On Friday and Saturday night, Tom & Marty’s patrons were met with a surprise: a $3 charge at the door. It’s not a cover charge per say; rather, you are prepaying for a shot off of the “Shot Wheel.” But we feel that with this change, Tom & Marty’s may have lost a tiny part of what makes it such an awesome bar.
We understand why Tom & Marty’s made the decision to do this. It’s a small bar and they don’t want people hanging out there only because it’s one of the few free places on State Street. And on paper, we agree with the decision. We can’t blame the bar for wanting only paying customers. It’s not a real cover charge and many people would likely end up purchasing at least one shot-wheel shot anyway.
It always felt as though the Shea brothers, who own the bar, would spin the bar at exactly the right moment: you just finished your pitcher, you’re deciding whether you want another drink — and then you hear “SHOT WHEEL TIME!” We know that this isn’t just coincidence, either. In a past interview, Larry called the “Shot Wheel” a science, and anybody who knows Tom & Marty’s knows he hand picks the drink each “spin” lands on: Washington Apple when the bar is cramped; Swedish Fish, Kamikaze or Jolly Rancher when business is slow; and those special shots for the hardcore customers.
But as long as we have that shot token in our pockets, we feel that we have to watch the shot wheel closely so that we get our money’s worth. And in order to accommodate this feeling, the shot wheel is spun more frequently. It makes the shot wheel less exciting and less spontaneous. Previously, we would be hanging out with our friends or dancing and Larry’s voice would call out the shot and we would get drunk-excited, run over to the bar and just gesture toward the shot wheel. Now, it just doesn’t feel the same. It feels like Larry is trying to prove he didn’t rip us off.
We should be also point out that even with the “cover charge” Tom & Marty’s was still packed.
Look, we understand that this is a new program and that Spring Fling weekend is always a weird one Downtown, and we’re certainly not going to stop frequenting Tom & Marty’s anytime soon — it’s still the best bar on State Street. Larry said that the cover is still an experiment, and he hasn’t decided if he will carry it into the next academic year. If the results come in and the cover has the desired effect of thinning out the less desirable crowd, maybe we’ll jump on board to support the fee. But if not, we hope Larry will do one thing for us — keep the “Shot Wheel” as it is, a pseudo-science the Shea brothers have turned into an art during their time at Tom & Marty’s.