Miles Salazar isn’t your average bar owner.
In fact, at 19, he isn’t even technically old enough to own one.
But Salazar is on a mission, taking the role of booking shows earlier this summer as he prepares to take on co-ownership of Bodega’s Alley in downtown Lincoln when he turns 21, along with friend Drew Intrieri and childhood friend Micah Stanley.
It's no surprise that Salazar is working his way up to take the reins of Bodega’s Alley. He said this business has woven itself into who he is today.
“My dad used to work here a long time ago. He just used to be a bartender. And so I kind of, like, grew up here when I was super young,” Salazar said. “And I kind of just, we made our way up and up.”
For decades, Bodega’s Alley served as Lincoln’s prime place for the jam scene, according to the Downtown Lincoln Association.
Jam music, which derives inspiration from several genres and has a heavy focus on improvisation, grew in popularity during the late 1980s and 1990s. However, after nearly three decades, Bodega’s Alley’s is reinventing its status, embracing the changing bar scene and trends of young people.
As younger members of Gen Z take their first steps through the doors of local bars, owners, like the young trio at Bodega’s, are trying to figure out how to cater to them.
As Gen Z comes of age to join the bar crowd, data suggests this generation’s drinking habits have shrunk compared with previous generations.
While the number of adults aged 55 and older who regularly drink increased 10 percentage points since 2001-2003, hitting a high of 59%, drinking among those aged 18-34 flipped in the other direction, decreasing by 10 percentage points over the last two decades, reaching a low of 62%, according to Gallup.
Individuals aged 35-54 shared similar statistics for that age group average, hovering around 69%, only two percentage points up from the previous study two decades ago.
With young people being the target audience for local music and bar scenes, bar owners are having to come up with innovative solutions to attract them.
Sam Crisler of Bonehead Booking said alcohol and music have always been tied together.
“Alcohol and the music, they go hand in hand," Crisler said. "Like there are promotion companies that will not book a show if they don’t think they’ll be able to sell alcohol at the show.”
While Crisler said his passion is to get people to see great music, he understands the business side of drawing in crowds full of excitement with wallets full of money for alcohol.
Scott Hatfield, owner of Duffy’s Tavern which sits two storefronts down from Bodega’s Alley on O Street, said there are a multitude of reasons why younger people may abstain from drinking at bars.
Hatfield said the rise in dieting and healthy lifestyles among younger groups also caused shifts in menus. Instead of relying on classic drink offerings, these venues are shaping their menus with signature drinks, low-calorie beverages and mocktails.
“What I’ve noticed, I think more than anything, is that people are conscious of their diet,” Hatfield said. “You know, people count carbs, people count calories, and they pay attention to those things... If you’re gonna work out, you don’t really want to just pile on 500 calories of alcohol.”
Rising living costs are also affecting young people’s choices about nightlife, according to Hatfield, who said venues are trying to provide cheaper options for patrons.
“People are more price sensitive than they were in the past,” Hatfield said. “So, we always try to keep one or two different types of cheap options available on special every day, so that people who come in and only have a few bucks in their pocket can still get a drink.”
On top of changes to how young people are choosing to go out, Hatfield said associations with drinking, or more notably not drinking, are changing drastically.
Perceptions around not drinking have been destigmatized by Gen Z, according to Hatfield. Instead of people choosing not to drink being ridiculed or receiving weird looks, he said young people have little to no reaction to friends abstaining from alcohol.
“It used to be if somebody would order a non-alcoholic drink, they might get a hard time from their friends. Now, nobody bats an eye,” Hatfield said. “I think it’s more accepted now to go out and not necessarily drink or not drink too much.”
Hatfield said he’s noticed that Gen Z is more interested in the experience they can have at a bar rather than what drink specials are available.
Gen Z has a more experimental outlook on their nightlife experience, according to Hatfield, allowing new patrons to expand their musical tastes.
“That’s another thing about Gen Z, is they do seem to be willing to try other types of music. And I think, you know, if you look at Gen X, or some of the older generations, they're kind of set in their ways,” Hatfield said.
In a world where social media usage among young people is over 90%, this experimentation in nightlife has made them crave a deeper connection to one another, according to Crisler, who said a more organic feel at venues is drawing young customers.
“People want to touch grass. People are tired of being inside and looking at their phones all the time," Crisler said.
Crisler added the change in drinking habits has allowed venues to be more experimental and create niche music scenes that local fans can be proud of.
“I just want people to be in the moment and enjoy what’s happening in front of them, and also be happy to call Lincoln home and, like, be excited about things that are happening here,” Crisler said.
Alcohol isn’t completely out of the picture, though. With Gen Z now statistically drinking 3.6 drinks on a night out compared to 5.2 drinks on a night out in 2002-2003, bars are finding ways to turn a profit with experience-based drinks and drinks made accounting for economic and social trends.
Salazar said aesthetics are important to young venue attendees. Therefore, venues are having to try new lighting styles that can bring in a generation that craves comfortability in their nightlife spaces.
“When our lights, when our house lights are on, they're on a blue setting until concert lights come on. We just want it to be super chilling here. We want you to come in here and feel relaxed instead of super bright lights,” Salazar said. “You know, like nobody wants to go after work, have a freaking light shining in their face while they're having a beer. They'd rather be relaxed.”
Not only are venues changing their vibe and music, but they also are finding new marketing tools to spread their name and aesthetics with patrons. Bodega’s “Kodak shot” is a perfect example.
“You come in and buy a Kodak shot. It's like a blue shot with glitter. Our main theme here is blue and then we take a picture with you -- with that shot with like a Kodak camera,” Salazar said. "And then we are going to glue (it) on our back wall. And so it's going to be like, ‘Oh, let's go see our picture here and get it, get our picture taken.'"
With drinking rates down for beer consumption among young people as well, venues are exploring signature drinks and ways to excite attendees through an experience with alcohol, according to Salazar.
Salazar said that college-age patrons are the best to recommend new beverages to since they may not know their favorite options at the bar.
Despite the changes businesses have had to make in recent years to draw in Gen Z, Hatfield said studies looking into lower drinking rates paint Gen Z as a generation of homebodies and phone-addicted zombies; however, he said he feels as if this next generation is changing the bar and music scene for the better.
“Everyone wants to do studies and tell us why they’re different or how different they are, but the reality is, is that they’re bright-eyed and they’re eager, and they’re smart, and, you know, they look at the world as a place that they want to make better,” Hatfield said.
However, that doesn’t mean Bodega’s Alley or other local bars will forget their older clientele, instead aiming specific nights at certain crowds, ensuring there is space for customers who attended Bodega’s in the 1990s and for those walking through the doors at 14th and O streets for the first time.
“I think we're going to be able to cultivate to both scenes, even if it's not both scenes in one night, we'll be able to have one college night that is packed full of college kids, and then the next night it's going to be insane band from, you know, Omaha or something, where all the old heads are like, holy ****, I need to be there for that, you know? So, it'll be a, it'll be a good mix of both.”