Sports Bar Design Ideas to Win Loyal Guests

By Briana Hilton, Contributor

Sports bars are thriving in the U.S.

89% of sports bar guests are more likely to return to an establishment with live sports coverage, plus guests who watch live games in bars spend 36% more on food and drink every month, a recent survey from DJS Research reveals.  That’s huge.

If you own a sports bar, it’s important to design it carefully to create the ideal environment that keeps sports fans coming back for more. By choosing a solid theme, providing a personalized experience, and arranging TVs strategically, you can successfully make your bar one that stands out from the competition.

Choose a Clear Theme for Your Sports Bar

Pick a theme to design and market your bar around — something that attracts and excites your target customer base (local sport fans), so they become loyal patrons.

Most obviously, you could focus on a single sport. Chatham Tap in Indianapolis,  for example, is an English-style pub that shows football (see: soccer) games for fans. Alternatively, you could base your sports bar’s theme on a popular team in the local area — like Yankee Tavern in the Bronx, which is a favorite bar among Yankees fans.

Once your bar becomes known as the place to be for fans of a certain team, that’s where they’ll go to hang out every week.

Once you’ve chosen a theme, lean into it everywhere you can. For example, around 33% of bar customers specifically look for bars with unique or themed drink menus. So why not name drinks or dishes after local teams or players? You can also number your menu to correspond with a local team’s jersey numbers.

Another idea is to print fun facts about players on the back of your menus and drinks lists. This can be a great way to highlight the career-defining achievements of certain players, as well as lesser-known facts and stats customers wouldn’t otherwise know. Basically, the more things you do to feed into fans’ excitement over the game, the more likely they are to return for the unique experience you provide.

Allow Guests to Personalize the Bar

80% of guests are more likely to make a purchase from brands that provide personalized experiences. So, allow your sports bar’s customers to personalize your bar to make them feel at home and foster brand loyalty.

For instance, some bars encourage guests to decorate the counter with sharpies, while others allow patrons to pin dollar bills to the walls. To follow the sports theme, you can let guests and fans know you welcome sports memorabilia donations to use as decoration.

Average Joe’s Sports Pub & Grub in Indianapolis, for example, displays donated memorabilia, as well as photos of customers themselves — “average Joe’s” who play small-time, local sports.

Alternatively, you could snap polaroid photos of guests and display them above the bar. Either way, the element of personalization helps build a community customers will love to be a part of.

Don’t Leave TVs an Afterthought

As fans primarily flock to sports bars to watch games, you need to have the right number of TVs, and all of them well-positioned to give everyone in the bar a good view. If, for example, someone has booked a table, but they can’t see the TV as there’s something blocking it from their line of sight, you’ll have an unhappy customer and a potentially bad review on your hands.

So, you may want to install a single, huge screen on one wall — similar to the Greatest Bar in Boston, which is famous for their 14-foot HD TV screen. Or, you may want to have a number of separate booths each with their own TV, so customers can choose what they want to watch.

Another idea is to have an audio box on each table. Customers can then watch the game on a nearby screen and adjust the volume as needed to suit them. And, don’t forget to include TVs in the bathrooms, so customers never have to miss a minute of the game. A small detail like this can impress patrons and keep them choosing you over the competition.

Running a sports bar can be a lucrative and rewarding endeavor. By putting thought and care into the design, you can successfully create a sports bar that attracts fans and keeps them coming back for more.