If you want to run truly successful marketing campaigns for your sports bar, then you need to know who your guests are. And we mean more than just their names and email addresses. Here's how to collect and use customer data for sports bar marketing success.
There hits a point in every season of every sport where it’s obvious that a local favorite team just sucks. How do you get fans to keep coming to visit your sports bar to watch the game? Here are a few ideas to get ya going.
Exclusive data shows what alcoholic beverages diners prefer nationwide, giving bistro and bar operators intel that’s good for this football season and beyond.
Football is America's true national pastime, but that may change as Gen Z sports fans favorite basketball and the NBA over the NFL.
Turn your sports bar game day from good to great. Here are four ways of creating a Hall of Fame worthy experience at your sports restaurant.
By Nick DiMatteo, Fortyfivegames Just about everyone has a favorite drink of choice, be it a coffee beverage, a soda, or a mixed drink. Sometimes the drink misses the mark when there is a human element involved in its making, but sometimes it hits the spot perfectly. For me, it was an Arnold Palmer I ordered at a beach side restaurant in Key West. It’s a simple drink (half iced tea, half lemonade), but that first sip was amazing. The tea was perfectly brewed with a just right amount of sweetness balanced by the tangy sour of the lemonade and with the perfect amount of ice that hit the right temperature. I was blown away and wanted to keep drinking it, but I was a little hesitant. Sometimes, that first taste doesn’t follow through the whole drink, but that is [...]
Summer is here – finally! And with that comes warmer weather and increased interest in hanging outdoors. Having an outdoor seating area is great for any restaurant, but it can a truly unique experience for sports bars. Who doesn’t like the idea of sitting outside, enjoying their favorite beer or frozen drink, while watching the big summertime games with friends? An outdoor sports bar area can make for a unique and memorable experience for your guests, but it does take a little extra legwork than your run-of-the-mill outdoor restaurant patio. You’re not just seating guests and dropping off their food and drinks; you’re trying to create a magical place to watch sports. Here are some things to consider as you prep your sports bar’s patio for outdoor entertainment. You Need Plenty of TVs We’re starting with the no-brainer. [...]
By Julia Nikolaus, Contributor As our culture becomes ever more remote -- remote work, remote family gatherings, remote friendships -- sports have become a point of invaluable connection. Whether it’s rooting for the same team or playing in a community league together, watching and participating in sports fosters friendships, connection, and camaraderie. And it’s important for sports-themed restaurants and bars to tap into that valuable connection sports offers and establish your business as a point of connection, community, and cultural bonding. Diversify Your Offerings If you’ve only ever had your local football team’s games playing on TV in your bar, it’s time to click out of the local listings and find the bigger picture. Many sports bars make their name specifically on “niche” viewings, like The Sports Bra in Portland, OR, which only shows women’s competitive televised sports. While you [...]
Last week, the 2023 MLB season began with new rules for players and new hope for fans everywhere. Many of these fans will be your sports bar’s main source of guests during the slower summer sports season, especially after the NBA and NHL playoffs wind down. But just who are these baseball fans and how can sports bars market and cater to them? Recently, Statista published several reports on the MLB and baseball fans. Let’s take a quick trot around the diamond to see who the average US baseball fan is. Baseball Fans are Old & Aging Fans of America’s pastime are old and only getting older, which might create a bit of a problem for the MLB down the road. As the following chart shows, Baby Boomers are, by far, the biggest baseball fans in the US. 65% of [...]
Be it a watch party, eSports event, or just showing the local, big games, for it to be successful you need bodies in your seats. And like anything, folks can’t come to it if they don’t know it’s happening. With upheaval in social media recently making getting the message out there dicey, sports bar operators should expand how they’re promoting their bar and events. One way is to cross-promote your events. In this context, cross-promotion is getting the word out about one event you’re running through another event you’re already running and have an audience for. This way you don’t need to build interest from a standstill but can take the momentum from event into the next. Here are a few ideas to get you going. It Starts with Your Email Email is one of your sports bar’s most powerful [...]
For years, we’ve been saying the number one reason why sports fans come to visit your bar is to watch sports. But which sports? Unless you’ve polled your own guests or done some sales vs. games analysis, you’re probably running more on gut instinct. Instinct is good, but instinct backed with some data is even better. Recently, Statista ran a survey with American sports fans on what professional sports they follow. Mind you, what the national average is might not match up with what happens locally, so definitely do your own due diligence, but this info is a nice starting point. You will find more infographics at Statista Football is King Unsurprisingly, football remains America’s favorite sport to watch, dominating the survey with 75% favorability among the survey participants. And while just having the games available to show will bring [...]
You want “sticky” customers. No, not customers who have doused themselves in honey or glue, but those who continue to return, whether that’s for wing night, game night or just to enjoy a meal with friends or family. Retaining your bar’s guests is generally cheaper than acquiring new ones, so it’s important to have a robust retention strategy. If you’re thinking about creating a new strategy or modifying your sports bar’s current retention strategy, look no further than this blog post. We’ll walk you through four steps to get you closer to the perfect plan of action. Enroll Patrons in Loyalty Programs Loyalty programs are a great way to keep people coming to your sports bar. What’s great about loyalty programs is that you don’t need to have a complicated, digital solution! If you want to get started right away, [...]
