Pour One Out For Sports Bars
The Vibes at the Local Watering Hole Just Aren't The Same Anymore.
It’s (American) Thanksgiving Day as I write this, and for many, it’s a day for both food and sports. Whether or not you were a family that went out and played some games in the morning, preferred video games, or flipped on the ol’ boob tube for football, the link between physical activity and eating until you couldn’t move can’t be denied.
I don’t usually partake in traditional Thanksgiving festivities (a story for another time), but when I was in my 20s, I would usually celebrate the holiday at the local sports bar. Due to the NFL having games, restaurants being open both early AND late to catch both shifts of Turkey Day eaters, and serving food that was notably cheaper than the nearby “Prix Fixe” eateries, it was the best option. And even though on the surface it seemed to be the same vibe every year, over time I’ve noticed some changes that make me wonder whether or not sports bars are due for some sort of dining reckoning, down the line.
Chill Out With The TVs
I love the power of choice. Give me all the options when pitching something to me, and I’m a happy camper. But listen, we have to be honest with ourselves when I say that we’ve hit our quota on the number of TVs we can stack in a single restaurant. I get it from the business side, right? “Hey, come on down and watch The Big Game…and if the ‘Big Game’ to you is Robot MMA, then you’re in luck!”
But what ends up happening is that there’s so many TVs on with so many different games at so many different volumes (if the televisions are working at all) that it just feels like it’s noise. Any community you wish to build by being in a room with like minded fans and curious onlookers goes out the window when ESPN 8: The Ocho is on at the same time The Westminster Dog Show. It’s like being in a giant Vegas resort pool: Run in, put your towel down on a bar top, and be disgusted every time someone walks in your line of sight.
There’s Bar Food, And Then There’s Bar Food
I’m a simple fellow. I love to kick back with a couple of burgers and beers. And while I am by no means am poo-pooing anyone who enjoys bar food, I’m sensing shenanigans on the culinary side of things. Sports bars are either trying way too hard in attempts to “update” (upcharge?) the genre, or on the other side of the spectrum, cutting as many corners as possible. Like, have you ever visited a new city and tried their “really good gastropub, downtown?” I have, and I always came across the sinking feeling that I’ve had the same exact food, prepared the exact way, in multiple places before. Turns out, I was correct:
TLDR: It’s expensive to source local foods, so restaurants just order in bulk from giant food service companies. Straight up, JC Penny catalog style.
So the food is all the same, purchased to be cost-effective, but when I take myself out on a date, it ends up being $50 plus tip. How Sway?
The Takeover
I can hear people say that their local sports bar isn’t like that. “My favorite place only has a couple of TVs and the food is farm-to-table, so get over yourself, Flobito.” To that I say that’s great, but like a lot of segments of business with hidden mom-and-pop gems, the corporate consolidation is coming.”
Like Galactus did for planets in that Fantastic Four movie, more and more companies are moving into more communities to exert their dominance. They want to be top of mind, wherever you go. As a traveler, I like it. I just plop down into a town, type “Yard House” into Google Maps, and be chowing down on a $25 steak salad in the next hour. However, those who have the dream of having the wee little tavern that depends on local fan support are getting priced out. And it’s very easy to do that because times are hard everywhere.
Either way, I don’t think I’m Nostradamus when I say a change is probably coming to the segment. Indeed, if gastropubs and Irish pubs are showing games, and sports bars are toting $30 entrees, what truly is the difference between these segments? The decor on the walls? Can’t be, we need room for more TVs!