Sports bars get into playing shape

“You’re on your own tabs after that,” said Littrell, wearing a Tony Gonzalez Falcons jersey. “So don’t stiff me.”

With the pro and college football seasons around the corner, Hooters and other sports-related restaurants are courting business from customers such as Littrell. In a down economy, they’re counting on loyal fans to fill seats on gameday.

Football has become critical for these restaurants because games run from August to February. NFL teams already have started preseason games, and next week, college football cranks up with a host of season-openers, including games for Georgia and Georgia Tech.

Taco Mac, which has more than 20 outlets in metro Atlanta, typically gets a bump of 10 percent or more in weekly sales during football season compared to summer, said Bob Campbell, president of Tappan Street Restaurant Group, which owns Taco Mac.

The recession isn’t a major concern for the upcoming football season, Campbell said. The main factors are scheduling and the performance of teams with a local fan base, he said.

Taco Macs do better when big college games are spaced out over several time slots, drawing fans all day long, Campbell said. They also do better when SEC and ACC teams have good seasons, he said.

“Atlanta is such a melting pot of all these SEC and ACC schools,” Campbell said. “You’re going to have a following for anybody who has a winning team.”

Guest counts at Dantanna’s can double during a football week thanks to a TV schedule that now includes games five nights a week, said Dantanna’s founder David Clapp.

Dantanna’s recently hired 17 new servers at its CNN Center location and 15 new servers at its Buckhead restaurant to prepare for football season. It also expects to hire four to six more cooks at each site.

Dantanna’s adds special menu items, including a line of gourmet burgers, to appeal to football fans, Clapp said. Last year, it found a hit with a “Heart Attack” burger featuring a half-pound patty topped with fried egg, fried onions and blue cheese between two grilled cheese sandwiches.

“We try to look at what you see at tailgating and ask ‘How do you take that up a notch?’ so it adds an element of gourmet to it,” Clapp said.

College is typically the bigger draw, but the NFL could bring more guests with an improved Falcons team, he said. The recession shouldn’t keep people away, Clapp said.

“Football makes people feel good,” he said. “They want to get out, and hopefully, with the improving economic news, that’s going to do nothing but provide another boost.”

Atlanta-based Hooters of America, which has more than 450 restaurants, also expects a good football season. The summer was slightly slower than normal as people cut back on travel, but football provides another opportunity to attract guests, said Mike McNeil, Hooters vice president of marketing.

“Your ability to market effectively with football really defines your ability to be successful,” McNeil said. “It’s half your year.”

Last year, Hooters added Wi-Fi to its stores, primarily to attract fantasy football participants who keep track of player stats through Web sites. It recently launched a set of football season menu items that start at $4.99.

The chain also is hosting NFL fantasy football draft parties. It provides leagues a FoxSports.com draft kit, which includes a draft-board and a booklet of “Hooters Season Tickets” with coupons for the season.

The tickets are designed to bring leagues back to Hooters throughout the season to assess weekly results and adjust their rosters, McNeil said. “We want them to make that a weekly stop at Hooters when they manage that process,” he said.

Hooters seemed to be winning over Littrell. He already liked the atmosphere and food at the Hooters in Lawrenceville and was impressed with the weekly tickets. “They’re looking for repeat customers and that’s exactly what we’re looking to do,” Littrell said.