Flag on the Play! Four Penalties Your Bar Can Avoid During Super Bowl Weekend 

Regular season game days at the bar are crowded and hectic enough, but Super Bowl weekend? That’s a whole different ballgame! According to National Retail Federation, nearly 18 million fans plan to watch the Super Bowl at their favorite bar. If you’ve got a good game plan, with some well-scripted plays… you’ll be celebrating a “penalty-free” weekend with increased profits! Here are coaching tips to get your team ready for a super weekend in your bar.

Penalty #1: Delay of Game

Want to increase ticket averages? Don’t let your FoH team get called for Delay of Game when customers need ordering assistance. Huddle up pre-shift with your servers and help them get their heads in the game. Review the beers on tap and new beers on deck. BreweryDB’s brew page is an excellent resource to build your playbook with accurate (brewery-sourced) and easy-to-remember information, including tasting notes, ABV, and food pairing suggestions.

Penalty #2: Illegal Procedure

Want to maximize throughput? When the bar gets crowded and operational stress increases, chaos shoots upward and BOOM: your normal procedures can break down leaving open taps, incorrectly tapped kegs, etc. Avoid the Illegal Procedure penalty (and lost profits) by having a rock-solid game plan for moving through your draft inventory. Start by setting your starting lineup and strategically using each tap to target the variety of guests (and palettes) you’re expecting. Then, build out your plan like a depth chart and post it for your full team to see. When your Light Lager kicks on tap 4, who’s “the next man (beer) up”? Plan ahead of time to avoid miscommunication and interrupted service behind the bar. 

Penalty #3: Unnecessary Roughness

Ready to stop shaking kegs? For years, you’ve tolerated shaking kegs as a necessary evil to gauge keg levels. Flag on the play! Today’s forward-looking bars are avoiding the Unnecessary Roughness penalty by letting non-invasive weight sensor technology do the work. You can eliminate the need to shake kegs, minimize players on “injured reserve” and ditch the “guesstimating” while allowing your team to focus on higher-value activities.  Save your bar from this foamy penalty and sell more beer!

Penalty #4: Holding Penalty

Boost your brand by serving only the freshest beer on tap! Holding on to kegs too long threatens your guest experience. Check your kegs now! Look for expiration dates that might deliver off flavors and make sure they don’t make it onto the field. You can’t risk a Holding Penalty when your bar is full and the expectations (especially from new customers) are high. The freshness quality of your beer reflects your brand, the guest experience, ticket averages, tips, and more. 

Now you’re ready to get a win in your bar this Super Bowl weekend! Remember, your guests chose your bar over staying home. They’re not only football fans, but also fans of the experience you provide. You’re going to do great—just keep the penalties to a minimum. In the words of Vince Lombardi, “Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.”