bring bigger crowds,” the bar owner said. “(The larger crowds) can drive the price up because we have to hold at capacity, and there are a lot of people who can’t get in who are willing to pay more to try to get in.”
While this bar owner in particular tries to never charge over a $20 cover for his bars on the Square, he’s seen instances where individuals have offered money over the cover price just to get in.
The owner described instances during the Alabama game weekend when his bar was charging a $20 cover and having to operate under a “one in, one out policy.”
“During Alabama weekend, people were offering $40 to $60 once it was ‘one in, one out,’ and we couldn’t let more people in,” the bar owner said.
When asked if he felt larger covers were possibly turning away students’ business, the local bar owner felt that wasn’t the case.
“Not necessarily,” the owner said. “Students know we don’t charge (a cover) before 9 p.m., and that they can always come early to get in free and have a wristband to come back later.”
Andrew Baker, senior Ole Miss student and bouncer at The Round Table, knows covers serve other purposes besides making the bar extra money.
“The reason bars charge a cover on game weekends is to reduce overcrowding and help to not reach capacity so quickly,” Baker said. “The people who are willing to pay a cover to get into a bar are the people who are going to spend money on buying drinks as well.
“I haven’t seen the cover affect the customers that come into the bar. It is still full of college students every weekend.”
While Baker said that some people might initially turn away from a bar when they hear it is charging a cover, he said it doesn’t take long for them to come back after exploring other options.
“People who initially turn away when hearing a bar is charging a cover normally decide to pay it anyway when they realize that every other bar is charging a similar amount,” Baker said.
However, some bars can charge higher covers than others.
“The highest cover I have seen at the Round Table is $20 while I have seen The Library go up to $60 a person,” Baker said.
Kendric Bradley, a bouncer at Funky’s, has also seen increasing covers on game weekends for similar reasons like staying within capacity.
“The reasons behind raising the cover at Funky’s is to make a profit while at the same time staying within fire capacity,” Bradley said. “Not everyone is willing to pay an expensive cover.
“The largest cover I’ve seen at Funky’s was $50 while I’ve heard of some bars reaching $80 covers.”
While $50 might not deter everyone from Funky’s, not everyone is Katy Perry. When asked if the bars didn’t make enough money alone on sales to get rid of the cover, Bradley expressed that a cover is just a necessity.
“If we didn’t charge a cover while almost every other bar did, it wouldn’t be smart considering we still meet capacity with a cover,” Bradley said. “Why not make more profit that could potentially be used to upgrade the bar or add more attractions?”
Tate Crosby, junior English major from Jackson, is one student who doesn’t feel covers are needed.
“I don’t believe it is necessary for bars to charge students an arm and a leg before they ever actually enter the door,” Crosby said. “Understandable, though? I guess, as they know locals and visitors alike will inevitably pay these large covers and proceed to go in and spend more money.”
Crosby also said that bar covers on game weekends can influence whether or not he goes to the Square altogether.
“Large covers on game weekends can definitely influence whether or not I go to the Square,” Crosby said. “If all of the bars are charging too large of a cover, sometimes it’s best to just cut your losses and head home early.”
