You’re not paying for the booze, you’re paying for space and time in that spot. It’s so expensive to keep the doors open. All the licencing and insurance. Wages, rent. It all adds up so quickly. I worked at a modest sized place for a few years and got to know the business side of it. It was at least 7k a week through the till to break even.
Edit: to all the bar haters out there; find a spot without TVs or blaring music. You may be surprised by how nice it can be just chilling and having some drinks. So many bars are just sensory overload. A nice quiet drinking hole is worth its weight in gold.
Still waiting on those wmd’s out of Iraq…