Business At A Glance
Startup Costs: $10,000 – $50,000
Online Operation? No
Business Overview
Depending on the establishment’s capacity, sports bars can be aspecific version of the neighborhood tavern, or they can take on a lifeas big as a nightclub. You may have the latter in mind, but your marketresearch may point to the former. It’s important to do your homework!
Generally, sports bars offer some kind of menu options such as burgers,pizza, sandwiches and appetizers. Since the main attraction is sportingevents, sports bars have televisions in view of every seat, sometimesall tuned to different channels. Audio and video technology comes intoplay, with some owners spending a large percentage of their revenue onkeeping up with the latest in technology–from satellites to big-screenTVs. The startup costs and revenue potential reflect basically the samenumbers as a neighborhood bar. Sports bars benefit from having built-inevents to use in their marketing throughout the year, but you need morethan just sporting events and drinks to attract customers. Many sportsbars also have video games and other activities to keep customerscaptivated.
The Market
When creating your sports bar concept, keep in mind the people you’dlike as customers. Contact the local chamber of commerce or SBA to getinformation on age, gender, income level, marital status, and politicaland religious affiliations of your target market. You’ll also want toinvestigate any favorite sports or teams in your community. Once you’veestablished your bar, how can you get the neighborhood to come?Generate word-of-mouth buzz through direct-mail campaigns, developing aWeb site or getting involved in community events and charity functions.
Needed Equipment
Once you have your location selected and have gotten the necessarylicenses, you will need to decide how to layout your bar and whatequipment you’ll need, including: glassware, compartment sinks, glassracks, taps and dispending systems for beer and soft drinks, cooler forbeer kegs, freezer, ice bins, ice machine, ice pick, ice scoops,dishwasher, storage cabinets and display shelves. You will also needkitchen equipment for the snacks and sandwiches you’re offering, andmachines for making coffee drinks. For a sports bar, TVs are a must,and there is cable or satellite service to consider as well. And don’tforget the beer, wine and liquor!
