Talking Pints: Yen Black, Armin van Buuren and Frank's 20th

Plenty going on this weekend. Electronic music fans have got the Yen Black party (RMB 100 on the door, 9pm-4am) at The Star Live on Saturday night to look forward to. There’s also Armin van Buuren at GT Banana tonight for those of a trance persuasion.

In 1989, Beijing was a very different place to that we know today. Nightlife was a particularly barren field; if you wanted a drink outside your home, you’d be in a hotel bar. Then a bar called Frank’s Place opened, and – though the change didn’t happen overnight – things were never the same again. Frank’s Place turns 20 years old this Saturday: as well as marking the anniversary, the birthday party is also being held as a tribute to the man who made it all happen, Frank Siegel. Siegel has moved on – he now runs Sequoia Cafe – but we asked him a few questions looking back to 1989 and his experiences at Frank’s.

The Beijinger: In terms of getting the licenses, was it difficult to get
Frank's off the ground?
Frank Siegel: Looking back, it was easier to start a business back then. Since that time, the authorities have been refining and adding to exiting laws and regulations; there are more hoops to jump through now. When people talk about starting a business here the focus tends to be on getting approvals and so on, which are not easy but doable. The main questions for me is “What will bring customers in the door?” True then, true now.

TBJ: How did the local authorities react to the idea of opening a bar at that time?
FS: The authorities were okay with the idea, although we had some comments made by the local neighbors. This turned out to be more of a compensation issue for “noise and disruption of daily life” during construction.

TBJ: What was the crowd like in those early days?
FS: We served mostly expats, because we only accepted foreign exchange certificates (Chinese money that could be converted into foreign currency). The community was also smaller, more condensed, so we knew many of the expats in the city. Then, as now, we had a wide variety of people from different backgrounds visiting us. Regular customers included the crews building the Australian and Canadian embassies, the Marines, and many airline and hotel people.

TBJ: Did you expect that Frank's would last for 20 years?
FS: In the beginning, we had to focus on the day-to-day operations, so we didn’t think much about the long term. Frank’s has changed ownership and evolved over the years, which is a good thing, especially for customers. There’s no reason they can’t go for another 20.

TBJ: Do you miss it?
FS: Do I miss the long hours, the cigarette smoke, the occasional obnoxious customer, hassles with authorities? Nope. On the positive side, I enjoyed the interesting people and the buzz of customers in the place. I still get that at our Sequoia Cafe shops, but without a lot of the negatives. I do miss pouring, serving and especially drinking a good pint of beer with friends, solving the world’s problems.

Also in the news this week has been the announcement that restrictions may be imposed on the number of bars and cafes opening on Nanluogu Xiang – see our post on the subject here.

Finally, MGM Club inside Gongti West Gate reopens tonight. Roll a dice to that.