A Bar for the Biz

Residuals was supposed to be the industry bar where everyone knows your name. Twelve partners opened it nine years ago as a hangout for Hollywood players in film, television and radio. Today, Residuals in Studio City is still a second home to various screenwriters, producers, actors and local KFWB and KNX reporters. But it’s turned into more of a neighborhood bar, with the industry contingent more along the lines of big-time boom operators, key grips and best boys, says Craig Tennis, manager of Residuals.

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THE SCENE: Walk in the door and the side of the stage is two steps away. Walk one step from the front of the stage and you’re at the bar. Walk 15 steps from the front door through a narrow walkway and you are at the back of the room. There are tables immediately to the right of the door, and booths behind the bar. Yes, it’s cramped. By 10:30 p.m. on a recent Saturday, every square inch short of the narrow walkway is filled, yet the closeness makes mingling a cinch and forces an intimacy with the band, which feeds off the energetic crowd.

On the walls are head shots of entertainers you’ve seen but can’t remember quite where. There’s one dartboard--for decoration. “Don’t need no games,” says a gray-haired man with a long ponytail and a baseball hat turned backward. “Just the music and the people.”

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THE CROWD: A dressy-casual bunch of energetic people in their 20s through 40s. Most are in jeans and blazers, a few women are clearly overdressed in near-prom attire. Waitresses in black tank tops serve drinks as manager Tennis works the door.

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THE OSCARS: On Monday, the Oscars will be broadcast in the bar on two large, mounted TVs. A copy of a recent Residuals newsletter, found atop the cigarette machine, invites people to fill out a ballot that night to be eligible to win “a whole bunch of prizes.”

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THE GOOD: Free bowls of popcorn whenever you want. There’s no kitchen, but patrons can choose from eight neighboring restaurants that will deliver to the bar, including Mexican, Thai, Italian and good ol’ American burgers.

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THE BAD: Remember the film “Footloose,” where no one in town was allowed to dance? At least those kids got to dance eventually. Besides the fact there isn’t enough room to cut a rug, Residuals doesn’t have a dance license. You’ll have to contain that restless energy to enthusiastic hand claps and head bobs or you will be approached and reminded of the policy.

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THE WORD: “What’s the most important word in the English language to people who work in film, TV and radio?” asks Craig Tennis, on why the bar is named Residuals.

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Residuals, 11042 Ventura Blvd., Studio City. Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 2 a.m. Monday through Friday, noon to 2 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. Live rock music alternating Saturdays with The Mustard Seeds and The Scarletts starting at 10 p.m. Information (818) 761-8301.