Club Bureau
Club 'Don't Care'
By M.D. dela Cruz Tan
PUBLISHED: JULY 2009

On June 5, one Rianna wrote as a blog review in ph.88db.com of Club Bureau: “Celebrated my 18th bday in Club Bureau, the best experience! The humble owner gave me a free bday cake, a big one (for my 250 guests). Thank you Ma'am!”
Considering Rianna just turned 18, I want to be more forgiving of her naiveté; but won’t let her NOT learn an important business lesson, nonetheless: You pay for the place to host 250 guests (AGAIN: 250 GUESTS), so thanking them for a cake (a giveaway cake) is not, is never needed, simply because, my dear, you already gave them good business, and/or the charges for the cake may have already been included in the fees you paid.

Having said this, This is the one thing I find that’s good with Club Bureau: PROMOTION.  The place makes itself sound as one of the most happening places in Metro Manila – its repetitive (and edit-worthy) self-description on various sites online, after all, states:
“Club Bureau marks as a Makati hot spot, featuring world-class DJs and avant-garde events.  A champion of DJ culture, music, art and dance, a best sound system, dance floor, full bar, and best trendy lights effects. Long-running weekly clubbing events like every Friday and Saturday. The party nights featuring topnotch DJs spinning from House and Electro to Rock & Roll, to Hip-Hop and Rnb, depending on the night party concept.  Monthly parties, special events, private parties and art exhibits add to the club's unique, dynamic atmosphere. An energetic party vibe, attracting a cool, quirky, trendy, and occasional celebrity, crowd. There is a good mix of nationalities and bar prices are reasonable for a club.  With its late closing time, Club Bureau is a great place to top off your night and to start the next morning.”

For one, the place does have a good sound system – comparative, in fact, with the other top places to party in Metro Manila.  Throbbing is the word that comes to mind when the music plays here.

But good equipment can only go so far – good music has to be played in them, too.  And while Club Bureau does okay most times, many times, too, it fails; mainly, this is because of the preferences of their DJs (thus, by extension, the club) to play what THEY want without consideration of the crowd at any one time they play, e.g. playing trance music loud enough to drown a product launching (think Cherry Mobile) just won’t do.

Secondly, the place is actually quite big – Shanghai’s Deep came to mind the first time I visited, even if Club Bureau isn’t THAT big (it just had THAT spacious feel).  That the place manages to – supposedly most of the time – fill the venue is credit to its, yet again, promotional skills.

Thirdly, the service sucks.  Big time.

1. In one event, we arrived at 6.30PM – food was served after 12.00PM.  And, take note, I was in the VIP list, at that.
2. The waiters ACTUALLY ignore guests/customers (unless you’re Miss Earth, complete with your crown, just to be sure you get attention), like they don’t even want to be there.  They’re forgetting that what we pay, pays for their salaries…
3. The bartenders do not care, and have the couldn’t-care-less attitude – something annoying, and stupid, actually, considering I pay quite expensively for some watered down cocktail, and I intend for my complaint/s to be heard for me to get my money’s worth.
4. Nobody takes responsibility.  At two instances I was in the venue, I looked for: A) Manager, B) Supervisor, C) Head Waiter, D) Whoever; and at both times, nobody wanted to talk to me.

That they ignore customers if/when it’s to give feedback is what may be most annoying with Club Bureau – I have, thus far, sent messages to their listed mobile phone, and have sent my issues through their Facebook accounts.  They have two groups and one fan page – one of the groups by a former partner/co-owner, who, incidentally, was the only one to give a response, if only to claim that my concerns were to be expected with the way the venue is run (disagreements caused him to leave).

Is this a fun place?

If you want to put up with the B.S., it could be.

But if you want to get your money’s worth, this isn’t the right place for you.

And if you want to be treated with respect, since you’re the one paying, then this isn’t for you, too.

Unless you want to pretend to be some socialite/social climber – but that’s an altogether different story…

If you want to suffer Club Bureau, visit A. Venue Mallantel Lifestyle City, 7829 Makati Avenue, Makati City; or call (+632) 3845666, 9239895666.