Tom’s Watch Bar: Transforming Sports Bars into Fan Experiences

An S&P Global Market Intelligence survey this year found that 73% of American adults watch sports. With the explosive popularity of women’s leagues, like the WNBA, and continued emergence of international tours, like Formula 1, the U.S. fanbase is getting bigger—and more diverse—than ever before.

Tim Ryan noticed this shift in the 2010s. To serve a better experience to all fans, he drafted fellow restaurant industry playmakers Rick Schaden, Brooks Schaden, and Shannon McNeil to launch Tom’s Watch Bar. The goal? To modernize the typical sports bar experience so fans of all stripes could come together to enjoy games, races, and matches their way.

In the growing sports bar segment, Tom’s is in the lead: last year, their revenue increased more than 25%, and profitability grew by about 33%. Their equipment investments are key to the strategic focus on improved fan experiences.

Surround Visuals and Sound

Sports are for everyone. Sporting events? Not so much. Some events sell out immediately. Some tickets are too cost-prohibitive. And some tickets come with such a terrible view, you wonder why you paid for them in the first place. Plus, rows of standard stadium seats make it difficult to socialize.

Tom’s creates an immersive watching experience for fans. Each of its 17 locations has over 100 screens, all of which are curated to show as many games as possible, and each table has its own audio system so fans can tune in for every exciting moment. 

The founders call it a “360-degree viewing experience,” especially for markets like Los Angeles that boast 155 screens and a 13-foot high, and 23-foot wide Megatron screen. No matter where they sit, fans get a front row seat to every minute of the action. 

During buildout, Tom’s partners with AV design and integration consultants like Crunchy Tech to ensure every screen is working to spec, every table is tuned in, and every member of staff has the ability to quickly change channels or troubleshoot on a tablet.

Tablet to Table

Tablets at Tom’s aren’t just used to control the complex AV systems. They’re the coaching board for each person on the waitstaff. Each server is equipped with a handheld tablet and a headset so they can keep eyes on their entire section and make their plays—like drink refills—at the right time.

For people attending games, it’s easy to miss a key moment when you have to leave your seat for a bite to eat or a beverage. But the setup at Tom’s allows for waitstaff to keep their eyes on customers, while the customers keep their eyes on the screen.

Fans get a seamless viewing experience, waitstaff can easily manage their section, and the business profits: alcohol sales for the chain were up 34% year over year. 

Scaling to Win

With plans to double store count in the next 24 months, Tom’s will need to acquire a significant amount of new equipment (including a minimum of 1700 TVs!) to build out the new locations. A reliable sourcing partner will be essential to ensure that each location is set up to maintain the fan experience across markets—and secure Tom’s place as the MVP of modern sports bars.