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Hookah Bar Issues


blagage

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Went to a hookah bar near me today and it made me realize that it sucks knowing more about hookah than the people who work there.

As soon as they brought the hookah and i took the first hit i knew something was wrong. It was an obvious air leak so i found the leak and brought it to their attention and they promptly replaced it.

The new hookah they brought me had the wrong stem base combination which caused the pull to be very difficult so i said something and they fixed it.

One base was overfilled with water so it pulled up into the hose

Amount of coals i know is a matter of preference usually but they really didnt get it right ever. I kept asking for more coals or less coals.

All in all it was not a BAD experience, once they got the hookah right and let me handle the coals it was a good time but I felt like an ass bringing them over to tell them all these issues with the hookah.

Anyone else have this problem? At a hookah bar and know more about it than those who get paid to pack and manage it.
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last hookah bar i went to was in Korea...i knew the owner (Sara) and the "hookah girl" (TJ)....they are both aware that i know more about hookah than both of them combined. so, i just tell them what to do or they let me pack my own bowls...
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The only decent lounge around here can pack a good bowl, but they have like an 18 year old girl walking around managing coals. This girl knows NOTHING about heat management, so I tell her to put coals on my bowl, and a few extra on the tray and manage my own heat. I get way way better sessions there when I do things on my own.
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yeah, maybe i will request to pack my own, bring my own tongs and what have you.

One good thing about this place is that the workers ONLY work for tips. i had a long legal conversation with them about this and they said owner doenst care. they only work for tips so they have to be ridiculously nice and helpful. so if i ask, i get. hah wish i could go to mushs lounge.
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The hookah lounge i used to go to made the perfect shisha.....the mixes were always spot on and once you got it going the smoke was really thick and the flavour was always right. The only major let down was the prices and the poor service!! Of the total amount of time i used to spend there, half of it was waiting for new coal not smoking [img]http://www.hookahforum.com/public/style_emoticons/default/negative.gif[/img]l!!
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the place i started going to once in a while when im out drinking is pretty good not a good selection considering its german shisha and they have their regulations and stuff. so the owner lets me bring my own shisha and smoke that as long as i pay half price for the hookah and buy a drink... he loves the tangiers i bring
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The hookah lounge by me that got me into hookah but I didn't know anything then. I havent been to in a while. Well I went back and they are using the worst hookahs I have ever smoked from which I think is a Mya but Myas are good but maybe these have just had it. They are using stock Mya bowls that I don't even think they fill. They use only AF shisha and stock Mya hoses that don't pull and after 20 minutes you're smoking just coal. I am spoiled by my own set ups and am going to try a new place that I heard uses better equiptment and knows what they are doing. It just kills me to spend $20.00 on a hookah that I can make and enjoy so much more at home but sometimes you want to go out and try it and you would hope for the money you could at least enjoy it. Bottom line, there's no place like home.
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ive never been to a hookah lounge, the closest one to me is probably 60-70 miles away. if i ever do go to a lounge, i will be sure to bring my own hose (my quick connects ;) ) and keep the rest of my stuff in the care incase it sucks really bad, lol.
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[quote name='cotsi95' date='28 December 2009 - 10:15 PM' timestamp='1262063701' post='442194']
thats why you need to come to mush's lounge, eric's, or the narg :P
[/quote]

This is on my list, to visit these places at least once in my life.
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Eh, I worked at a hookah bar in Tallahassee and if we messed anything up once we got fired, you had to know your stuff and how to fix it. I wish all hookah bars knew wtf they were doing. Granted some things are a matter of opinion/preference but there are some basic things that can ruin a hookah. Within a week of the new cafe opening in Cincinnati, the owner knew my name and never asked questions when I walked in and went right to the kitchen to make my own hookah. I've also helped expand his menu, though I havn't introduced him to Tangiers yet, I might bring a bowl of Lucid M.Cherry in to see how he feels about it, but I don't know if I can talk him into ordering 15-20 phunnels lol.
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I've went to many around my area and more than half of them have had issues. It sucks being the new face at the hookah bar and already having to complain about something but being the customer it's something you have to do. It's hard to find a decent place when most people follow the dollar and not their passion, or they just don't have knowledgeable employees. I don't have a problem if they correct it but hate throwing down money and not being able to just enjoy my leisure time.
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I went to one hookah lounge where they used the same bag of coals for BBQing as they did for smoking!! It was gross. The coals would instantly turn to ash. You could feel the tar go in your system as you smoked. It was one of those huge 20 pound coal bags. Other than that, it was actually a pretty sweet lounge because everyone in the city went there to hang out.
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I bet I have the best story. One time they set the hookah down on our table, after carrying it over... and we quickly noticed they had forgotten [b]water[/b], like wtf? How do you forget that, and more importantly, while carrying it how do you not notice?! ^_^
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I once smoked an Apple Bazooka which is basically an Apple made into a bowl, and the smoke was so damn thin, I told these guys many times that my shisha was crap, all they did was try and plug the hose in more and whack another lump of QL on top which did nothin lol. This was in North London and they were Turks, I was a noob then.

