Bar None has everything … except beer

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Bar None on Old Vine Street on Thursday afternoon, October 22, 2009. Photo by Scott Hannigan | Staff

By Martha Groppo
Dance music pulses as students play darts and pool. Blue lighting glows on customers lounging around the bar drinking amber liquid from frothy mugs. Four men play poker and watch Monday night football near the dance floor. Welcome to Bar None, one of the newest bars in town.
On this night, Bar None looks like a typical sports bar with nothing missing — except booze.
The customers at the bar are drinking root beer and cream sodas from a tap. Bar None, located on Old Vine Street, is alcohol free.
“We are kind of a hybrid,” said John Sims, owner of Bar None.
Sims resembled a bouncer rather than the owner of a liquor-free bar as he sipped on his root beer. He said his new establishment is a lounge, sports bar, dance hall and restaurant all in one. His unique bar defies expectations: it meets a need, appeals to diverse groups and survives without liquor mark-ups, Sims said.
A Big Blue Madness DJ and former manager of several bars including the Blue Moon Saloon, Sims said working in the club business for 17 years made him feel that a place like Bar None was needed.
“It seemed like Lexington was missing something,” he said.
Sims opened Bar None when he realized there were no sports bar or club options for people who didn’t want to be around alcohol in Lexington.
“I’m kind of tired of the [bar] scene,” Sims said with a shoulder shrug. “I’m not condemning anything … I go to Hooters.”
Sims, who does drink, said Bar None is a true bar alternative. But don’t assume it’s a child’s environment just because it lacks alcohol.
“We aren’t Gattitown or Chuck E. Cheese,” Sims said.
A diverse crowd patronizes Bar None. College students play shuffleboard next to a massive projection screen that plays football games. Sims said his bar is popular with students, and he gives a 20 percent student discount. Bar None is decorated with UK paraphernalia, and the menu has UK offerings like Calipari Calimari, a favorite of computer engineering junior Matt Trumble.
Trumble comes to Bar None every Monday night to watch football.
“It’s a great place to go watch the game, even with strangers,” Trumble said. “It’s very upbeat and positive.”
Though he’s old enough to visit other bars, Trumble said Bar None satisfies all of his needs.“There’s not really anything missing, in my opinion,” he said. “I mean, they have tons of TVs, good atmosphere, pool table, good food and great drinks.”
Abigail Billings, a Lexington businesswoman, sits at the bar with her laptop. She’s a regular at Bar None because she can come late after work to use the Wi-Fi while she has dinner. Like Trumble, Billings likes Bar None’s atmosphere.
“There aren’t people over-indulging in alcohol,” she said.
As a single female, Billings said she feels more comfortable at Bar None than at a traditional bar.
Sims said UK coaches are another group that like the idea of Bar None, and it’s popular with some student athletes. People tired of the bar scene, religious customers and recovering alcoholics are also drawn to Bar None, though Sims said his establishment isn’t religiously driven.
“I separate politics and religion from business,” he said.
Bar None has a growing lunch crowd, Sims said, and hosted several Greek parties last month. But for Sims, Bar None isn’t just about money.
“I’m in it to provide something for the community,” he said.
If money was his primary concern, Sims said he would have stayed in the traditional bar business where alcohol mark-ups allow him to make $150 off of an $8 bottle of bourbon.
“People just don’t think it will work,” he said. “I challenge them to get up, come down and try it out.”