OK, guys. Let's argue about this for a while. I've been checking out the local cruise/show scene since we're new to the area and I ran across something that I've never seen before. Someone started a weekly cruise night at a small restaurant that's only a couple of blocks from the house, so I thought I'd support the local business, etc. It turns out that the folks running the event want cruisers to pay a $5 'registration' fee. They give away a few small trophies each week. So maybe it's more of a weekly 'show' than cruise. Anyhow I thought that was kind of strange. When I lived above Atlanta, the great club that put on the monthly cruise in Canton asked for a $5 donation, but that went for parking lots care, and after a 50-50 drawing the remaining money went to a local charity. Not a problem. Glad to do it. And, there were always 400-600 cars. But a small, local restaurant cruise wanting $5 a week seems out of the mainstream. There's a Checkers a few miles away that does a weekly cruise (I'm going next week) for free. I'm told that once a month they have 'trophy night' and on those nights they ask for a $5 reg fee to cover the cost of trophies. That sound fine. What do you all think?
If you're interested in trophies then I guess you'll have to 'pay to play,' but the spectators should have to pay if the car owners do.
I always thought that if they could charge 1$ to every spectator, and then not charge each entry 20$(our big show HOT AUGUST NIGHTS is charging $40 now) at the car shows it would make a lot more sense, paying to entertain other people always seemed backwards. anyways thats my .02$ highjack.
How many cars x $5 adds up to X amount of trophies @ $? per trophy. Do you really want a trophy? I would just personally just turn up to talk to fellow enthusiasts, look at the cars, cruise. If I feel hungry I might eat something. The owner can't charge you for driving on a public road. Multiply what you would spend on a food and multiply by the number in attendance and that's equates to sales the owner ordinarily probably wouldn't make. Then people hear about the 'Cruise' and also go to look at the cars and maybe eat something as well. More sales equates to $$$$. Similar to car shows where you pay an entry fee, display your car and assume all the risk. Other business on the peripheries make money and assume no risk like the organiser or promoter. More profit $$$$ and it's not for you. Agreed that if proceeds go to a worthy charity it's a good idea.
I used to bar hop quite a bit, some of the bars had a cover fee that you payed at the door. If I wanted to drink in that particular bar I paid the cover fee. It wasn't my bar and I didn't get to set the rules.
There was a cruise that I used to go to that would charge $5 at the beginning of the season and you would get a plaque with your registration # that would basically make you eligible for any trophies, awards, prizes throughout the season. You could come to the cruise without paying if you didn't care about the extra stuff. I also believe the $$$ went to the Junior Explorers which were kids who helped the local police and also helped run the cruise.
I'm onboard, always seemed backwards, that's why I don't participate, plus in an area of small towns, you see the same cars, same people, listen to the same music, etc.,etc...really boring. I'd rather be driving!! dave
some people are in it just for the money, they are not true car enthusiast. if you are raising money for charity that is one thing but some people do it just to put money in their pocket. they are missing the whole point of cruising, its about the hobby and the fellowship. I personally will not be part of a show that charges spectators to look at the cars. the biggest and best shows I have ever been a part of are totally free, the young kid may have a car or truck he has been working really hard on but may not have an extra 30 bucks to enter a show so he leaves it at home. get sponsors an let them pay for the trophies. plaques are about $8 each.
It's their bar or restaurant, and if you don't like the fee, vote with your feet and don't go. I have no problem with paying a small fee to go to a show that is well organized and fun. They might have been advised that they need to carry some form of insurance or what ever to do this. Could be many reasons beyond basic greed to charge, but as I said, it's their show and if it doesn't represent a value to you, dont attend.
That would be like charging the band to play in this scenario. The restaurant makes money off patrons, the cars at a cruise is a way for the establishment to bring patrons in. I wouldn't pay 5 bucks to cruise, that's stupid.
The world is getting more and more backwards. If the cars are the attraction ANYWHERE, why should the owners pay...the spectators should pay to see the cars, not the car guys pay, "to be seen"! I think any cruise night at a restaurant/fast food joint, should let the car owners in for free, and give them a free meal for bringing in more people than would usually stop there. Another thought...maybe strippers should pay patrons for coming in and looking at them!!!!!!!!!!
Our club worked with a local establishment that gave away $500.00 bucks if you attended all 4 cruise in's during the summer,,they provided the cards and the participants signed them upon arriving at each event. It didn't cost the participants a dime unless they ate,,and all the car owners and their family got a discount on their meals. We were told his business doubled and then some on cruise nights,,sadly the economy turned sour and he had to close. BTW,,if I had to pay to go to a cruise-in I wouldn't go.HRP
The cool thing is....you don't have to go! It will probably die on it's own anyway from lack of support.
