First Look: Sporting Chance

Rivals Sports Kitchen seeks to cross demographic lines by taking its sports-themed concept beyond beer and Buffalo wings.

By Maya Norris, Managing Editor -- Chain Leader, 6/1/2007

Robert Parks is confident that his new sports bar and restaurant can appeal to more than just the sports enthusiast. Set to debut in July in Estero, Fla., Rivals Sports Kitchen will accommodate families, kids and professionals as well sports fans by combining upscale-casual fare in an interactive sports-themed environment, he says.

"If my mom and dad want to come in to Rivals, the quality of the food is going to be there that they’re going to feel like it’s a nice casual-dining restaurant with a fun atmosphere. When I come in with my wife and kids, there’s the video games and the children’s movies playing," says Parks, a former general manager for Romano’s Macaroni Grill and former chef-owner of The Twilight Café in Sanibel Island, Fla. "But then I can also come in with my buddies and watch the 64-inch TV. We can watch our game."

Moving Up

A self-taught chef, Parks developed the menu to go beyond typical bar food. Although the menu stays true to some items such as the Chicago hot dog and Philly cheesesteak, most of the dishes take an upscale twist. For example, the concept’s version of mozzarella sticks are the $9.50 Housemade Mozzarella Cigars, mozzarella cheese rolled in pasta sheets and coated with Italian-seasoned panko bread crumbs. Other offerings include Strawberry Salad, $8.95 and $10.50 with chicken: mixed greens tossed with a citrus vinaigrette and topped with strawberries, macadamia nuts and fried goat cheese croutons; and Pork Chops, $13.50, grilled and glazed with bourbon and green apple reduction.

Rivals’ sports-venue look features boxing ropes and tennis nets separating the three dining areas, basketball-court flooring, and sports memorabilia. An announcer’s booth will host radio broadcasts. Televisions are throughout the restaurant, but the focal point is a basketball scoreboard equipped with three large flat-panel TVs.

"The restaurant is designed to be a restaurant first, but then at night time and on sporting days, it has the atmosphere of just the coolest sports bar you’ve every seen," Parks says.

Keeping Score

At 9,000 square feet and 300 seats, the first unit will cost about $2 million, which includes research and development expenses. Future units of a similar size will average between $1.2 million and $1.7 million. But Parks believes the concept is versatile enough to fit in a wide range of locations. Rivals plans to open units as small as 4,500 square feet, which will focus on lunch and dinner only, to flagship restaurants as large as 20,000 square feet, which will have a bowling alley, basketball court and golf course.

Parks expects the first unit to ring up $4.5 million in sales with an average check of $14 without alcohol and a 65-35 food-to-alcohol sales mix.

Rivals plans to open a second unit in Cape Coral and a third in either Tampa or Orlando in 2008. It hopes to open 10 more in Florida and other Southeastern markets such as Atlanta and Durham, N.C., in 2009 with a managing-partner program in which investors will buy an equity stake in a unit and a smaller rate of equity in the corporation. "I very much believe a managing partner who owns a percentage of their store operates differently than just a regular manager," says Parks.

After 2009, Rivals will consider franchising or licensing. It expects to have 100 stores nationwide in 10 years.