How to Prep Your Restaurant or Bar for Fantasy Football Draft Parties

How to prep your restaurant or bar for fantasy football draft parties starts long before kickoff. As fantasy football managers gather to build their rosters each August and September, restaurants and bars have a unique opportunity to attract large groups, boost food and beverage sales and introduce new customers to their business. Whether you’re hosting a private league draft, offering group packages or creating football-themed menu specials, preparing your venue ahead of draft season can help turn a one-night event into repeat business throughout the season.

Create a Fantasy Football Draft Party Menu

Draft parties tend to last several hours, making them ideal for shareable appetizers, drink bundles and group packages. Consider creating a limited-time fantasy football draft menu with easy-to-order items that keep groups engaged throughout the event. If you need game day food ideas we have a guide to help you get started creating your draft party menu.

Host a Fantasy Football Panel or Mock Draft

Try to partner with local sports personalities and fantasy experts to host a panel discussion at your restaurant or bar. Tap into sports radio and TV hosts, journalists and bloggers who can offer some advice on which players to draft or how to manage a league. You can even have them host a mock draft with the patrons.

Booking the panelists might take some legwork, but many publications and media outlets have a promotions department or marketing team that can help make arrangements. Their appearance can help attract plenty of people to your establishment, allowing you to promote your location to the attendees as a spot to host their draft parties or watch games throughout the season.

Make Wi-Fi Readily Available

If your restaurant or bar doesn’t have Wi-Fi readily available, make an exception for patrons having a fantasy football draft. Most fantasy leagues are hosted online, and it’s much more convenient for participants to select players from their phones or laptops in real time. To prevent all customers from getting to your Wi-Fi connection, have a server provide the commissioner or draft attendees with a temporary access code prior to the draft.

Offer Deals or Packages for Early Reservations

Fantasy football leagues can have as low as eight teams to as high as 16, bringing a significant number of people in at once. Accommodating a large number of walk-ins for an event like this can be very challenging. Try curbing this by offering incentives for early reservations.

For instance, offer a coupon or drink specials for guests who call ahead or make reservations online. You also can offer food and drink packages based on the number of people attending. Whatever you decide, make sure to post fantasy draft party deals on your social media accounts and on signs inside your establishment. Getting the word out should help reduce the number of unexpected parties.

Be Creative with Your Space

As mentioned earlier, draft parties attract large groups of people. That means you might have to slightly adjust your restaurant design and layout to accommodate these events. Also, things can get a bit loud and rowdy during a draft. If you have a larger venue with multiple dining areas, designate a special spot just for draft parties so other patrons aren’t disturbed.