I would pay for a show where they rent a park or charity. But not an open cruise night. Sorry if you have to pay it would not be an open cruise. Lots of other venues to go to even up here in Canada.Besides silly trophies want else is offered if its only to cover trophies I don't like trophy hunters so I would probably not be welcome any way . Thanks but no thanks
Hmmm...Lets start all over....The heading on this thread says CRUISE. Not park.... Cruise says you're moving. Are you going to pay bucks to move, or bucks to park? Don't want to pay for the plastic trophy, or be a part of the crowd to bring in patrons to the cafe???? Park across the street, or go to Micky D's. A lot of the small towns around here do the same thing. They ask for the cars to come and pay a fee, to try and bring in customers to the town. AND of course you'll get your little plastic trophy, maybe.... If you want folks to see and admire your ride...more will see it if you're driving it, instead of parking it!!!!!!! HellRaiser
Nope just customers like in the bar. You said it, the restaurant makes money off the patrons just like the bars did. There were plenty of times that I decided that the cover wasn't worth being there and I didn't go. Same thing with a cruise. Used to be a cruise here that was a pay to play cruise, but there was a parking lot across the street for a business that was closed during the hours of the cruise. I always parked there as did many of the other people who didn't want to pay to cruise. Just as much action in the other lot, just like the non cover bars when I was younger and bar hopping.
Pay to park................?.............hah I could care less about some cheesy trophy......... I am just about driving my car for MY enjoyment
Our local Cruise night is the second Saturday of the month ( Morris Il). It attracts 700 + cars & 6,000 guests from several states. They charge $10 to get your car in and tens of thousands have gone to the charities that selected for each night. No one here complains. http://www.morriscruisenight.com/
I've pondered this for many years now. Here is what I've come up with. Plain and Simple "Fun costs Money" period. It don't matter what kind of Fun it is, your going to pay something. So really the only thing we control is how much Fun we have and What we call Fun. There is no Free ride and there Never was one. You don't want to pay the $5.oo,,, don't and go drive your Car, and even that is going to cost you something. Here is some information from a Legal stand point. If a open to the Public Resturant is having a Cruze by Law they can not charge you to park in there lot unless they post a sign saying Closed to the Public for a privet event. Or, if they charge everyone all the time to park in the lot. The Wizzard
He's got it, that's what I do... I get thumbs up driving it on the road. I do pay to get into the Alter Boys show but I go to see the other cars (I'm a spectator with a hot rod !!).
I'm always the guy on the 'other side' of these questions, probably because I'm on the organizing committees for quite a few shows and cruises. Sometimes management just gets in the way of fun. I help organize and work monthly at one cruise-in that's sponsored by the town's 'Main Street' office (the people who are there to promote the town and try to help the local businesses). The folks who come to these cruise-ins love the set-up. We close 4 blocks of the main street to park the cars. We also have live entertainment (paid for my the Main Street office). The first year, everything went fine - the only problem was that a lot of the businesses wouldn't stay open or help us with door prizes. So, the Main Street folks paid for most of the door prizes in addition to printing the cards and paying the musicians. The second year, the city CUT Main Street's budget. Now we had a cruise that was pulling in hundreds of cars, but the people who should have been overjoyed couldn't have cared less. We thought about eliminating door prizes, but the entrants we surveyed said that they thought a lot of people would be put off by that. So, we started charging $5 to register. If you want to support the cruise, you pay and get a window card and a chance to win a door prize. If not, just park and have fun talking to your friends. My point to saying all this is that the economy is still tight. It's hard to get sponsors to contribute anything today. So, if someone is asking for $5, they may very well have reasons other than just being greedy. For the most part, I'm just glad that there are people out there willing to put in the time and effort to organize these things.
There was a local BBQ place down in charleston that has a cruise night. but the club wanted to give trophys so it charged. I hated the idea of paying for that. wish the trophies would gone away and it was just free but there are those folks out there that like those cheap cruise night trophies to make them think there cars are the best...
Hmmmm......If I was going to pay for a Lady of the Evening, I'd want something in return for my money, rather than pay to sit on the couch. Now I don't mind paying some, if I have to pay the piano player to play some tunes, while I'm sitting on the couch, or if I pay some one to clean the spitoons after me. But I'd have to pack my Rolaids if I was to pay for others to come and have a look see at my ride..(I'd get heartburn) To be sure, there have been some car clubs who have put on a show every year for ten years. They charged money for participants and for spectators. For that, we got tunes. We got to see a lot of other's rides. We got to see the people who were on the other end of these threads. And after all was said and done, any money left over went to various charities. No one will ever complain about that. But if you're going to organize a "Cruise In" then be up front of what the registration money is for. Then I can decide if it's worth while attending... HellRaiser
One of the local clubs here has Friday night cruise in. It's a freebie, but there is a raffle and a donation bucket too. Keeps life simple.
Not what I want to do either but some of the outfits putting these on think that they have to hand out a batch of door prizes and trophies every cruise night or no one will show up. Then there is the paid DJ blasting away music that few want to have to listen to and in some cases the extra cost of security or people directing traffic. As far as I know the local cruise nights at the burger joints around here don't have any fees or mandatory donations even though one does hand out trophies and door prizes and usually draws a large and diverse bunch of cars and bikes. One cruise night that we used to hit had a regular 50/50 drawing that gave the other 50% to a designated charity that often sold a lot of tickets. That I don't have a problem with. I never won though.
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