Arabs @ Edgeware road are very good, but they are usually rude if your not Arab or you dont speak Arabic, one time I was lucky enough to have a friend who spoke Arabic - He told the guy something in Arabic and then said "Yallah" (means quickly?) and the waiter was happy as a mo fuker to sort out our coals.
Oh another tip, bring attractive girls with lot cut tops, you will get the fastest service in the WORLD, they will be standing there only to serve your table! Arab waiters are big pervs :)
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How often do you go to restaurants that serve worse food than you do at home? How often do you hire plumbers who do worse work than you would do on your own? How often do you you pay a mechanic to fix your car who is worse at making it work right than you are? How often do you buy chairs that are worse than the ones you could make yourself?

Why do you go to a hookah bar again?

Thanks for your attention. Thank you for the favorable comments regarding my lounge, they are appreciated.
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[quote name='Sonthert' date='16 January 2010 - 06:05 PM' timestamp='1263683127' post='445913']
How often do you go to restaurants that serve worse food than you do at home? How often do you hire plumbers who do worse work than you would do on your own? How often do you you pay a mechanic to fix your car who is worse at making it work right than you are? How often do you buy chairs that are worse than the ones you could make yourself?

Why do you go to a hookah bar again?

Thanks for your attention. Thank you for the favorable comments regarding my lounge, they are appreciated.
[/quote]

Exactly. Very well said. Ever since I got my own 5 years ago I stopped going out for them, because in the DC area at least, they all range from abject suckage to no better than I can do. And every single place uses quicklights, which I can't stand. Many also have no alcohol license, and I sure love a beer when I smoke.

That being said, I think places with huge Arab communities like Edgware Road or Dearborn (not that I've been to Dearborn) would be better. Places in DC that get lots of Arabs are better than the places catering to White Americans. Certainly nargile joints in the Middle East are awesome, they torch anything in the US that I've been to, so anybody travelling to the Middle East-don't hesitate!
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[quote name='Skoozle' date='16 January 2010 - 08:17 PM' timestamp='1263691049' post='445930']
Tonight I'm going to a hookah lounge for the first time since I got my own pipe. I will report back.
[/quote]
Yeah, Now that I know how good a session can be, the local hookah lounges are a bit of a let down. With that being said, hookah lounges do offer more than hookah. The place I went last night had a full restraunt, bar, DJ and live music. Without hookah, this would still be a cool place to go. Access to a half-assed hookah session is better than not smoking at all. Don't go to a hookah lounge just for the hookah; thats when you leave angry.
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[quote name='FSUReligionMan' date='05 January 2010 - 06:38 AM' timestamp='1262695122' post='443317']
Eh, I worked at a hookah bar in Tallahassee and if we messed anything up once we got fired, you had to know your stuff and how to fix it. I wish all hookah bars knew wtf they were doing. Granted some things are a matter of opinion/preference but there are some basic things that can ruin a hookah. Within a week of the new cafe opening in Cincinnati, the owner knew my name and never asked questions when I walked in and went right to the kitchen to make my own hookah. I've also helped expand his menu, though I havn't introduced him to Tangiers yet, I might bring a bowl of Lucid M.Cherry in to see how he feels about it, but I don't know if I can talk him into ordering 15-20 phunnels lol.
[/quote]

The phunnels are an EASY sell, trust me! Just tell him about how the quick and easy clean-up will allow more customers within the course of a night. *psst... don't let him know that the sessions are longer... it's kind of a deal-breaker if the session's one bowl, unlimited coals...*
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