Though costly, big screens draw pigskin fans to local bars; TVs help pack 'em in on football game day

San Diego Business Journal, Sept 8, 2008 by Brad Graves

It's a privilege that costs a few thousand dollars, but when San Diego's barkeepers do it right, televised football changes the complexion of their operations.

Media companies "charge you an arm and a leg" when you want to show football in a bar, said Eric Christiansen, co-owner of the Guava Beach Bar and Grill in Mission Beach.

Yet in the next breath he says it behooves a bar owner to pay. "It's definitely worth the money."

In agreement is Dale Wilson, who is chief executive of the three Trophy's sports bars and eateries in San Diego County. Wilson pays thousands of dollars per season per store to keep football coverage--both college and pro--on his screens.

The NFL's regular season got under way Sept. 4, and the most college football teams played over the Labor Day weekend.

In Trophy's situation, it's worth the expense, Wilson reports.

The coming of the college and NFL seasons this month means a potentially lucrative season for bar owners, as televised football attracts fans who pay to eat and drink.

Flat-Fee Service

There are up-front costs. Bar owners say they pay for their television service at the start of the season. It's a flat fee that's based on a building's occupancy, which doesn't necessarily work in a business' favor.

Michael Dini reports that to get televised football coverage at his place, Dini's Bistro in Carlsbad, he must pay his provider a rate that reflects the occupancy of his entire, 3,000-square-foot restaurant.

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Never mind that the six televisions his customers watch are in his 700-square-foot bar.

"We're pretty busy so it's worth it," said Dini, who owns the venue with Michael Arellano.

Saturdays and Sundays have different rhythms, says Michael Pasulka, co-owner of Players Sports Bar in Kearny Mesa. On Saturdays people stay for the duration of a college game then leave. Tables turn over regularly when new games begin, around noon, 3:30 and 7 p.m.

NFL fans who come to the restaurant on Sunday tend to linger beyond a single game. "We don't turn tables as much," Pasulka says.

A University of Florida Gators game brought in 190 people Aug. 30, he says. University of Texas Longhorns games can bring in 120 people (take note, Oklahoma fans).

Other schools bring in gatherings of 10 to 30 fans.

On a recent Wednesday night, Players was gearing up for the NFL season by hosting a fantasy football draft while simultaneously hosting a pool tournament and showing several baseball games. Players has more than 60 screens.

City Of Transplants

Proprietors say they find themselves buying coverage from all over the NFL because San Diego is a city of transplants, sentimental about their home teams.

Trophy's sees Green Bay Packers fans and Pittsburgh Steelers fans, says Wilson. And, yes, Oakland Raiders fans.

Guava Beach, now in its sixth year of operation, has become a place for Denver Broncos fans. Kristy's MVP on Midway Drive is a gathering place for Louisiana State University fans.

Rob Sullivan, co-owner of the Blue Parrot Bar and Grill in Ocean Beach, is still getting a feel for the bar-keeping business, since he has been open less than two years. The Blue Parrot is Sullivan's first business.

Sullivan sees emerging constituencies behind Oakland, San Francisco, Green Bay, Cincinnati, Cleveland and New England. Halfway through the season the bar televisions will probably be tuned to the "meaningful" games that will determine championships, he said. He'll also be looking for cues on what makes patrons happy.

While managing a watering hole isn't nuclear physics, there is a trick to building a business to critical mass.

NFL and college football are part of the equation. Christiansen, the Mission Beach proprietor, says he adds food and drink specials and reasonable prices to attract patrons.

Pretty soon, people passing by on Mission Boulevard want to see why everyone is inside Guava Beach.

"Nothing draws a crowd like a crowd," Christiansen says.