@skinnylatte people have been complaining about the problems of the take being on the booze for way longer than i've been alive, and they're right - but i do think it's a hard problem.
like a lot of the small places we go to music, people might not bat an eye at a hundred dollar bar tab for a couple people, and they probably tip well, but basically no one is going to pay fifty bucks a head for a ticket or cover charge, and i'm not sure where else you make up the $.