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| - The venue itself? Mostly the same, no real complaints. I could whine about the lack of smoking or the removal of the counter slots and getting rid of some atmosphere, but let's be real, I used neither. Glad they kept the decor, and aesthetically, it looks a lot better, good open space. Looks like it could really handle one of the more popular local bands, or else could easily do a smaller name signed band. Which is exactly what Bunkhouse is supposed to do, very good! Also, the outdoor area is really cute, nice lighting. It's well-designed as a stand-alone structure without considering the area, which is where this review is going.
My biggest complaint is the redirection of traffic into and out of the venue. It makes band load-in hellish for bands, it makes patrons feel unsafe. There is a reason that nobody walks around East Fremont. It's because it's poorly lit, it doesn't feel like a place people should be walking in club/going-out attire. The increased police presence just admits that there is a problem - it doesn't fix anything. I want Bunkhouse to start letting patrons in through the front again, so that we can simply walk across the street and be inside, rather than taking a convoluted alley that we've all given a pretty unsavory name in our heads. Why does Bunkhouse complain about a loss of business? Because nobody wants to enter through an area that feels unsafe - especially female patrons. Bring back the front entrance (there is a very convenient gate there! Just let people make use of it!), and tell the hired security to stop being rude about people's concerns. In general, security there is pretty rude when they're not jacking around with their friends. It's pretty unprofessional.
Oh, and Bunkhouse should probably make plans in the future to not double-book band nights vs bicycle races, because being yelled at to hustle heavy equipment across the road with bicycles oncoming? It's a poor look, it makes bands not want to come back. Otherwise, give bands an easier area to load in - the old parking lot alongside the building made that very easy, and the alley behind does appear to be able to fit vehicles, so letting people use that would be a good plan.
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