Football season is finally here! And while football games are always great for boosting a sports bar’s foot traffic, operators shouldn’t rest on the NFL and NCAA’s laurels. It still takes work to make your sports bar different and better than all the rest.
Here are five things every sports bar needs this football season for success.
Access to Every Football Game
This is probably a no-brainer for y’all, but it’s gotten increasingly more difficult to have access to every game. It’s hard for football fans wanting to watch at home, and it’s challenging for sports bars, too.
No longer are NFL and NCAA football games just on basic TV, but are also on regional sports networks (RSNs), ESPN, Hulu, etc. EverPass even has exclusive rights to a couple of NFL games this year, meaning if you’re not subbed to their service, you won’t be able to show those events on your TVs.
This is both a problem, but also an opportunity.
A lot of fans aren’t going to buy every cable and streaming package out there. It gets wildly convoluted and expensive quickly. However, your sports bar is in a much better spot to do that work for them, giving fans a central location to watch all the games they can’t. Add to that your bar’s amazing food and drink and, well, you’ve quickly turned your sports bar into The Football HQ of your neighborhood.
It’s important to remember that you’re not only running a drink/food eatery but are also able to relieve pain points for football fans. Getting access to every NFL and NCAA game and showing them on your TVs is a big easy one.
Your Guests’ Favorite Food & Drink
Of course, football fans are probably at your sports bar primarily to watch the games. But games on TV don’t make money alone. You also need an amazing food and drink menu.
If you’re looking for some inspiration, this Tasting Table blog post lists the best food to try at every NFL stadium. Everything from pierogis at Acrisure Stadium (Pittsburgh Steelers) to the Fuku chicken sandwich at EverBank Stadium (Jacksonville Jaguars) to loaded tots at SoFi Stadium (Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers). See what’s good at the local stadiums and make it your own to add a little bit of that “at the game” atmosphere.
As for drinks, this infographic lists the favorite beer of every NFL team’s fan base. But if you’re looking to attract younger fans, it’s best to have some good non-alcoholic drinks and cocktails on your menu, too.
With the right combo of food, drink, and games, your sports bar can be unstoppable.
A Local Fan Club
Predictable business means predictable income, and that includes sports bars. One way your business can do this is by teaming up with local football fan clubs. This is especially good if there’s a fan club that’s not local to your area; for example: Patriots fans in Los Angeles or Cowboy fans in Jacksonville, etc.
Also don’t forget about NCAA fan clubs. Most colleges have alumni programs and, depending on the school, may also have fan clubs for their sports. Getting in touch and building a relationship with these alumni groups can be a great way getting bodies through the door and increasing predictable business/income. Just like with the NFL, this is especially great if there are alumni groups foreign to your area.
Work with these groups and fan clubs to create a cool viewing experience for them, but some ideas to get you going:
- Pledge to show every game that the club’s favorite team plays on your TVs
- Provide discounts for fan club members
- Specialty merch celebrating your bar’s and the club’s relationship, like t-shirts
- Special viewing parties that go beyond just showing the games on your TVs
At worst, you can always build your own fan clubs. It’s more work intensive, but it means you fully own the program and can run it how you see fit.
Several Ways of Letting Guests Know What You’re Showing
It’s great to have an amazing menu and show every game, but if football fans don’t know that you’re offering all this, it’s all for naught. You need to also market this info to fans. And you should have several ways of connecting to fans and letting them know.
Digital Marketing:
- List your upcoming sports TV schedule on your website, so online visitors know what’s on tap. You can even make this process automatic by utilizing the STVG Widget which will update the schedule for you.
- Email fans about upcoming games and events at your sports bar. If you’re running any specials or doing anything different than the norm, let ‘em know!
- Post about upcoming football games on your socials. If you’re real busy, just choose the social channels that yield the most engagement with followers.
In-house:
- List what games you’re showing for the next few weeks with wall flyers or, even better, the SportsTV Guide for Digital Signage.
A SportsTV Guide Subscription
It’s important for your staff to know when every team is playing and what every channel the games are on, especially now that the NFL has expanded from just Sunday and Monday to Thursday through Monday… plus all the NCAA games, too.
The SportsTV Guide lets you know when every game is happening and on what channels, including streaming! It saves your staff previous time finding the games, so they can get back to what’s really important – serving your guests.
If you’re not already a subscriber, you can get a week-long free trial of the SportsTV Guide. See why thousands of sports bars use it daily to improve their operations and business.
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