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It’s finally fall and football season is here! Many restaurants take advantage of their region’s teams and factor them into a seasonal promotion. And why not? Fans hunker down for three to four hours at a time, consuming your drinks and food during the course of the game, making them a great market to tap into if you don’t already.
There are many ways your restaurant or bar can start integrating “game day specials” into your weekly plan.
Advertise ahead of time. If your regular customers aren’t aware that their favorite hangout is going to start showing their team, it’s not going to be good for business. Promote on your social media and website why your place is the best to watch the big game. This is crucial if you haven’t been a hub for spectating before. To tie in with advertising your location, try and incentive patrons to get there early. Get swag from beer or liquor companies you work with to give away to the first 25 customers in the door or have little raffles during the game.
Open a little earlier. For Sunday games, there’s always the possibility that your team could be playing in the early afternoon. Try opening your doors a couple hours beforehand to encourage people to either arrive early for the game and grab a seat. Or remain a desirable option for other customers that aren’t concerned with the game because they know they can eat and get out of there before it starts.
Bring on the booze. If you sell beer of any kind, you can offer some sort of bucket or pitcher promotion where guests purchase larger quantities of beer at a time for a deal. Again, these fans are likely to be holding up a table for longer periods of time than your average customers, so why not give them a further reason to keep buying drinks? These games are a socially acceptable reason for patrons to drink on what’s typically an “off” time for your bar.
Don’t forget the food! Just like beer, you’ll want to be able have the ingredients for your game day menu prepped and ready. If you’re looking to add a little something to your regular menu, try loaded nachos or fries. These dishes can be put together using leftover pieces from other menu items so you’re preventing food waste and giving your spirited customers another choice. Plus, a lot of this food is on the saltier/spicier side, which will leave customers feeling thirsty…
Offer to-go options. Sports fans can be a superstitious crowd. Some of them have to sit in the same chair by an east-facing window where, by coincidence, their team hasn’t lost since ’82. Turn this crowd into customers by beefing up your take-out options. You can offer take-out specific items, larger platters for viewing parties, or allow ordering the day before to relieve some of the pressure on your kitchen staff. Having these choices for people who would rather watch at home can help you take advantage of a higher portion of your customer base and you can make a sale without giving up any space!
Make sure the game is visible. There’s nothing worse than having a group coming to your establishment to specifically watch the game and not being able to see the screen. Be sure to have enough screens so people can view the game from different vantage points. And, because games can start anywhere from the afternoon and into the evening, make sure you can adjust your blinds when the sun is shining in.
No matter where your bar or restaurant is located, there’s always a team that your patrons can rally behind. It could be a national, college, or high school team, or even all three depending on your location! Game day promotions are a great chance to bring customers in on what might traditionally be slower days and engage them in your restaurant or bar’s atmosphere.
