If you’ve ever been to a professional sports game or major concert, you’ve spent a good deal of time in what Brooks Schaden likes to call a “gravity of traffic.”
Schaden is the cofounder and co-CEO of Tom’s Watch Bar, a 13-unit concept that also counts Rick Schaden and Tom Ryan — Smashburger’s cofounders — as well as former Texas Roadhouse executive Shannon McNiel as founders. And “gravities of traffic” are the sweet spot for Tom’s Watch Bar as it scales across the country; they’re high-density, high-foot-traffic locations in major markets where sports teams, convention centers, casinos, and more draw many thousands of customers on a regular basis.
Within these locations, Tom’s Watch Bar is elevating the traditional sports bar experience by offering better food, beverages, and service to appeal to a demographic eager for “experience entertainment.”
Brooks Schaden joined the latest episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches to explain why the old standard for sports bars just doesn’t cut it anymore and how the brand is building its own fan club through a fun and distinct experience.
In this conversation, you’ll learn more about why:
- You don’t need to reinvent the wheel to launch a successful concept
- Customers want way more than the local sports team on your TVs
- The sports bar customer isn’t who you think it is
- There is big traffic potential in “gravities of traffic”…
- …but those gravities require a totally different playbook on service, marketing, and ops
Contact Sam Oches at [email protected].
