Harvest Saloon (formerly Cleats) is one of my go-to neighborhood bars, primarily out of convenience, and for one of the nicest bartenders you'll ever meet, Amy. I had a hard time scoring this place due to my own attachment to it, but honesty has to take precedence over bias.
During my four years living in the area, Harvest Saloon saw a great decline when it was Cleats, but has recently been renamed, is now under new ownership, andI I can only assume they're looking to make a resurgence to compete with the other local bar down the block in essentially the same strip mall. This will be no easy task, but I'm rooting for them!
The new ownership faces the basic chicken or the egg conundrum. Should they gut the place and completely redecorate? Should they offer more drink specials to bring in the crowds? Live music? Game night? Karaoke? Unfortunately, I don't have those answers either. What I can suggest, however, is that they find an identity.
Here's what I mean: The domestic beers are just as cold as the domestic beers down the street. The liquor behind the bar is the same as well. So what's different? Identity. Define what sets this place apart from the other guy's. This hasn't been done yet. When you're in a competitive business, such as a bar or restaurant, having an identity is key.
For now, Harvest Saloon is just a bar. They've changed the menu, which is a start, but it's still lacking refinement and an identity. Unless this changes in the near future, I'm afraid it won't last very long. I'll keep going as it's convenient and I root for the underdog, but as it stands right now, I couldn't recommend Harvest Saloon to anyone else.