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America’s Largest Biker Bar Sets an Industry Example
Allen was a patron of the legendary biker bar for many years, and
when he heard that Owner Dave Iversen was ready to sell, he picked up
the phone.
“I heard it was for sale,” Allen says. “I will never forget, I called
him and said, ‘Hey I am one of your customers, and I am going to sell
the Broken Spoke for you, because I believe in the product, and I love
it. Let’s talk the details over.’ He thought that was pretty funny.
“I said, ‘I am going to send you an airline ticket to come out and talk this over.’ He was shocked by my confidence.”
Shocked by his confidence and moved by his passion, Iversen saw
more than a salesman in Allen. He saw the future of what he himself had
worked to build. Iversen convinced Allen to purchase the saloon in
1993.
Today, Allen continues his extensive plans for what currently is
the largest biker bar on the planet. “The first was Sturgis, and we had
it for 2 or 3 years,” he says. “I decided to expand to build a brand
name.
“Now, we have one in Daytona Beach, Fla., one in Myrtle Beach,
S.C., and one in Laconia, N.H. In Sturgis, S.D., there are two. A
600-acre facility we just purchased called Broken Spoke at Sturgis
County Line and the original in downtown that started it all. Then, we
have two 18-wheelers that go anywhere in the country or the world and
do this portably.”
Portability is key in Allen’s life –– as it is with most bikers.
The Broken Spoke Saloon honors that ideal by being a presence and a
place to party at as many motorcycle rallies a year as possible. When
Allen is not driving one of his two 18-wheelers to smaller rallies, he
is on the microphone –– with immodest enthusiasm for the overall
experience of the subculture –– at one of his permanent Spoke venues.
The original spot in Sturgis measures a half a city block and
accommodates 5,000 people, and, believe it or not, it is Allen’s
smallest setup. Down the road, his newest Sturgis County Line facility
eventually will serve 20,000 to 30,000 campers with an amphitheater
that will showcase the world’s top acts in music. The Myrtle Beach
location comprises six acres, with Daytona Beach and Laconia not far
behind.
Each of Allen’s locations have relative levels of permanence and operate around the large rallies.
“Myrtle Beach is in business two rallies a year, for the spring and
fall, 16-days total,” Allen says. “Laconia is a seasonal bar, and it is
open six months a year. It is the most finished one that we have.
Sturgis,” he says, “is open for the summer months. It’s a 10-day
economy really, but we stay pretty busy all summer.”
Comprised of glowing neon signs, pole barns with stages underneath and
multiple beer kiosks that are rearranged as necessary with forklifts,
the Broken Spoke Saloons double as museums. Allen personally owns
hundreds of antique bikes, many of which are suspended from the
ceilings during setup.
“We have vintage cars, trucks, gas pumps, beer-can collections,” he
says. “If it is old or rusty and cool, we have it hanging up or on a
shelf somewhere … big, old, nasty compressors that they used in the
‘40s when they worked on cars, and people are constantly giving me old
license plates.”
In each location, Allen places a 1949 Flame Panhead Chopper at stage front –– a dead-giveaway that you are “at a Spoke.”
Flawless Operations
The whole operation employs only three souls fulltime –– Jay Allen,
his wife and co-owner Claudia Allen and 20-year-old Manager Peter
Cimasi. But during a rally, Allen may employ up to 100 people part-time
to work the positions of bartender, trash collection, parking, security
and retail-merchandise sales.
“For a lot of it, I rely on them to come to me,” he says of his
hiring process. “For servers, we are scouting out and looking for them.
They are sending in resumes, photographs and bartending experience.
“On a good night, I have seen servers make as much as $1800 a
shift. They come in for just that one event and then they all go back
to their lives. That’s what is so amazing about this. It is finding a
person that can step out of their everyday lives to come do a 10-day
event.”
There are ridiculous risks in Allen’s operation as well, including
rowdy, enormous crowds, heavy drinking, motorcycles, and a staff he
doesn’t necessarily know to be honest. In a 20-year history of events,
Allen has only had one ticket for alcohol violations. His track record
is an incredible example for everyone in the industry.
“I have even had corporations ask me to speak to their employees,”
he says. “Because the first thing that I do is to tell employees ‘the
story.’ And, I tell it well.
“Keep in mind,” he says, “I am looking at 50 percent of my
employees that I have never seen and probably will never see again. So
the only way that you can accomplish the philosophy and deliver the
philosophy that has made us such a success for 20 years, is to tell
them the story of the customer.”
Allen paints the picture of many of his patrons. Saving quarters in
mason jars for years, they come to these rallies with almost no money
to spend. They are there for the sheer experience and camaraderie that
no other time or place can offer.
“At the Broken Spoke, our philosophy is that if the guy can only
afford to drink ice water, we will give him the ice water. These guys
show up on budgeted money, the fact that they chose to walk in our
doors is a powerful and amazing thing,” says Allen.
Policing Your Own
His near spotless record of incidents is not due to a brotherly
attitude alone, however. Being the world’s largest biker bar, the
Broken Spoke Saloons are monitored by every major law enforcement group
in the country. Allen employs one extra set of workers at each rally,
and these undercover operatives patrol the properties, inspecting the
servers constantly. If necessary, Jay Allen will bust his own employees
for improper service and/or behavior before the police have a chance.
“I explain the sting operation to employees,” Allen says. “I say,
‘you are going to see guys that look like bikers. They are completely
wired. They are seeking to see how professional we are, and they are
following one-percenters such as Hells Angels and outlaws. So, what we
are going to do is have our own sting operation. We watch your pours
and over-serving drunks. Because when you are this big, you have to be
very professional.’”
Other security measures include calling the major cab companies in
each area to assist with rides to the campgrounds and 24-hour security
guards watching over the bikes intoxicated patrons were forced to leave
behind for the night.
Allen’s professional attitude, kind heart and extensive knowledge
of the experience from both sides of the bar have generated quite a
following. His largest night on record occurred when the Broken Spoke
in Daytona Beach hosted a Styx concert. Allen expected 3,000 people and
was met with more than 15,000. “They wiped out a 53-foot semi tractor
trailer load of beer,” he says. “I think our bar turned somewhere
around $90,000 in 2 to 3 hours.”
Finding His Calling
Allen’s operation is truly one-of-a-kind, and its 20-year success legend is due to a genuine motivation for a great time.
“We have never been money-based,” he says. “It is more of pulling
off a fantasy and showing a better experience. I had never owned a bar
before this. I am all about being a biker, and the bar business is the
last thing I ever thought I would get into. All of my competitors are
‘in’ the bar business, and I have done it in a whole different style.”
NCB
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