walls, and a variety of cheeky displays
encourage customers to let their guard
down and have some fun.
Of course there are plenty of HDTV
screens to watch the game, along with
pool tables and dart boards. The food
menu is also as casual as the atmosphere, delivering the requisite wings
alongside “Sloppy Janes,” “Drunken
Clams” and updated versions of Irish
classics such as Shepherd’s Pie and
bangers and mash. Steaks, chicken and
stews round out the menu, which also
features seasonal specialties. NCB
split. Women are particularly interested
in specialty drinks and cocktails, which
were co-created by distributor Southern
Wines and Spirits.
The 24,000-square-foot space also
has themed rooms, each focusing on a
particular sport. And since it’s Las Vegas, there is a sports book available right
there to make watching games a little
more interesting.
Xtreme Sports Bar + Lounge
In Reno, Nev., the Grand Sierra Resort
has opened the Xtreme Sports Bar +
Lounge. Rather than just focus on the
big sports such as football and baseball,
this place is an homage to extreme
sports like snowboarding, skateboarding and motocross. Turns out Reno is a
major encampment for extreme sports
athletes and their fans, so going this
route was natural.
“There’s a whole generation of people
today where sports are something totally
different,” explains President and CEO
Richard Silverman. “[The bar] is absolutely at least 50 percent focused on the
extreme athletes of the world.”
Walls are adorned with 40-foot murals of Olympic athletes, BMX champs
and local favorites; food menus appear on snowboards, beer menus on
skateboards. Plus, the Xtreme Girls
serve up the food offerings, all of
which are extreme versions of bar
food found elsewhere in the country.
As for drinks, expect kegs rather than
traditional bottle service.
The bar also has authentic memora-
bilia and features 25 high-definition
42-inch plasmas and one LCD high-definition projection with a 12-by-8-
foot screen. More than 30,000 watts of
power drive a 50-plus speaker sound
system, which comes in handy when
the place turns into a nightclub several
nights a week. And even that’s gone extreme, as the house DJ plays alongside
the house band Audioboxx in a major
musical mash-up. It’s all helped create a
venue that appeals to men and women
equally, according to Silverman.
Tilted Kilt
Ruling the Midwest and Southwest with
a plaid skirt is the Tilted Kilt Pub & Eatery,
and the Tempe, Ariz.-based franchising
company is looking to dominate the rest
of the country; 26 locations are now open
and seven are in the works.
Casual and comfortable, the Tilted Kilt
is the perfect antidote for those looking
for something other than a serious and
upscale sports bar. Here, the focus is
on delivering good food in a fun, sports-oriented atmosphere. Its all-female wait
staff is clad in the official “uniform:”
a miniskirt-style kilt, starched button-down shirt tied to bare the midriff,
sporran, stockings and flashings. The
chain’s tagline is “The Best-looking
Sports Pub You’ve Ever Seen,” and the
2010 calendar featuring the staff was released this fall amid much fanfare in the
restaurants. Décor-wise, the pubs play
on a traditional Celtic theme but inject
the atmosphere with a comical twist.
There are humorous limericks on the
Games
People Play
Capturing business
at sports bars isn’t all
about the newest technology. In fact some
folks like to completely
unplug when visiting a
sports bar.
At New York City’s
Southern Hospitality,
for example, it’s all
about creating a laid-back atmosphere, says
director of operations
Chris Russell. “This
place is about being
who you are, and we
are not about following
tech trends. We have
an old school heart,”
he says. Instead of over
the top accoutrements,
management focuses
on basic college drinking games like beer
pong and quarters.
Beer pong has proved
to be a great sales tool,
as pitchers for a game
cost just $10.
“We want to turn
trial customers into
long-term customers,”
Russell says. “And
long-term relationships
are built on old school
games.”
On the plugged-in
side, one old school
game that has proven
popular for two decades at bars is Golden
Tee. According to Gary
Colabuono, marketing
director with Incredible
Technologies, this
classic game is still
a lynchpin strategy
for many bars. Some
operators are also
leveraging the popularity of sports-oriented
gaming systems such
as those available
from NTN Buzztime,
Touch Tunes and
others. Additionally,
recreational leagues for
games like darts, pool
and even skeeball help
establishments capture
repeat customers.
“This is a nice melding of all things going
into why bar games are
popular. It comes down
to social competitiveness. You play with
buddies, have a beer
and while one plays
the others scope out
the place for ladies,”
Colabuono quips.
