By Carly Calabrese, For the Tacoma Daily Index

Looking for a way to stay competitive and boost your revenue as a restaurant or bar owner? Consider game nights.

Todd Vetsch, co-owner of Sammy’s Pizza in Tacoma, started doing trivia nights shortly before Christmas 2023. His reason for doing so?

“Trying to create fun things to do in the restaurant, customers have a fun place, decent company, good food, and a fun thing to do,” Vetsch said.

Questions are put up on the TV screen and the host is good at not re-playing the same trivia questions, Vetsch said. There’s also an app players can use to play on their phone, and players sometimes work in teams. The trivia group uses Sporcle, the world’s largest trivia quiz website, for the questions. People can join a league online and play trivia at other participating restaurants as well. In addition, some customers bring board games to play in the dining room.

When asked if trivia nights have been a help for his business, Vetsch replied: “Absolutely! As this continues to grow, that’s the whole purpose — to grow the business and giving people fun. What a better thing than a trivia night. People really seem to like this.”

He added: “Good events do attract more people and help my business.”

Vetsch discussed another game night at Sammy’s: “Drag queen bingo, a fun event other places in Tacoma are doing, too. A pretty popular thing. There’s a little bit of a show with the drag queen, there are prizes, and it’s sort of fun. Trying to create fun things for people to do and help my business. The person that hosts will be a drag queen.”

“My goal is to have local non-profits benefit from them,” he added. “Anything I can do in the community is always good.”

Sammy’s Pizza trivia nights are free and take place every Monday night with one game at 7 p.m. and another at 8 p.m. (each session is an hour) at 1308 N. I Street, Tacoma. Presently the prizes include $20 gift cards to use at Sammy’s Pizza. Vetsch said it can vary and that he wants to have coupons in the future for large pizzas, appetizers and desserts at his restaurant. To learn more, call the restaurant at 253-627-4300.

Another local business owner, Matt Coppins of Off Day Beer and Wine in Tacoma, is another supporter of trivia and game nights for increasing revenue for his business.

Although he took ownership of the bar on Jan. 27, 2024, Off Day Beer and Wine has been doing trivia nights for just over a year. Coppins has continued to do trivia nights every week since he’s taken ownership. Trivia nights are free and take place every Wednesday from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at 3013 6th Avenue C, Tacoma. There are prizes for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place, and prizes include gift cards to Off Day Beer and Wine.

“It’s our biggest night of the week,” Coppins said of trivia night. “It’s energetic. It’s fun. It brings in revenue that we need.”

Coppins plans to expand trivia nights to every other Sunday — starting on St. Patrick’s Day — and include games such as music bingo. With music bingo, participants would get a bingo card with a bunch of songs or bands, and the host will play music and see if participants recognize the song. All events are age 21 and older, he said.

“The host [Emily] is a fantastic host, super engaging, and extremely intelligent,” he said. “People make up their own team names … and have fun with word play and whatnot.”

Coppins said three other bars on the same street as Off Day Beer and Wine are doing trivia nights “and that they do them on different nights than us, but it’s always bringing in a ton of money. It really does bring in money for us. It’s our biggest night of the week.”

Want more than just drinks at Off Day Beer & Wine? Present snacks include chips, beef sticks and nuts. Although the business is presently run as a taproom, Coppins said he is working to get a full liquor license as well as having a kitchen built to serve food in the next four months.

“Tapas situation — small plates, a type of guacamole, ceviches, paninis, maybe soup or salad,” he said of the future food offerings.

For more information about Off Day Beer and Wine’s game nights, call the bar at 253-302-3047 between 4 p.m. and 10 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Sundays.

“Bring yourself or your friends. People that come bring teams of people,” he said. “I would just show up.”

Courtesy photo Off Day Beer and Wine on Sixth Avenue is among local businesses that host trivia nights to bring in more customers and revenue.