Preparing Your Sports Bar or Restaurant for the NCAA Basketball Tournament

One of the most anticipated sporting events of the year, March Madness is a single-elimination tournament that includes 68 college basketball teams. Taking place over a multi-week span, the NCAA tournament attracts die-hard fans, casual observers, and everyone in-between. Millions of Americans fill out their brackets, attempting to predict the future and potentially win prizes. Even President Obama had a yearly special while in office to reveal his picks.

The tournament—also known as the “Big Dance”—kicks off with a whopping 16 games in one day! Lending itself to marathon viewing, the tournament begins at noon EST and usually does not conclude for the day until around midnight. There are several games happening simultaneously throughout the day, and a large portion of fans don’t want to miss any of the action. Many people will be looking for a comfortable and inviting to locale to watch the games. By providing the atmosphere these viewers want, you stand to attract a signicant amount of customers to your bar or restaurant. There are several variables to consider when catering to college basketball fans.

TVs Galore

With so many games happening at the same time, viewers often flock to sports bars to catch them all. Rather than sitting on their couches at home and flipping through channels every 10 seconds, it’s easier and more enjoyable to watch multiple TVs. Allowing them to focus on the games that are most interesting, it also frees fans from the burden of switching between games when there are commercial breaks.

It’s the responsibility of every sports bar to not only provide enough TVs, but to also ensure access to all the necessary channels. CBS, TNT, TBS, and TruTV will be broadcasting this year’s action. As long as you provide quality HDTVs and access to the aforementioned channels, your patrons will have their bare basketball necessities met. If you have space for a projector, consider installing one to showcase marquee match-ups. It will also serve you well in the future when it comes to other highly anticipated sporting events.

March Madness Specials

Give customers extra motivation to make your establishment their NCAA Tournament headquarters by offering unique drink and food specials throughout the tournament. Staples like chicken wings, mozzarella sticks, and nachos are easy to make and commonly devoured by sports fans. By offering a certain glasses of beer—not hard alcohol—at a discounted price, you can help ensure your patrons remain level-headed enough to watch hours of basketball.

Another idea is to offer a bracket contest. After the tournament bracket is finalized on Selection Sunday, encourage your customers to enter a bracket contest—the winner of which can receive a free party at your establishment! If you want, only allow people enter their bracket in-person at your bar or restaurant. This will give them further incentive to stop by during the few days between Selection Sunday and first tip-off on Thursday.

Since there are 12 days of basketball action during March Madness, it’s feasible for you to offer a price-drop promo that rewards repeat customers. For each day of basketball a patron spends at your establishment, he or she can unlock cheaper and cheaper prices on food and drink items. Reserve a special reward for fans that make it out for every day of the tournament.

You can also let customers predict the final score of each game, rewarding whoever chooses the correct winning team or is closest to the final score. This keeps customers engaged even if their brackets have already been busted.

Home Team Love

If your home town college team is in the tournament, it’s in your bar or restaurant's best interest to show fervent support. During games, bartenders and servers should be encouraged to wear jerseys or school colors. Pennants and balloons can be used to further amplify your support. Maybe offer a special promotion that rewards your customers in the event of a home team victory. If you know a retired sports player who used to play for the school, try to get him to come by for a promotion. His presence alone might attract fans who otherwise would have gone elsewhere.

Other promotional opportunities include offering discounts to customers wearing team gear and providing free giveaways to bring in more fans. Items like T-shirts and posters are inexpensive but can leave lasting impacts on recipients—encouraging them to return to your establishment in the future.

If you have a large sports bar that attracts fans of several teams, it might be best to designate specific tables or parts of the bar for fans of certain teams. This helps ensure that if by some chance bitter rivals—like Duke and North Carolina or Michigan and Ohio State—play each other, passionate fans of each team will be far away from each other and consequently remain civil. This will make each game an enjoyable experience for everyone—just as it should be.  

Leveraging Email and Social Media

Make sure patrons are aware of your promotions by using mediums like email, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to keep them informed. Update each platform throughout the tournament, hyping big games to get fans excited about what’s still to come. You can also post highlights like slam-dunks and game-winning shots from the previous round to keep your customers engaged and craving more basketball.

Renaming Drinks

Give your alcoholic drinks names that honor some of NCAA basketball’s greatest coaches and players. Just some examples:

• Coack K Konkoction – Named after Duke Coach Mike Kryzewski
• Bob Knight Negroni – Named after ex-Indiana coach Bob Knight
• John Wooden Whiskey Smash – Named after ex-UCLA coach John Wooden
• Pistol Pete Piña Colada – Named after immortal LSU guard “Pistol” Pete Maravich
• Lew Alcindor Sea Breeze – Before he changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabaar, Lew Alcindor dominated the college basketball landscape

March Madness provides a unique opportunity for sports bars and restaurants to bring in and win over new customers. If you can provide fans with a positive experience, you stand to become their venue of choice for watching future sporting events—including the Olympics, Super Bowl, NBA Championship, World Series, and more. This type of repeat business can be a boon for your establishment and lead to exponential growth.