by David Chapman
Staff Writer
Facing tough decisions during a down economy, many area restaurant and bar owners are asking their patrons the tough questions — and it’s bringing in business.
That’s because instead of answers like cutting costs or changing vendors, it’s responses like Abraham Lincoln or the Dallas Cowboys that have restaurant-goers becoming weekly regulars gobbling up questions along with their food and drinks.
Organized trivia contests are making winners out of more than just participating patrons, with one local company organizing it for dozens of area restaurants.
“I’m really just a trivia guy at heart,” said Steve Howard, owner of Live Trivia Challenge.
The business wasn’t a new concept for Howard — he actually was a player at a local restaurant for a couple years before he approached the owner to host a show, then bought the company five years ago — it was the scope of the idea.
What started with eight restaurants has grown to more than 50 across Northeast Florida. Area restaurants have seen the positive side effects of that growth.
“It’s definitely been beneficial for us,” said T.J. Smith, owner of Beef O’ Brady’s in Palatka.
Thursdays for the last nine months have been Live Trivia Challenge days at the restaurant, with the game attracting close to 100 patrons each week, said Smith.
Restaurant owners hire Howard for a flat fee to host the weekly contest. Howard, in turn, provides everything else including the audio systems used by the hosts, writing utensils and game sheets and a bevy of nightly questions.
Hosts are often players who have played over the years with primary jobs looking for fun, extra money or a time-lenient extra job. Or, as Howard calls it, “the ultimate part-time job.”
“I used to play then got into hosting,” said Beth Ludwinski, who hosts shows at Island Girl Wine & Cigar Bar and Sun Dog Diner in Neptune Beach Mondays and Tuesdays, respectively. “I’ve been doing it for a little over a year now. It’s not too time consuming and it’s fun.”
While she might be asking the tough questions — Ludwinski keeps score and plays music of all genres during the down time — she spends her days teaching at San Mateo Elementary School.
Host satisfaction tends to be pretty high, said Howard, as in the five years he’s owned Live Trivia Challenge, he’s had only one “no call, no show” host — and several calls each week from people looking to try their hand at the helm.
Between owning Live Trivia Challenge, organizing events and hosts, furthering the business and owning a local WSI Internet Marketing franchise, Howard still hosts the Saturday show at Dick’s Wings on Beach Boulevard, the one he’s done for five years.
There are weekend shows, but most contests take place Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings to attract maximum patronage during what are often weaker sales nights.
But is trivia recession-proof?
“Yeah, I think it is,” said Howard. “It almost does better in a recession.”
With fewer discretionary dollars to spend, he believes, people look for places where they can not only eat and drink, but also be entertained. The incentive of winning gift certificates of various amounts for teams placing in the top three during the contest also proves to be motivation.
Prizes on the line for each establishment also lends to the more sinister element of the game, as people have often tried to cheat the system by using text messages and Internet equipped phones to gain an upper hand.
“We do whatever we can to keep the integrity of the game in-tact,” said Howard. “I tell all my hosts to check in on and tables and I encourage tattle tales if teams see other teams legitimately cheating. Nothing gets me angrier.”
Lack of fair play means teams don’t come back — often without telling anyone why — and ultimately affects the establishment’s bottom line and the game’s popularity.
Cheating won’t be a problem Friday when up to 25 of the area’s most competitive teams take part in the first Live Trivia Challenge Tournament with $1,500 in cash prizes. The event is due to the company’s overall success and will be run like regular shows with harder questions and a $100 team entry fee, with some proceeds going to Community Hospice.
“We haven’t done it before but I’m really looking forward to it,” said Howard. “I think everyone is going to have a lot of fun.”
Just as he searches for that next stumper of a question, Howard is always on the lookout for new establishments to call a trivia home. It can be tricky, though, as geography does come in to play. He doesn’t want to sign with an establishment that is too close to a current client on the same night and have there be potential fighting for players.
Additionally, the trivia business isn’t just limited to Northeast Florida — he credits a business in Atlanta for bringing it here — but there is room in markets like Orlando, Tampa, Gainesville and Tallahassee, all of which he said he’ll pursue.
“It helps businesses bring people in and it works,” he said. “The biggest challenge is finding those new locations .... but it will happen.”
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