Don't Settle For Stale Popcorn And Wings: 4 Craft Kitchen Ideas For Your Sports Bar

If you're trying to gain a rep as the best sports bar and grill in your area, then you already understand the importance of a good menu. People want more than just some stale pretzels or some defrosted and flash fried chicken wings. It takes more than that to keep the crowd happy. So, once you've got the big screens all set up to play the games, it's time to turn your attention to the kitchen. You should take advantage of the "grill" part of your "bar and grill" and serve up some really impressive food. Here's some ideas.

Craft Style Mac and Cheese

You should always incorporate something for people who are vegetarians. Maybe a group of people are going to show up for the game, and one of them doesn't eat meat. They should not feel left out and forced to eat peanuts while their friends have wings or burgers. So, mac and cheese in small ramekins is a great dish. You can have your chef make it from scratch, which is way better than that stuff from a box. They can go high end and use aged English cheddar, or they can experiment with exotic cheeses and other ingredients such as chipolte peppers.

Gourmet Burgers

Burgers are a must have, but you should make sure they are up to the standards of a nice gourmet established. That means high end meat, fresh rolls from a local bakery (not a sack of soft white rolls from a restaurant supply warehouse or supermarket). You should also swap out bottled ketchup with a special house blend, as well as opt for aioli instead of a dollop of store brought mayo.

Wing Sampler

Of course, you can't not have wings at a spots bar, but that doesn't mean you should rely on the boring, bland, wings that many places serve. These need to be smothered in hot sauce or blue cheese (typically something squeezed from a bottle in the kitchen) to get any flavor. Instead, have your chef cook up an impressive wing sampler. Something that would include interesting flavors such as Thai chili, Jerk, Southern BBQ, maple glaze, whisky marinated, etc.... And instead of serving up a serving of blue cheese dressing from a bottle, make it from scratch. Have your chef whip up a house blue cheese dressing using something such as stilton, roquefort, or, gorgonzola.

Steaks: For Those Who Want A More Substantial Meal

It is also a good idea to have some good cuts of steak on hand. There are people who might want more than appetizer style food, and a nice steak is perfect. Not only that, but you can also prep the steak into bite size cuts for an additional appetizer to add to the menu.

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