The NFL is big money. A team will draw thousands of people to the host city every game day. They provide a big financial boost to the city through hospitality, hotels, travel reservations, and souvenir sales. If you own and operate a restaurant in one of the 30 cities with an NFL team, you should work to maximize the benefit NFL games can have on your business. For example, restaurants in and around Charlotte can capitalize on Football Sundays to attract more customers and increase revenue.
Your business doesn’t even need to be right by the stadium to benefit! A third party has compiled this data from week 1 through week 13 of the 2023 NFL season with data from this past off-season to help provide this insight. This will help to illustrate which menu and drink items you should focus on during NFL Sunday games and other ways to cater to NFL football fans. You’ll boost your bottom line every Sunday in the fall!
By the Numbers
The biggest impact NFL games have on the hospitality industry is on food and alcohol sales. Overall, the national average food sales jump up 2%, and alcohol sales increase by 6% for NFL games on Sunday compared to Sundays during the off-season.
This doesn’t affect the equity of all food and alcohol sales. The data shows that only certain menu items and drinks increase during NFL Sunday games. Across the nation, the most popular menu items are: Chicken Wings 25%, Soup/Stew 23%, Noodles/Ramen 17%, and Curry Dishes 10%. For alcoholic drinks, the most popular are: Hard Seltzer 47%, Red Wine 23%, Lager Beer 23%, and Whiskey 20%.
The data also shows when the biggest jumps in food and alcoholic sales take place. Based on last year’s data, October and the first Sunday in November had the biggest spike in sales compared to other NFL Sunday games in the season. Remember, these are national data points; things change a little bit when you look at Charlotte sales.
Charlotte Numbers
In the city of Charlotte, NFL Sundays still have a big impact on the hospitality industry, despite the less-than-stellar performance of the Panthers.
The city of Charlotte sees a 7% increase in restaurant food and alcohol sales during NFL Sundays compared to the off-season. The food menu items with the biggest jumps in sales are what you would expect: Hot Dogs 53%, Chicken Wings 46%, and Chicken Tenders 43%. The alcohol items with the biggest jump in sales are: Lager Beer 52%, Red Wine 47% and Vodka-based drinks 33%.
Last year, the first Sunday in October had the biggest jump in hospitality sales in Charlotte, NC. As a reminder, that is when the MN Vikings came to the Bank of America Stadium and beat the Panthers 21 to 13.
How To Capitalize on Football Sundays
Now that you have this information, you can be better prepared for this year’s NFL season. If you already serve hot dogs, chicken wings, and tenders, consider making them a Sunday special. If not, you may want to add them, even temporarily, to your weekend menu. The same goes for the alcoholic beverages that get a boost in sales in Charlotte.
Simply advertising these items is just the start. There are a few other actions you can take to help your business get the most out of NFL Sundays. Collaborating with other hospitality businesses, offering brunch service, and emphasizing pre-packaged finger food items can all make a difference on Sunday. Let’s go over how each one can impact your restaurant.
Collaboration
NFL Sunday’s games not only bring in the local Panther fanbase but also draw visiting fans to Charlotte. This provides a larger, yet temporary, customer base eager to spend money on accommodations, food, and souvenirs.
Your restaurant can collaborate with a nearby hotel to offer a promotional discount to hotel guests for dining at your restaurant. If your restaurant or bar is relatively close to the stadium, where parking becomes a factor, you can offer paid parking that includes a food coupon fans can use after the game. These collaborations can create a win-win situation for you and your neighbors.
Breakfast and Brunch
Football fans get going early, even for an east coast team like the Panthers. Both home and away fans want to grab a bite to eat before the game or catch the occasional London game before the Panthers kick off. By offering morning food options, you can capture some of those sales. If your restaurant already has a breakfast or brunch service, you might want to extend its hours. If it doesn’t, then consider offering it during the NFL season.
You should also make your brunch service football-themed, with fan favorites like chicken and waffles and chicken breakfast tacos since chicken is so popular here in Charlotte. Pair these foods with vodka-based morning drinks, such as Bloody Mary’s and Screwdrivers. Again, this is to capitalize on vodka’s popularity in the Carolinas.
Packaged for Tailgating
One unique aspect of football in America is the tailgate experience. This pre-game ritual provides another opportunity to make additional to-go sales. You can, of course, use it to expand the catering side of your business and offer formal catering to high-end tailgate parties. Without needing additional manpower, you can focus on putting together a to-go menu designed and packed for a simple tailgate. Since chicken wings and tenders are favorites in Charlotte, that’s a good place to start with your special tailgate menu. No matter what foods you offer, it’s best to stick to finger foods that won’t get soggy in transit. Just don’t forget to add extra napkins and utensils.
How can restaurants capitalize on Football Sundays in Charlotte? With a temporary influx of football fans looking to drop some money every Sunday, being aware of the foods and drinks they prefer will help to maximize your sales. Collaborating with other businesses and adding brunch service can further increase the earning potential of NFL Sundays. Reminding all the diehards that they can take their favorite foods with them to the game is just the cherry on top to make NFL Sundays as profitable as they are exciting. Now, if only the Panthers could win a few games!
And don’t forget. With fans flooding into your restaurant, you’ll need reliable point-of-sale software to keep up with the demand. Point-of-sale systems can help your team manage all the orders coming in, keep track of inventory, and even analyze sales data to see what items are most popular during football Sundays. Total Merchant Supply is an experienced point-of-sale provider in North and South Carolina, and we can set you up with the perfect system for your restaurant. Contact us today to learn more, and get ready to score big on football Sundays!