As the empty seats begin to fill with familiar faces, beer starts to flow and the kitchen starts bustling. The atmosphere in the bar changes with a sense of anticipation as patrons text their friends to make sure they will be there on time. What’s happening? A popular band? A great happy hour special? The Super Bowl? This may turn out to be the busiest day of the week!
It’s Trivia Night.
Patrons and Restaurants Both Win Big on Trivia Night
Live trivia nights are popping up across the nation to the delight of both patrons and establishment owners. Its popularity should come as no surprise: the TV game show Jeopardy has been wildly adored since it first aired nearly 60 years ago.
Eating, drinking and socializing is a winning combination. Add a bit of competition and the chance of winning prizes to the mix, and you have the makings of an exceptional evening. After the sense of isolation caused by the pandemic, the desire to gather with friends and family for a fun night out is irresistible.
For bar and restaurant owners looking to turn a slow night into a busy one, organizing a Trivia Night proves to be quite profitable, and now quite easy!
How Does Trivia Night Work?
For busy restaurant and bar owners, using an organizer such as Catch the Mania is the most effective way to ensure Trivia Night’s success. Trivia Night, through Catch the Mania, is a two-hour audio/visual experience that is displayed on a TV, while the host utilizes an in-house sound system or a portable PA.
The trivia host takes contestants through seven unique rounds of questions and answers. After each round, answer sheets are collected and correct answers are shared with participants. The prizes awarded are organized to encourage all to participate and return.
Organizing Trivia Night at Your Establishment
There are significant advantages to using a provider like Catch the Mania when organizing Trivia Night. Running a restaurant or bar is difficult enough. Certainly, it’s not cost effective to create their own trivia questions, while simultaneously trying to do everything else. Catch the Mania allows owners and managers to do what they do best: making sure their establishment is running smoothly.
Creating your own trivia questions from scratch can take hours and hours of work each week. But Catch the Mania has already developed programs for Weekly Trivia or Themed Trivia. They have tried-and-true questions that are just the perfect balance of interest and difficulty. And they make it easy to get started at only $25 per week for the first eight weeks!
Your host is an essential aspect of a successful night. While you can choose your most charismatic bartender or server, hiring a DJ is also a wise choice as they make equipment needs and setup easier. Professional DJs also know how to rev up customers’ enthusiasm. (Already have karaoke? Karaoke hosts make great trivia masters!) Whomever you choose to be host, Catch the Mania will train them! In many cases, they can help you find a host with their network of DJs across the country.
Prizes enhance the night and can range from branded beer and liquor swag to gift certificates. You can also use your own branded merchandise.
Trivia Night Successes
Nectar’s in Burlington, Vermont, was experiencing slow happy hour times (6:30-9 p.m.) before the start of their live shows. They were making $100-$300 on average on a Thursday evening. In 2004, they started a Trivia Night with Catch the Mania. Still with Catch the Mania 16 years later, they are averaging between $1,800 and $2,400 during the same 6:30-9 p.m. time slot on Trivia Nights.
The Waterfront Brewery located in Key West, Florida, had a game room that was underutilized on weekday nights, averaging 10 to 20 customers. Now, Wednesday nights are Trivia Night, bringing in an average of 75 in their “off-season,” and closer to 140 “in-season” during the same timeframe. According to the owner, their revenue has increased from an average of $300 to $3,000 during trivia.
In Hot Springs Village, Arkansas, Beehive prides itself on its hand-crafted cocktails and large beer & wine menus along with shareable plates with fresh local ingredients. With live music bringing in the crowds on the weekend, Beehive was looking for a way to liven up the place and earn more during the week. Since beginning Trivia Night in April 2021, the Beehive’s sales volume has increased “about five times on what was normally a slow Thursday night,” said owner Greg Jones. “We had 17 teams last week!”
Turn Your Slow Night into a Big Win
In an industry where profit margins are thin, it’s essential to muster a decent crowd nearly every night of the week. So don’t miss out on boosting profits on your slow night. Trivia Night has the ability to keep your customers coming back every week for more. Catch the Mania has been helping establishments from the East Coast to Hawaii and Alaska fill their seats for over 15 years.
Let Catch the Mania show you how easy it is to get started and sustain a successful Trivia Night at your restaurant or bar. Check out the subscription packages, view a demo and let us help you boost your profits today!