As crowds get ‘bigger and bigger,’ bars double down on Phoenix Suns game day prep

During a regular basketball season, a Phoenix Suns game may not pack the house at Valley bars, but as the Arizona team advanced through the playoffs and into the NBA Finals, fans jammed into bars, breweries and restaurants to cheer on the home team. Behind the scenes, bar owners and managers scrambled to prepare.

After the past year of shutdowns, reopenings, unclear official safety guidelines, and ingredient and labor shortages, game day crowds provide a welcome bump in business. But the beer has to keep flowing and the burgers aren’t going to flip themselves. 

Dana Armstrong co-owns the Dirty Drummer, a bar and restaurant on 44th Street in Phoenix. She’s added tables and doubled food orders to accommodate the growing  crowds.

“We’ve really had to gear up and get our kitchen staff ready,” she says. “It’s been super fun but pretty intense.”

The original Dirty Drummer opened in Phoenix in 1975, and Armstrong says the crowds mirror that historyby wearing vintage Suns gear from the ’70s, ’80s and 1993, the last time the team made the finals. 

Bars are stocking up on fan favorites

While fans appreciate the history of the bar, they also come hungry, which requires Armstrong to almost double her normal order of chicken wings, increase her order of burgers and stock up on domestic draft beer. 

It’s a similar story at Industry PHX, a bar and restaurant near midtown Phoenix’s Melrose District. Co-owner Ruben Gonzales says he doubles inventory and doubles staff on days the Suns will be playing. 

Before games, the kitchen team preps extra chicken fingers, elote bites and spinach and artichoke dip, the most-ordered dishes. At the bar, Corona beer and margaritas have been top sellers, Gonzales says. If the game starts during happy hour, which runs from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., fans can take advantage of food and drink specials. 

In downtown Phoenix, The Churchill is only a few blocks from Phoenix Suns Arena. On game nights, the whole area buzzes with energy. 

Kell Duncan co-owns The Churchill and says the businesses that make up the shipping container food court plan around the central courtyard’s watch parties, which are when the area sees the greatest influx of customers.

Stoop Kid, a bagel and burger spot at The Churchill, ran outof food during one of the games. It was a learning moment, but Duncan says they have been selective when choosing which items to stock up on.

“We brought in multiple cases of Wren House’s Valley Beer because that’s one people are specifically asking for,” he says.

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Game nights require all hands on deck

On July 6, during Game 1 of the Finals, Duncan says his staff was a little unprepared for the demand. 

“At one point our manager had to jump in and work behind the bar,” he says. 

At the Dirty Drummer, Armstrong says they had to turn away fans during the early playoff games because they ran out of tables. Since then, she’s added more seating and converted the dance floor into an area for “heavy duty fans” that she’s named “The Suns Pit”. 

“It’s been pretty wild,” she says. “It’s almost like having a Super Bowl every time the Suns play. It’s like a boot camp for our staff.”

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O.H.S.O. Brewery has locations around the Valley, including the original near Arcadia, and large restaurants that seat more than 400 customers in both Gilbert and Paradise Valley. Operations manager Adam Davis works to make sure things run smoothly across the board. 

“Typically we are not a sports bar,” Davis says. “But the games have been fantastic at drawing in a huge crowd.”

During the games, O.H.S.O. sees an increase in the amount of customers that come in alone to sit at the bar, so staffing additional bartenders is a large priority. 

“The last thing we want to do is bring in people and then not have great food or service,” Davis says. 

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An unexpected summer boon for local businesses

At O.H.S.O., this summer is shaping up to be a busy one, Davis says. The Suns games are helping bump up midweek sales. He’s thankful for the increased business after such a hard year.

“Any time there’s success with sports, it gives the city a boost,” he says. “We knew we’d see a surge, but this just became bigger and bigger.”

Due to the outdoor nature of The Churchill, the summer months are usually quiet. Even with the close proximity to the stadium, Duncan says he actually sees a larger turnout for away games, when fans who might otherwise attend the game come out to watch.  

“For us it’s been really helpful to get through June and July, when typically less people come and hang out,” Duncan says.

Industry PHX opened in the fall of 2020, in the midst of the pandemic, so the crowds showing up on game nights have been the biggest the bar has ever seen. Gonzales says it’s been a welcome challenge to serve a full restaurant.

“It’s been tremendously helpful,” he says. “This has taught us a lot because this has been our first month of being so full.”

The games have also helped attract new customers as fans from around the neighborhood walking to other sports bars have stopped in to see what Industry PHX is all about. Gonzales says Suns fans who find the bar during games are returning for lunch on off days.

Torn between business and decisive Suns victory

Many of Phoenix’s business owners are also Phoenix Suns fans, leaving them torn on their hopes for the finals.

“In my perfect world as a Phoenix business owner, this goes seven games and then the Suns win,” Duncan says.

For Armstrong, game nights at the Dirty Drummer are fun but stressful. Also, she’s “first and foremost” a fan.

“So we definitely want the Suns in four,” Armstrong says.

At O.H.S.O., Davis says he’s torn between his job and his own fandom for the team.

“I want it to go to seven from a financial standpoint. As a Suns fan, I’d love to win in four,” Davis says, laughing. “Maybe a win in six is reasonable.”

However long the finals take, Gonzales hopes the added visibility and new customer base will remain.

“Hopefully we’ll win,” he says. “And then that will be a huge celebration.”  

Reach the reporter at tirion.morris@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on Twitter at @tirionmorris, on Facebook at Tirion Rose and on Instagram at tirionrose. 

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