TVs in Taproom

If you want people to come to your taproom and be able watch sports then it's almost a must. I for one, would rather go to a taproom during sports(especially football which comes on at prime drinking time on a Sunday), but a lot of times have to default to home or a sports bar because I (most of the time) can't watch the games at a brewery or taproom.

 

I am pro tv. You should have one for the same reason that you have music. To give a person an in or an out of a conversation. If it's too quiet that can be uncomfortable.

 

No TV. They're distracting. If I want a TV I go to a sports bar. I go to a taproom for the beer and company.

 

Here's my thought on it. I am likely in the minority in that I don't really want to watch TV when I go to the taproom. I go to have a nice time with friends or my significant other. I LOVE that you plan on having live music and are offering games and such. Places I've been to with a similar setup have been among my favorite to visit.

That said, just because I don't want to watch TV doesn't mean I actively don't want to see a television on the wall. So the crowd that wants the TV might be persuaded to go elsewhere if your taproom lacks a boob tube or two, but the non-TV crowd likely won't care if they are present. Make sense?

 

I have been to taprooms that have had TVs and those who did not, both options worked fine. It all depends on the mood and vibe that you are trying to set. One thing that you might try is to not set one up and see how things go, then you can always add one later. I do agree with many other posters in that if you do set one up, please have the volume off so it doesn't distract any conversations going on.

Best of Luck

 

Cool, that's about 40 minutes from my wife's dad in Dallas. Maybe we'll swing by for a beer when we're in for the holidays. Best of luck!

 

i don't like tv's in restaurants or bars, but I am the farthest thing from a sports fan, and that is almost what is always on. When i go someplace myself i tend to watch it anyways, even though i really don't like sports, because there isn't much for me to do. I'd be much happier if they were playing something other than sports (come on, do we need 3 tvs showing golf ... hell no.) As someone else suggested, just keep a movie playing

you will get more money from people watching games, staying for games, and people tend to drink faster if they are mindlessly watching tv.

 

i prefer to escape the tv when at my local brewpub or tap room
the mountain sun/southern sun/vine street pub empire here in colorado has made a thriving business of not having tvs
there are board games available and people tend to bring their own as well
it makes for a more enjoyable social experience and for those who need the tv and craft beers there are tons of places around that cater to that as well

if i may add one other comment-go light on bluegrass music after a few beers it makes me want to do this

 

In a world where most everyone's already staring at the phone in their hand, adding another screen will just confuse them.

 

I like the idea of only having a TV for local sports events, but I also think that would definitely result in a few unsatisfied customers who request to watch other games and get shot down.

I'd vote for a couple of well placed TVs with no sound and potentially implement the "local sports" idea by putting the sound on during those games.

 

One near me has two TVs on the wall which they just run old movies through Netflix when there isn't a sporting event of particular interest. I would definitely have them, regardless of how little I care about MLB or NFL, there's enough people who will just not darken the door if they can't see a game that I would make sure you have the basics.

As for BMC, buy a case of each from your distributor and sell it for the same price as your craft kolsch/pilsner. When you're making 500% markup off of the died in the wool BMC drinkers, they'll become your favorite customer. You're in business to make money, not make some moral point that will be lost on your customers by not stocking it. Heck, if you really want to do some beer advocacy, point out the nuances and positives of BMC beers, no matter how much people here want to deny it, there are quite a few.

 

If I want to watch TV, I can stay home. Totally ruins it for me.

 

You definitely don't "MUST HAVE TV" because some places I like don't have TVs. What do you want? Maybe miss out on some potential customers because you don't have a way for them to watch "the game"? It doesn't hurt to have them is my opinion. But I am not the kind of person who is going to walk out of a place because they don't have a tv on. Now because they don't have good beer, that's another thing.

 

a TV or 2 - absolutely. we are just drinking beer - no need to be so serious. there are craft beer places that do not have TVs and if there's a game i might want to see a little bit of - I'll go somewhere else. Remember not all sports fans wear team jerseys and face paint. Kids might like to watch sports - and if you can keep kids entertained (w/o sticking a really anti-social device - the ipad - in front of them) then families are more apt to visit.

 

Absolutely no TV's. Not a single one.

 

No TV.


You're also going to define your bar this way too, as people who think similarly as you OP will come here, and the people who want to scream and shake fists at a TV can go do that somewhere else.

 

I think 1 decent sized TV placed somewhere where its visible to most of the patrons is best. That way its there but you don't feel inundated by it.

 

Yeah i like just a few in taprooms, mainly for sports if its a local team in a big game then turn up the volume, if not then you can mute the tv, but again i am for a few smaller (TV'S)

 

I like TVs when I go by myself and don't feel like talking to anyone so I'd say yes to the TV. Make sure to have the local sports event when they're on and you'll be fine. If you care about businesses don't worry about the people saying "no, it ruins the experience". You'll gain more customers by having events that they want to watch than lose people on the extreme beer snobs / anti-technology crowd. Turn them off or run ESPN if there's nothing interesting. If you're serving food play the Food channel. It works.

 

Don't forget to put in Wi-Fi!