Bar Trivia Nights Are Having A Moment, But Why?

In the New Jersey area alone, a Google search for "Bar trivia nights 2023" yields more than 20 local options in a given week, from Queer Trivia Night and '90s Decade Trivia to Harry Styles Brunch Trivia and Drag Quizzo – 80s vs. 90s. Pub trivia supposedly dates back to the 1970s in the U.K. While these events were limited at first, Sharon Burns and Tom Porter kicked off this trend after starting more than 30 pub quiz teams in southern England. Eventually, the pair gathered 10,000 teams every week in a season. The BBC even began filming the quiz events. Bar trivia entered the U.S. scene in the 1980s, following the U.K.'s trend and well-known trivia games and shows launched around the same era. Even in the 1980s, most bars hosted weekday events as a marketing strategy for when the bar was typically slower. During the past few years, bar trivia appears to be sprouting up again at bars everywhere you turn. Why? 

During the coronavirus pandemic, the restaurant industry is believed to have lost $120 billion as of June 2020. Many bar owners struggled to make a comeback after the height of the pandemic. From staffing issues to rising costs and changes in consumer perceptions about dining out, many restaurants have grappled with just how to revive their customer base. But when finding an effective strategy for bringing in crowds and increasing profits, bar trivia nights may provide the answer. 

Megan Fitzgerald, who is in charge of branding at Talea Beer Co. in Brooklyn, told CNBC that while she thought only a few customers would come to the bar's first trivia night, nearly 70 customers participated. "[Customers] want something that's enriching and engaging and is more than just taking shots or slamming beers," she said. "Trivia is easy and fun, good for big groups or couples, and you can find it usually just down the block." According to CNBC, The NYC Trivia League hosts events at more than 100 spots in NYC, including the bar where Fitzgerald works. She said that on trivia nights, the bar doubled its Wednesday profits, excluding evenings that offer special events. 

During its Tuesday trivia night, NBC's Joe Fryer reported from Lexington Public, a bar on Manhattan's Upper East Side. NYC Trivia League also hosts games at this spot. In Fryer's video footage, the game's host asks, "In the initial trailer, Ben Affleck and what other actor are both returning as The Caped Crusader in the movie The Flash?" Fryer spoke to a patron who said he enjoys the trivia nights because it gets him out during the week. Fryer shares that trivia has been "a winning answer" for this new bar. 

Lexington Public owner Chloe Patellas shared that Tuesday night business is up 50%. "It's brought in so many people that might not have found this location," she said. 

Mike Kostyo, who studies trends for Datassential, shared with CNBC that he thinks trivia night's growing popularity is thanks to "eatertainment" becoming more popular. Eatertainment is essentially the combination of eating and drinking with other forms of entertainment. He said it is a low-maintenance way for bars to bring in new customers. "You're having a lot more customers in your venue, so you need more back-of-house, front-of-house staff, but it's not something where you need to hire somebody to manage that. It's usually an outside vendor doing the trivia program," he said. 

Datassential reported last year that more than 80% of Americans said they'd visited at least one eatertainment spot, and more than half said they would like to return. In Datasential's "Food & Flavor Trends for 2023 and Beyond" report, the firm predicted that eatertainment would be a growing trend this year.

In addition to trivia night, you've likely encountered other eatertainment trends, such as karaoke competitions, bingo, and dart tournaments. Other businesses meshing activities with entertainment include paint and sip studios that have been popular for over a decade, plus the "bar arcade," which has been offering alcoholic drinks in an arcade setting for at least two decades. The pandemic saw people spending more time at home and returning to classic activities like trivia. As people continue to get out or have started working remotely, the trend may appeal to customers wanting something to do on a weekday.