The Ranch Concert Hall & Saloon — Restaurant in Fort Myers

Attended my first concert, The Gator Girls, on Thursday November 12, 2015. This was my second time there, and it will be my LAST time, EVER, going to The Ranch. WHAT A JOKE! All the advertising, for this concert, said "Doors open at 7 pm." Well we got there at 6:55 pm and see only a couple people waiting in line. We got in line, we waited, waited some more, then waited even more. Finally at 7:20 pm, using my cell, I called The Ranch. The woman whom answered stated, "doors open at 7," so I asked her why I was still standing outside, in line, at 7:20. She began to hesitate and muttered something about a meeting. Shortly thereafter, sweating and tired of waiting, we were allowed to pay $5 and enter. Now the real waiting began. Thinking the concert may begin at 8, we got our drinks and found suitable seating. While we were waiting, we took note that the stage was setup for an acoustic concert. Funny (not really), but the advertising said nothing about being only an acoustic concert. Then, 8 pm came and went, so I asked the barmaid "what time does the concert start." She said "9 pm." Well, at 9 pm, everyone began running about with anticipation and excitement. It wasn't the start of the concert, but rather, they (the owner, Jim, and all his little friends, buddies, and/or relatives) began taking people back for the "Meet and Greet." Seems like they could have done this at 8 pm, instead of leaving the rest of the crowd to stand or sit there, since 7 pm, for more than 2.5 hours, waiting. OK, so the concert finally begins at 9:40 pm! No wait, Gator Country, FM 101.9 has to do their little promotion, give out a few can coolies, and introduce the Gator Girls. Frankly, I'm surprised Gator Country even associates with this "The Ranch" operation. Now, the concert. Apparently The Ranch crew didn't have enough time to setup and sound check the stage and equipment. Poor Lauren Alaina's microphone wasn't working. Hello! tap, tap tap! Sound check anyone? Almost an hour into the concert, they managed to get her a working mike. How embarrassed I was for Fort Myers. These girls have performed all over the country, and this is the best we have to offer, The Ranch. Thanks...

I have several issues with this place. Smoking is allowed in this bar which creates a health hazard for the majority non-smokers. Smokers should be required to indulge in their nasty habit outside. The dance floor is in terrible condition due to the fact that they allow their line dancers to carrry beer and drinks out onto the dance floor. The floor is warped and rough as sandpaper. The only dancing offered here is line-dancing. No they do not offer country western dance lessons for those that might want to learn. The DJ acts as the dance instructor and DJ; and therefore refuses to play non-line dancing type music. She might get around to playing one two step tune every hour or two and acts irritated when asked to play a traditional two step tune. The concerts offered here are very expensive when considering that a majority of the bands are typically local and not nationally known. Additionally, the cover band begins at 9:00 pm which means the headlining band, the band commanding the higher price, doesn't start until 10:00 pm or later. For a country western type establishment I am confused by their having bands that specialize in rapp music, mexicano music, and other types of non-country type music. A common complaint is the poor quality of the sound system which makes it difficult to properly hear the band's music.

In my opinion this establishment is mismanaged. They should stick with country western music, both recorded and live, and the cover charge should be reasonably affordable. They should advertise heavily on local radio and print. They should offer country western dance lessons as well as line dance lessons. They should play a variety of country western music, both traditional and recent tunes. They should not...

Bouncer sucker punched my buddy for moshing into me and then they all dog piled him when he shoved him off himself in self defense not realizing it was security. Spoke to the general manager and tried to explain to her that their security had made no effort to de-escalate the situation, and that sucker punching a customer for moshing during a Suicidal Tendencies show isn't logical. You cannot punch someone in the face and then expect them to realize you are staff when you are in the middle of a moshpit being attacked by someone twice your size with movement and music blaring all around you. My buddy apologized and let them know he thought he was being jumped by random people. They refused to let him back inside. We drove 3+ hours and were forced to leave two songs in. Do not hold thrash and hardcore shows if your staff is unaware of the culture that surrounds these scenes. Having a bunch of overly aggressive bouncers attacking customers having a good time is a terrible look. The bouncer had him in a choke hold on the floor and refused to let go even after my friend realized it was security, calmed down, and was already blacking out of consciousness. Had I not ripped his arm off my friends throat he would have seriously injured him. Even his co-workers were telling him to calm down and let go, but the guy was caught in his ego and clearly wanted to hurt someone. Ironically enough the bouncer ignored the tatoo'd men twice his size who were throwing elbows and punches in the pit right next to us, so maybe show a little more consistency when you attack people. Security absolutely needs...