:+: Mulligans :+:
Mulligans is a bar located in downtown Bloomington IL (Illinois).
Date of visit that this review is based on: June 24th, 2005.
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Review of Mulligans in downtown Bloomington IL.
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:+: Review of Mulligans :+:
Mulligans is a bar located at 531 north Main street in Bloomington IL. It's at the little T intersection where Mulberry street and north Main street meet in downtown Bloomington Illinois.
Those that know the area from years ago will remember this building once being the home of the Polar Lounge. That was supposed to have been the first bar in McLean County to have air-conditioning. Hence the name.
After that, it was Rhino's, which later moved across the street, then North Pier.
Inside Mulligans
The bar, itself, was wooden, and had a unique shape to it, seeming to bow inwards towards where the bartenders stood in the middle of it. At the bar can sit about 20 people without being too packed together.
The interior shape of the place was like a long rectangle, the small sides being at the front of the place and towards the rear.
To the left side as you walk into the bar was a slightly raised platform. On it, on the side, are a couple of dart boards.
Further down the left side wall are small tables set against the wall. If I recall correctly, the tops of the tables were glass.
Further past that on the left side, is the door to the beer garden, where you'll find several plastic tables with little blue umbrellas over them, and some of the edges of the umbrellas are at the height to put out your eyes, if you're the same height as some of us.
The outside beer garden has black thin bars around it with brick walls. There's a couple of television screens up on the wall behind some plastic for the zombies to stare mindlessly at so they'll feel right at home. The speakers in the beer garden are like little bookshelf speakers, high up on the walls, and aren't pointed down, which as most of you probably realize, means that the higher pitched sounds aren't heard by those on the ground because most tweeters are line of sight straight out from the speakers.
Drinking at Mulligans
They don't have green beer on green beer day, or Miller Lite or Icehouse on draught.
At least the beer they did have didn't taste like crap, which I think is because many bars don't believe in cleaning out their lines.
Service at Mulligans
Passable, I suppose, but most of them didn't seem very happy with doing their jobs, and only a couple of them could smile, but never, it seems, at a customer. An automated bar service would've been better.
Food at Mulligans
Don't recall seeing any, not even potato chips.
Entertainment options at Mulligans
A jukebox near the end of the bar, which seemed to be identical to many of the others I've seen in the other Bloomington-Normal Illinois bars, even down to the CDs it has on it. I gave it a quick look-over, played two songs, then went back to the bar to drink. Oh, yeah. You only get two songs per dollar there, and at most other bars I've been in recently.
There were also some dart boards, and a few small video games in the back but I didn't look too closely at them.
Yes, there were also the usual television sets near the ceiling so those who are accustomed to staring mindlessly into them while sitting on the couch or easy chair at their house could feel at home doing the exact same thing when they go out. LOL
Didn't see a pinball machine or pool table, even though I know the place has had both in the past when it was called something else. Although playing pool back in the cramped back part of the bar was a pain sometimes, I liked it, and I kind of missed the Mars themed pinball machine.
The view of the outside world wasn't much, as you had to stand near the front small windows to see outside.
Comfort and tolerance level at Mulligans
On earlier visits, I thought that they tolerated people who weren't just like everybody else, but on my June 24th visit, there was some very bad rudeness from the employees.
Here's one example: After I had got in, got a beer, and came back to the front of the place to look out the windows, I tried talking to the bouncer at the door during a slow period, and was told, and I quote:
Don't f**king talk to me!
If you're wondering which one I'm talking about, he had blonde hair.
If you like this kind of attitude from employees at a bar, you should try this place, but if not, stay far away from it, and try any other bar but Mulligans.
As for me, I don't think I'll ever be going back there. I'm sure there are other bars out there that appreciate their customers, and I'm more than happy to tell other people of my experiences at these bars.
The place also stank of cigarette smoke when there were more than a few customers smoking at the same time. Frankly, I'd rather smell beer than smoke, but some people like that sort of thing, I suppose... :-P
Suggestions to improve the bar
Bulldoze it.
The only other alternative is to fire the employees who are treating your customers like crap and can't seem to get through their heads that if it wasn't for the customers, there'd be no need for people to serve them.
That, and make it a non-smoking bar, unless you can get a super-efficient air filtration system in there that will get rid of all the smoke.
Not going to update this review, as I think returning to this bar is a waste of time, and I recommend that other people avoid it, too.
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