Sports Bar Ideas
Among the highlights of many neighborhoods is the local sports bar. It is the place where many die-hard and casual fans gather to root on their favorite hometown team, as well as where they gather to enjoy food and spirits. Many of these sports bars come equipped with a theme that helps distinguish them from the pack. Those looking to start their own sports bar are at no loss for ideas.
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Sports Bar With a Theme
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These niche-style bars are quite popular in large metropolitan areas, which feature people from various cities from across the country and around the world. For instance, Pittsburgh Steelers-themed bars are available all over the country, where Steelers fans can gather to watch games and talk about their favorite team.
Choosing a theme is simple--simply decide what customers the bar is trying to lure in. For instance, if a sports bar is located near a local baseball stadium, perhaps adorning the walls with baseball memorabilia and designing the restaurant around baseball (naming menu items after popular players, as an example) helps cater to that particular demographic. The same goes for hockey, basketball, soccer, football or whatever sport one chooses.
This holds even truer for particular teams. For instance, popular teams like the Boston Red Sox and Dallas Cowboys feature fans all over the country. Designing a sports bar dedicated to a particular team, so long as the fan base exists in the surrounding area, is another surefire way to draw business.
Family-Style Bar/Restaurant
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Buffalo Wild Wings, a national chain of sports bars/restaurants, has really shown that marketing sports bars to family is a profitable endeavor. With non-smoking, sit-down family-style seating, as well as a separate "bar" area with smoking and a "21 and up" policy, Buffalo Wild Wings has essentially doubled its business.
Of course, those looking to start their own sports bar can do the same. Simply design a family-friendly menu--complete with burgers, hot dogs, chicken fingers and pizza, in addition to more bar-like menu items like chicken wings and nachos--and offer plenty of non-alcoholic drink options, such as soda, milk and water. This helps lure in the family crowd, many of whom are also interested in checking out the big game, or maybe even just sitting down for a nice family meal.
On the flipside, reserve an area for 21-and-up patrons who are looking for a nice night on the town, and set them up in the bar area. This way, the divide between bar and restaurant is quite pronounced.
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Late-Night Bar
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In lieu of family-style restaurants and themed sports bars, some owners opt simply for a straight-line bar--plenty of beer and spirits on tap, televisions, limited food menu and no one under 21 allowed. This might limit one's business in terms of drawing in diners and families, but it also opens up the bar to those looking for a family-free outing and looking to grab a beer while watching the game. Many of these bars tend to stay open later than average restaurant/bars--typically until state law allows--and feature bar amenities like pool tables, jukebox and dartboards.
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References
- Photo Credit Bottle with beer beer on a white reflecting surface image by Alexander Oshvintsev from Fotolia.com
