By Anne Thom

The city of Stacy has invested a lot for the future in constructing the new municipal liquor operations.

Since that time, business has stabilized and the focus of the operations has become how to grow business. Brian Hachey, who manages both the liquor store and bar and grill, talk ed about his plans for expansion of marketing at the Nov. 28 city council meeting. With Hachecy was Curt Ratcliff, a business consultant who has a lengthy resume in doing consulting work for bars and restaurants.

Ratcliff explained there are three phases in marketing: focus on current customers and the current product, focus on current customers and new products and finally, focus on attracting new customers with new products.

Ratcliff is proposing to formally serve as a consultant to the city in its liquor operations at a price of $2550 for one month.

Hachey said it was a rather significant investment and asked what type of return on the investment there would for the city. He also said he would like to generate more loyalty among the current patrons. Ratcliff said the return would be enough to pay for itself.

Hachey and the staff are in the process of making changes to the menu and reformatting the menu itself to include more specials.

Councilmember Mel Aslakson said nobody seems to know the bar serves food. Hachey also promises more prizes, drink specials and catering to the groups who currently patronize the bar with their card games. The council's concern is that the fall season, through the beginning of the new year are very solid months for liquor sales. Sales tend to drop off then through the late winter and early spring. Any marketing plan approved would be designed to generate more dollars during the lean moths.

Mayor Michael Carlson told Ratcliff that phase three is most important to him. "We need to create new customers."

Carlson, who spent more than 20 years working in the hospitality industry, told Ratcliff and Hachey that he wants to see the bar marketed as a regional destination, rather than simply a local town bar. He said the bar's music room has not been used to its full potential and that could be a tool to carry them through the slow months. "We had a huge grand opening," he said "do we want to do another one?"

Councilman John Daher asked what Ratcliff could do in the next month and if the city could pay him the $2550 fee over the next three months. Ratcliff was agreeable to that plan.

The final request that everyone had for the bar was that someone make it more "festive" and Hachey was directed to bring in some Christmas decorations and lights. The council felt that would draw people in during the holidays and help to add to the cushion of revenue necessary to carry the city through the leaner season around the corner.

Other news in Stacy:

ï New Stacy City Council members Richard Schultz, Barbara Avalos and Tony Olivolo, and Mayor-elect John Daher will be sworn in on December 26 at 7 p.m. There will be a short city council meeting following that ceremony.

Work has begun on the foundation for the new Stacy water tower. Construction is expected to continue through the winter with hopes of having it completed by late spring.