INTERACTIVE GAMES 

Bar Energy Levels Can Translate Into Traffic

    It's 10 P.M. on a Tuesday night, and you see only a few regulars dotting the bar. You could have Ladies’ Night, but the bar around the corner already has capitalized on that time-worn trick. So, you run through a mental checklist of your options, but none seem too proactive, promising or profitable. What’s a bar owner to do? Easy –– entice your potential customers with entertainment.

Keep Them Turned On  
    “It’s all about being entertained,” says NTN Buzztime President Tyrone Lam. Trivia, game shows, interactive video games, sports prediction competitions –– the possibilities are endless for filling up those barstools and keeping them warm the rest of the night. Lam, president of the real-time trivia game company, says the bottom line is that your bar makes more money from those players. “NTN players average 47 percent more in spending than non-players,” he said. “They stay 39 percent longer than those not playing.”And that’s the point. Once you get the patron through the door, you want them to stay as long as possible and keep them spending money. NTN Buzztime distributes multi-player trivia games for bars that operate in real-time through the Internet displayed on a television screen. Using handheld wireless game controllers, players compete with friends and other trivia buffs across the country.
    At the end of the contest, the highest scorers enter their name on the screen,which broadcasts it nationally. “When they finish their meal, they don’t want to leave. They become immersed in a game show, and want to get higher up on the gaming board,” Lam says.

Think About Diversity  
    The same can be said for pretty much any interactive game. “(Games) keep people drinkin’ and havin’ a good time,” says Chris Waterhouse, the technological manager of the Great Canadian Midway, a games-oriented club in Niagara Falls, N.Y., that boasts more than 100 games, from bowling to billiards to video games. The Great Canadian Midway shares its games with Boston Pizza, the sports bar side of the partnership chain.
    Waterhouse says Boston Pizza takes no revenue from the games, proof that it profits from the sheer presence of the players purchasing food and beverages. “It’s been proven. If you offer entertainment, the clientele is sitting around longer and using the facilities and eating and drinking,” says Mike Rudowicz, president of the American Amusement Machine Association. While Rudowicz says sports games are the most popular, when making the decision to purchase your entertainment devices, Waterhouse suggests the proprietor choose a variety of games, not only hardcore sports games. He also suggests maintaining the games religiously.
    “If you don’t, why is a local going to play a game he just got burned on last week?” Waterhouse says. He also adds that purchasing the games as opposed to a partnership is a good idea for reaping the full amount on profits. Once you purchase the game(s), the ideas are endless on expansion.

Game Creativity Shines  
    Wayne Rowe, a former graphic designer for special event advertising for the bar industry, saw the money to be made from said games, and invented his own: Pub Bowl. It’s an electric football dartboard involving a changing screen that displays an image according to how far the quarterback wants to throw the ball. “It’s a traditional parlor game but with modern twists,” Rowe says. “You’re not just sitting there dropping quarters into a machine with your beer.” Working inside the industry, Rowe noticed how many sponsors work with the bars, from the sports industry to breweries, so he came up with his game idea with the intention of the bar owner creating leagues. “You can have schedules, that way you have people coming in on a slow night,” he says. “You can create a promotion that grows the business.” Rudowicz suggests going so far as to offer prize redemption, not only to entice the customer to win something, but also as a marketing tool.
    Dean Lichtenwalner, president of Creative Imagineering, took the trivia idea to another level with his live game show, Game Show Mania. He has stands, buttons and his very own Alex Trebek –– DJ Rob Smith. “It’s the perfect bar entertainment,” Smith says. “The trivia is about movies, TV and music, and it involves the crowd. It keeps them sitting there, and they’re planning on staying a while.” The duo usually holds seven to 10 week-long contests, ensuring that at least a set amount of customers will be there on a slow night every week.

Games Give Guests More Options  
    Offering games in your establishment can also keep the customer coming back, and NTN Buzztime’s Lam has proof. “Our players visit 72 percent more than non-players,” he says. “And more than 90 percent of our players recommend a particular bar to their friends.”
    AAMA’s Rudowicz has seen the difference between game-friendly drinkeries and non. “I went on a tour of bars across the nation, and the ones without any games were surprisingly quiet with few patrons,” Rudowicz says. “Others had dart leagues and what-not, and there were 20 to 40 different people ordering drinks and snacks.” Rudowicz offers up the idea that the extra revenue generated from housing these recreational devices can offset the cost of running the business. “You can pay your utility bills or for other forms of entertainment,” he says. “It’s a great alternative source of income. Dan DeLaHunt gives a more organic reason as to why it’s a good idea to carry games in his establishment. “People grew up playing video games,” he says. “I always enjoyed it, and I even play myself.”And anyway, it just gives the customer more options. “With the game, there’s always an extra something to do around here.” NCB