There are many different types of bars in the country and once open, the clientèle will determine the type of bar it becomes. In most cases, the owners may have one type of business and clientèle in mind, but it will be the patrons of the bar that determine how the business evolves. Essentially, the long surface on which typical alcoholic beverages are served is from what the term bar is derived, but the type of clientèle actually determines the type of bar it grows into.



For example, a biker bar typically serves clientèle that frequently ride motorcycles even if the establishment was not originally designed for that purpose. There are also gay bars, sports bars and dance bars that offer entertainment to a specific type of clientèle. However, over the years the activities of a bar can change, turning the venue into a different type of bar with or without the influence of the persons in charge.

Starting out with the typical locations often referred to a beer gardens, where locals would gather after work to quaff a few cold ones and tell tales of their escapades of the night before or share in the miseries of their job, a few games and a couple of tables for eating sandwiches were often the only form of entertainment. Other bars may have sought a different type of clientèle and added a small dance floor and maybe a disc jockey for the weekends to business among couples.

As competition for business increases, bars may add live music to their mix, hoping to attract a larger customer base and making the environment more enticing to couples and those looking to forge friendships based on certain types of alcoholic drinks and dancing, added live music and larger dance floors. A few generations ago the word discotheque was often used for bars that invited people in for drinking and dancing, but the term is seldom used today, except by those establishments hoping to spark memories of those days with retro ambiance and older music.

Today, many cities count on the local bars to be a part of their night life and local residents will seek out the venues that offer the type of entertainment, as well as other patrons, that fit more into their own lifestyle. While come communities may offer a slim choice of bars, others may have an active social scene that comes to life after dark and patrons have several different types of bars from which to choose.

For the most part, persons looking for a good time to relax and have fun with friends and possibly to meet new friends, will bar-hop to several different establishments in the same evening, looking for the venue and the type of clientèle with whom they can relate on a social level. Once they have met the crowd they feel the most comfortable with, they will generally stick with them until the clientèle begins to change and their search for a new bar scene home will rekindle.