4 Ways to Engage Your Guests Longer

Table turnover is a tricky business. You don’t want to rush anyone out the door before they’ve made their last purchase, but you shouldn’t let them stay so long that you lose waiting parties to another venue.

However, there are times you want to keep diners around just a little bit longer.

With the right combination of entertainment and on-screen messaging, you can do just that — without sacrificing revenue.

Let’s take a look at four ways your sports bar can keep guests and fans in their seats longer.

Offer Compelling Entertainment

We’re probably preaching to the choir here (after all, you’re reading this on the SportsTV Guide’s blog), but good entertainment is a great way to get diners to stick around longer — especially if you’re broadcasting a big game.

Even if diners don’t stay the full length of a game, many will stick around through a quarter or an inning to see how the game plays out.

But what about days or nights when there aren’t games on? Research shows that only 24% of Gen Z report interest in traditional sports — which means off nights are a great chance to livestream esports. Esports live streams offer a great opportunity to bring in new customers to your sports bar. The good news is the SportsTV Guide lists Esports streaming info right in your guide, so you know what to promote and when.

Top-Notch Trivia is Tried & True

In 2020, streaming platform Twitch saw their viewership increase from 11 billion hours in 2019 to 18.41 billion hours — a 67.36% gain. One aspect of Twitch that sets it apart from other streaming platforms is that viewers can engage directly with content creators. Between increased Twitch engagement and the increased access consumers have generally to content creators and actors, interactive forms of entertainment matter more than ever.

Younger consumers do not want a passive entertainment experience. They want active engagement.

Trivia is a great vehicle to deliver interactive engagement for guests of all ages. Plus, your sports bar or restaurant can use it to increase customer loyalty. Host trivia nights before big games or offer small trivia opportunities during games. You might want to reward winners from trivia nights with discounts off a future order when they return for a big game. Gameday winners could receive a free beverage or reward of similar value when they return to your venue in the future.

Create Stakes with Gamification & Minigames

We’re not talking about sports betting (yet). We’re talking about engaging your guests and bar’s sports fans with your content in such a way that they have a stake in the outcome.

Die-hard fans will always care if their team wins or loses. They’ll typically stay at your bar for an entire game. More casual fans won’t — unless they’re invested.

Turn every game day into a minigame for customers. Ask them to guess if scores will be even or odd at the end of a play period. Have them guess how many runs an individual player will have during a baseball game or how many sacks each team will make every half. Then, offer a reward to those who guess right!

When your guests are invested, they’ll stick around longer, meaning more revenue for your business.

Up the Ante

Thanks to a decision from the Supreme Court of the United States, individual states are now free to legalize sports betting. Many states have gone as far as to authorize mobile or online sports betting, allowing viewers to place sports bets from anywhere.

Since you’re already showing live sporting events, sports betting is a natural add-on. With sports betting, you’re just, as they say, making it interesting. Sports betting offers two key advantages to restaurants, sports bars and taverns that choose to cash in on the opportunity: engagement and revenue.

First, fans who have a stake in the game are more invested in the outcome, which means they’re more engaged around the entire event. They’re making a plan. Where will they watch from? Who will they watch with? What will they eat and drink while they watch?

When fans become bettors — and when they learn that you’ll not only have the game playing across your screens but will also keep them informed by streaming live betting odds — their engagement with your restaurant or sports bar will naturally increase.

Second, revenue naturally follows when you have fans in seats for an extended time. The longer the game — and the more invested the viewers — the more food and drink you’re going to sell.

Step Up to the Line

Now that you have some proven ideas for drawing in more guests and driving additional revenue, it’s time to put these ideas into action. That’s where UPshow comes in!

UPshow offers trivia, gamified sports engagement, sports betting, and so much more so that sports bars can fully leverage the power of their TVs and other digital displays. We work with restaurants, sports bars and taverns across the country to create and display fun, engaging content that drives revenue and increases customer loyalty.

Schedule a custom demo and learn more about what we can do for you.