Stealing Home
The Crack of the Bat and the Ring of the Register

    Summer, baseball and beer. It’s hard to screw up the opportunity for profit with something so simple and so reliable. The key is keeping the on-premise formula simple too.
    So what if football and basketball get better television ratings these days? Baseball fans are some of the most loyal and dedicated around. If you can get these fans in your bar on a daily basis, your business will increase steadily through the summer months and beyond.
    Even in towns with a local team to support, not everyone can afford to attend all the games. Often, a nearby watering hole can provide even better camaraderie, and the same principles that apply to these spots apply to other sports bars nationwide. Baseball fans are omnipresent, regardless of the market.
    “We’re right next to Fenway, so we’re geared toward baseball fans,” says Adam Hawk of the Baseball Tavern in Boston. “We’ve been fan-friendly forever. We’re price-friendly too. It’s not about gimmicks or promotions. Our staff members have all been here for at least 10 years, and they’re rabid baseball fans. They love to talk about the game. Baseball has been a staple in Boston for years.” Recent success has given the fans more to cheer about in Boston, and along with that has come a resurgence in outside interest.
    “The fans come from all over,” Hawk says. “They’re nuts here. They live and breathe the Red Sox.”
    The Baseball Tavern has been a Sox tradition for a long time. Some of the uniqueness of the place comes from its lack of promotions and its salt-of-the earth mentality.
    “We thrive on beer and shots. Beer is the most popular drink amongst baseball fans. It’s mostly an Anheuser-Busch kind of crowd.”
    Even though there are other bars that are closer to Fenway Park, the Baseball Tavern has carved its own niche with the fans for its special focus on baseball.
DB’s Sports Bar in St. Louis is a place that radiates baseball.
    “The post-season has made fans out of people who normally aren’t,” says Johnny Daus, owner of DB’s. “We’re close to Busch Stadium, so people can come here during the season if they don’t want to go over there and pay $6 for a beer. We’re reasonably priced at $2.50 and $3.”
    Daus and company also run specials for the fans, such as buckets of six beers at $12 a bucket.                   NCB