Rick Welch never had a lifelong dream of opening a bar in Starkville.
But now, in his 10th year of business, Rick’s Caf seems to be here to stay.
Welch graduated from Mississippi State in 1991 with a degree in industrial engineering. Like most college graduates, he began a career in his chosen field expecting to find fulfillment in a job he had been trained to do. It didn’t take him long to realize that he wasn’t happy.
“I figured since I got an engineering degree that that’s what I had to do; go be an engineer,” Welch said. “But after I got a job, I realized that I wasn’t having fun as an engineer. I even came back to State to give academia another chance, but I realized that it just wasn’t what I wanted to do.”
Welch worked part-time in a bar during his college years, but thought it was just college fun. After finding himself dissatisfied in the engineering work force, Welch said he decided that the bar business was what he loved. His first business venture, however, wasn’t carefully orchestrated.
“It sort of happened by chance. I was just out one night when I was in school and I came into what is now Rick’s-it was called Choices back then-and the guy sort of jokingly said, ‘Why don’t you buy this place from me?’
“I sort of laughed, and I got to thinking about it later on that week and I came back and talked to him, and before I knew what had happened, I had bought the place,” Welch said.
Welch said his parents did not understand why he would choose to open a bar, especially after completing his engineering education, but they were supportive nonetheless. His friends also offered encouragement.
“My mom always said, ‘Just be happy with whatever you do and I’ll support you.’ And she did,” Welch said. “My friends supported me. Owning a bar, I guess, they thought was cooler than being an engineer.”
Welch said when he got ready to hire his first staff, some were leery of his new venture while others were ready to dive in headfirst with the young entrepreneur.
“A lot of the people I offered jobs to were people that I worked with,” Welch said. “There were a few that were scared to do it because bars come and go so quick. I had a couple of people that said, ‘Thanks, but no,’ but most everybody jumped on board and were ready to go full speed.”
Lynn Dacus, a member of Rick’s first staff, was willing to take the chance.
“I had been a bartender before at The Gin in Oxford, and it was just a good opportunity for me at the time,” Dacus said.
She also said she was confident that Welch’s business would succeed.
“Rick has such a good outgoing personality,” Dacus said. “When he opened Rick’s, he brought people in. He’s the best boss I’ve ever had.”
Welch said watching his business expand was almost like an out of body experience.
“This thing has become way beyond just one person, and it’s all I can do just to keep it under control,” he said, smiling. “It advances without me, you know. It has a life of its own.”
The bar has gone through a number of changes since its first year. Welch added more bars, including an “afternoon bar” called the Blue Parrot in the front of the building, and a DJ booth that is nestled in the severed front portion of a zebra-striped passenger bus.
“It was completely different,” Welch said. “I don’t think there’s one thing from the old business that I bought that I haven’t changed. Over the past 10 years I’ve changed Rick’s so many times I’ve forgotten what it used to look like.”
The ability to recognize change, Welch said, is a key factor in keeping his business alive. That philosophy has helped Rick’s survive against overwhelming odds.
According to the United States Small Business Administration, over 50 percent of small businesses fail in their first year. Ninety-five percent fail within the first five years.
“What I have done in the past is try and find something that works and stick with it on a certain night,” Welch said. “It’s trial and error. I listen to people. Especially as I get older, it’s even more important to listen to customers and employees because they understand what the average Rick’s customer would want.
“Back when I first opened, I was 24 years old. I knew exactly what they wanted because I was just making the place something that I would enjoy. But times change, people change, customers’ tastes in bands change, so I just have to sort of keep up with what’s hot today.”
Welch said his staying power can also be attributed to his ability to bring in great bands. He finds bands through networking, publications he subscribes to and Web research.
“I talk to agents and listen to other bands,” Welch said. “They all talk about new bands that are coming through and they may not be new bands, but they’re new to this region, area or state. You hear a band’s name enough and before long you think, ‘maybe this is something I want to look into.'”
Rick’s employee Curry Williams said he appreciates Welch’s willingness to learn what his customers are into and his ability to bring bands that everyone can appreciate.
“Rick’s great about booking bands that people around here will like,” Williams said. “He’s not one of those people who will book somebody just because he likes them. He wants everybody else to enjoy it, too.”
Although Welch said the most frustrating thing about his job is booking a band that he’s researched and having very few people show up to see them, he also says that seeing his hard work pay off is worth the effort.
“This business is cool because sometimes you work really hard at something and you don’t see the results, and a lot of times I see the results immediately,” he said. “If I work hard to promote a band, I’ll see the results that night, and that’s really rewarding.
Welch said it is hard promoting and quality bands that set him apart.
“You can get a burger or a beer anywhere,” Welch said, “but that’s not really what we sell. We sell entertainment; we sell good bands; we sell good service.”
Welch said low-priced alcohol can draw people in, but isn’t the only thing a bar needs to be successful.
“Cheap drinks may be the easy way to get a crowd, but the hard way, the more rewarding way, is to bring in a good band and promote that band and to keep people interested,” Welch said.
Welch said he believes it all comes back to knowing what his customers want, and that he will never be able to do that on his own.
“There’s a saying that someone told me a long time ago. The phrase is, ‘It’s hard to read the label when you’re inside the bottle.’ That makes complete sense to me, because if I sit in my office all day every day and try to guess what people want, it’s not near as accurate as asking people what they want,” Welch said.
Welch said his main goal for the next 10 years is to improve the facilities and make Rick’s “look nicer.” He said he would possibly entertain having a couple more locations if the town and the situation were right, but his present focus is on constantly improving the business he’s created.
He said even though his 14 to 18 hour workdays can get tiring, he plans to do his job for as long as he can. And despite the obvious perseverance of Rick’s Caf, Welch said he has a long way to go before he will feel that he’s succeeded.
“Ten years ago when I opened this place, there were hardly any places geared toward college students, so that’s one of the main reasons I thought a restaurant/bar in Starkville that catered to the college students would do so well,” Welch said. “Since then, a lot of places have come and gone.
“We treat bands right and we treat customers right,” he added. “It’s really a simple philosophy.”