Beer Cards and Buffalo Chicken Crepes

Monday March 25, 2013 

Athens, GA is infamous for many things. The historic music scene, the University, its small-town beauty and charm, and most importantly, the multitude of bars and incredible restaurants. Because of this, it is quite a common occurance for people to ask for recommendations of where to go when they visit the Classic City. Naturally, I always draw a blank, and fall back on my go-to answer for them: Pauley's Original Crepe Bar. 

After going through a facelift during my time in Athens, Pauley's has and still remains one of my favorite spots. Unlike a lot of establishments in Athens, Pauley's has a very diverse clientele, including greeks, non-greeks, athletes, tourists and townies alike. They are busy almost every night of the week, not to mention during lunch and those who are interested in some afternoon beers and people watching. I won't even bother to describe the atmosphere on a Saturday in the fall - you are lucky if you get in the door at all. They are known for their savory, as well as their sweet, crepes, their inspiring creating of the "Manmosa" (a marriage between a mimosa and a screwdriver), and for the, literally, hundreds of beers that they continuously offer. 

One of the favorite activities of the patrons is to come and work on their "Beer Cards," which keep track of all the beers you try until you reach 100. This could be considered one of their more traditional, yet creative, forms of engagement with their customers. I, for one, have only gotten up to 30, but love hearing the opinions and suggestions from the staff on which ones to try next. Once you reach the 97 mark, you drink the last 3 beers from one big goblet and get the honor of having your card and picture framed on the wall. It holds a spot on my bucket list, for sure. 

The one very interesting part about Pauley's is that they do not have a website. There is absolutely no proprietary digital material owned by Pauley's, or, for that matter, by their sister restaurant The Branded Butcher. The only digital access that is available is a Facebook page, which is vastly underdeveloped. They have a mere 1,265 "likes,"no cover photo, only a single photo with the brand name, and essentially no other content posted. The only posts on their page consist mainly of customers tagging themselves and others in Pauley's through FourSquare and linking that with its Facebook account.

It is very curious that Pauley's continues to be most everyone's favorite restaurant (or at least in their top 3), even though they do literally nothing to involve themselves with their customers outside of the on-site experience. With that said, I think there is a lot to consider when you are branding any business, especially the location, the purpose of the business and the clientele with whom you are trying to connect. Is a strong social (or even digital in general) strategy always the best move for a business in today's world? 

Though it may not be a popular opinion, I'm going to have to say no. Pauley's is taking into account the very characteristics that were already mentioned that are associated with Athens. There is a leisure-ness, a laid-back-ness, about Athens that emanates a need to separate yourself from the fast-paced surrounding world. I think that is a huge component of where its charm comes from. It's a feeling that is difficult to describe- you have to experience it. Walking down Clayton Street on a sunny, lazy afternoon, heading to Pauley's for an afternoon beer with friends to catch up and then separate again. I think this is something to remember when you get caught up in all of the different social media platforms -- sometimes, it is just as rewarding to maintain those traditional values. Make a beer card, make friends with the bartender, and hunker down in a place where you can take a break from the world.