Different Strokes
No Matter the Crowd, Good TV a Must

    For sports bar owners and operators, televisions –– and more specifically flat-screen and high-definition televisions –– are an increasingly crucial part of business. A recent article from CNET News.com reported that 17.2 million flat panels were shipped to retailers in America in 2006. This represents a 136 percent increase over 2005.
    Although the selection of state-of-the-art systems has risen, the cost has not come down in equal proportion. Updating a television and audio system is still expensive, so the right choice is paramount.

Ozzie’s
    Ramon Gallardo and Cardinals shortstop Ozzie Smith have owned and operated Ozzie’s Restaurant & Sports Bar in St. Louis for almost two decades. The 10,000-square-foot space hosts a wealth of memorabilia on the walls, and legends such as Michael Jordan and Reggie Jackson have stopped in on occasion.
    This year, the management felt it was time to upgrade the television system to match the level of service and clientele for which Ozzie’s has become famous.
    “We just recently went completely high-definition,” Gallardo says.
    “We have 50 TVs, either 42 inches or 32 inches, and we have five large screen TVs.”
    Gallardo says they keep the system muted unless it is a national game.
    “We didn’t have sound put on each table because we are an open restaurant,” says Gallardo. “It is very casual. We do have some of the televisions inside of the booths, and guests in those can put on whatever they want.
    “We were doing this really in anticipation. Analog television is going to disappear. Not only that, but (high-def) updates the restaurant.”

Time Out
    Located in Westminster, Co., the Time Out Sports Bar has taken a more personal, table-by-table approach to televised sports.
    “We are 5,500 square feet, and we are a sports bar by day and a nightclub by night,” says Owner Kim Wieczorek. From bikers to executives, this 187-person capacity caters to all types via five big screens and 22 smaller televisions.
The sound system was installed in October of 2006 by Soundog, and each table is outfitted with a drive-in style wireless speaker system that can be changed to one of eight games playing at once.
    Wieczorek says that her guests “absolutely love it.”
    The speakers are on a rechargeable base called a “dog house,” and the group was able to install the whole system without help.
    “The charge is very expensive, so that many smaller bars cannot afford to do it,” says Wieczorek. But she admits the customer feedback has been worth it.
    “A lot of people who come in here don’t drink. But they still come in to eat and play trivia and watch the games. It gives an added advantage for those who aren’t here for alcohol,” she says.