Alcohol sales ?

[HuskerBB]

Surprised to not see this posted yet.   Personally I am ambivalent - too old to get excited about paying $8 for a beer.   But sounds like this might actually happen at PBA as early as this season.

 

 

UNL Board of Regents to vote on alcohol sales at Husker basketball, baseball games

Robin Washut

As alcohol sales at college sporting events become more common by the day, the University of Nebraska Board of Regents is now scheduled to vote on whether to do it at Husker games.

HuskerOnline confirmed with a member of the Board of Regents on Wednesday morning that alcohol sales at NU athletics events at Pinnacle Bank Arena and Haymarket Park would be put to a vote in their next meeting on Sept. 30.

Sports radio host Josh Peterson of 1620 The Zone was the first to report the news.

HOL also confirmed that other issues such as information on the new multimedia rights agreement and Memorial Stadium renovations would also be on the BOR meeting agenda.

Athletic director Trev Alberts is expected to hold a press conference on the matters on Thursday, Sept. 29.

Nebraska’s athletic department sent out a survey to fans in January asking their opinion on potentially selling beer and liquor at NU sporting events.

Of the nearly 22,000 fans that responded, 58% had a positive or somewhat positive attitude toward the sale of alcohol at Memorial Stadium. Fourteen percent were neutral on the issue, while 28% were negative or somewhat negative.

Additionally, 65% said that alcohol sales would have no impact on attending games, including 22% who said they’d attend more. Only 10% would attend less.

Nebraska’s athletic department already sought and received approval from the Board of Regents to sell beer at the Big Ten wrestling championships this spring at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Last summer, beer was at the Garth Brooks concert at Memorial Stadium.

[HB]

Actually more like $12 a beer.   

[Bugeaters1]

I suppose it will all be the watered down stuff.

[hhcmatt]

 

[Cookie Crumbs]

I'm curious why Memorial won't be approved at the same time. It seems to me that fans already heavily drink at a tailgate right before entering Memorial, whereas PBA doesn't seem to have that kind of culture.

[Cowboy Kermit]

I'm curious why Memorial won't be approved at the same time. It seems to me that fans already heavily drink at a tailgate right before entering Memorial, whereas PBA doesn't seem to have that kind of culture.

One facility has taps and sells beer at other events, the other does not

[jimmykc]

For basketball games they also propose offering NyQuill soaked chicken sandwiches.

[Huskerpapa]

1 hour ago, HuskerBB said:

Surprised to not see this posted yet.   Personally I am ambivalent - too old to get excited about paying $8 for a beer.   But sounds like this might actually happen at PBA as early as this season.

...lol...closer to $12 per beer.

[Bugeaters1]

56 minutes ago, Cowboy Kermit said:

One facility has taps and sells beer at other events, the other does not

HayMarket Park has taps.

 

[hhcmatt]

20 minutes ago, Bugeaters1 said:

HayMarket Park has taps.

 

The agreements between the city and the University on PBA and Haymarket are two individual things.  We dipped our toes in with the B1G wrestling championships and suspect that if alcohol at the PBA works out that Haymarket Park quickly follows behind it.  Football and Memorial Stadium are a completely different animal.

[cornfed24-7]

If they do ultimately sell alcohol at Memorial Stadium we could blame all the empty seats on people being stuck in the beer line... Ba Dum Tsh I'm here all night folks!

[HuskerFever]

4 hours ago, HuskerBB said:

Personally I am ambivalent - too old to get excited about paying $8 for a beer. 

 

Fortunately, nobody's making you buy the beer. As long as people are respectful and not disruptive to others, you can treat it as if nothing changed.

 

If anything, the popcorn and hot dog lines will be shorter than the beer lines.

 

But the athletic department is going to have to pay for Hoiberg's buyout one way or another (all in jest...unless Trev has ideas).

[HF_]

Beer sales should allow PBA to properly staff concessions as they will have more skin in the game/incentive to quickly make several dollars per pour.  Looking forward to this amenity being added, been far too long coming.

Edited September 21, 2022 by HF_

[Huskerpapa]

12 minutes ago, HF_ said:

Beer sales should allow PBA to properly staff concessions as they will have more skin in the game/incentive to quickly make several dollars per pour.  Looking forward to this amenity being added, been far too long coming.

The issue is that despite wanting to have enough staff, it is finding people willing/wanting to work.  The arena, like many other service oriented businesses, struggle to find the staff.  Add to it that food handler requirements exist and age restrictions.  This results in closed concession stands and long lines.  

It is sort of the world as it is, so to speak.

Edited September 21, 2022 by Huskerpapa

[HF_]

If you attended events at PBA other than Nebraska basketball games over the past year or so, it was a far different experience.  I’d call it slightly understaffed, instead of essentially unstaffed as it was during basketball games.  
 

I truly think PBA treated these Nebraska events as extremely low priority for staffing as opposed to the events that produced high concession revenue from alcohol sales.  They came up with plenty of people to sling drinks and food at concerts, in contrast to basketball.

[HuskerFever]

What horrible timing... Both Moos and Frost just leave the program AND NOW they start serving their beer?

[Huskerpapa]

30 minutes ago, HF_ said:

I truly think PBA treated these Nebraska events as extremely low priority for staffing as opposed to the events that produced high concession revenue from alcohol sales.  They came up with plenty of people to sling drinks and food at concerts, in contrast to

I am sorry you feel that way and I can only assure you that it isn't true.  

 

[Handy Johnson]

It’s a BAD idea, but like everything else I disagree with, it’s inevitable…

[Nighthawk]

5 hours ago, cornfed24-7 said:

If they do ultimately sell alcohol at Memorial Stadium we could blame all the empty seats on people being stuck in the beer line... Ba Dum Tsh I'm here all night folks!

Wonder if the card readers go down they will duplicate what the Irish did.  Free beer all around! 

[Dead Dog Alley]

2 hours ago, Nighthawk said:

Wonder if the card readers go down they will duplicate what the Irish did.  Free beer all around! 

 

The free beer was to make you forget that you travelled overseas to watch two 1-11 teams go at it.

[TheNovice]

5 hours ago, Huskerpapa said:

I am sorry you feel that way and I can only assure you that it isn't true.  

 

You may be right.  You may have inside info to know.  But basketball concessions were absolutely terrible last year.  

[Nighthawk]

Big question is if they allow beer sales who reaps most of the benefits?  PBA or the University?  Right now isnt the sole income that the arena gets for Husker events the food? I don't believe they get anything from Ticket sales. Maybe some from box seats? I don't see the University letting PBA (or the city) from getting money from beer sales and could see the agreement being rewritten. Hell they don't even allow PBA to advertise for upcoming non Husker events (outside of posters) during Huskers sports. 

[HuskerFever]

Based on my personal experience being at different collegiate games (basketball and football) across multiple conferences, Big Ten included, many of these schools also partner with a local brewery to come up with their own branded beer in a can. So it becomes much faster to serve customers rather than pouring from a tap.

[hhcmatt]

 

[Huskerpapa]

11 hours ago, TheNovice said:

You may be right.  You may have inside info to know.  But basketball concessions were absolutely terrible last year.  

Yes they were.