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Post by trackrat on Jul 11, 2007 5:41:31 GMT -5
Concession prices at Northfield are not fan-friendly or family-friendly. Item Concession Price Fan-Friendly Price
1) Beer $4.25 $2.50
2) Hot dog 2.50 1.50
3) Popcorn 2.25 1.00
4) Pop 2.50 1.50
Northfield could easily drop their concession prices and still make a profit by charging the fan-friendly prices shown above. They might even make up for the per item profit loss by increased volume. Remember, every dollar NOT SPENT on concessions is a dollar available for wagering. |
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Post by moondog33 on Jul 11, 2007 7:29:25 GMT -5
Jim, This is exactly what I have been telling Keith!! Northfield has a Great BIg Bar Upstairs. Only problem is nobody likes drinking their with $4-$5 beers and $4-$5 PREMEASURED SHOTS!!! Let me try again---HAVE A HAPPY HOUR WITH DISCOUNTED FOOD AND DRINKS DURNING SLOW BUSINESS TIMES=More Young people, more regulars at the Track Earlier=More betting on races=More drinking when happy hour is over=More betting on races=More fun=RETURN TRIP TO TRACK!!! So what is the DOWNSIDE TO THIS?  |
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Post by jay44224 on Jul 11, 2007 8:32:14 GMT -5
I agree with Jimhorseman on the situation at Buffalo as I have een there several times and must admit it has one of the worst grandstands I have ever seen - the product is not bad but can't wager as the pools are terrible.
I have been fortunate enough to say that I have been to a majority of the harness tracks in the U.S. and many that have slots ignore the horseman as they are only there to so the slots can be allowed. Chester and Pocono have pretty nice facilities for the harness fan.
Now take away the slots and look at the tracks in the United States that do not have them and you are hard pressed to find one that is followed and wagered like Northfield. It may not be the rosey picture we would all like to see - but the tack has a following and still has one of the better handles in harness racing.
The base is there and now it is time to bring in more fans.
The car give away seen a big crowd - but in my opinion not the kind of crowd that would bring in repeat business. Santa Giveaways - again givng something away and can't be done every day.
Old time concession prices - bring in a crowd and I am sure a profit is still made - but it is hectec and not enough staff.
Todays youths are an enigma it is hard to get than out of the house or away from their computers. Face it there are no video games that can have you be a harness trainer and condition a horse for a big race.
One off the wall suggestion - have a college bowl- promote a handicapping challenge between teams from colleges around the state. Colleges could have prelimanary rounds at their schools to find the best handicappers to send to the contest. Once interest in generated it may catch fire and bring in some new fans
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Post by therealmuljuice on Jul 11, 2007 8:51:19 GMT -5
I would like to see an Open House, one Saturday per month during the summer, between 4-6pm. Fans get free hot puppies, soda and a tour of the barns, wagering seminars, hands-on exposure to the horses/riggings/sulkies, maybe a free sulky ride in a drawing, free $10 betting coupons so they hang around until post time and bet some money. I always liked the county fairs where you go wander around the barn area and meet some of the trainers and drivers. Target your crowds like Euclid Beach used to do: Cuyahoga County Employees' Night at the Races, Ford Motor Company's Have You Driven a Sulky Lately Night, that sort of thing.
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Post by thegiss on Jul 11, 2007 12:42:07 GMT -5
A few short remarks, and hopefully more complete later. Our concession prices hark back to a time we did not control them. We are looking at chancges, but the model TrackRat proposes woul dnot be profitable. We would be better off closing down the stands.
Now, having employees in those stands who enjoy their work, along with a reduction of prices midway between trackrats and current, along with a periodic return of $1.00 specials, certainly makes sense.
The car giveaway drew a huge crowd, yet wagering was not positivel affected.
As to media, we get far more media coverage than any harness track our size anywhere. Not just sports page, but in Friday Mag, and on TV and radio. Dave and I have done multiple spots on Cleveland Rants; Dave is on Trivisonno monthly. When Barbaro died, WEWS contacted us, not Thistle, because they knew they would get a viable comment from somebody easy to work with.
Yes, we need to do more. Why didn;t we have a $7.77 dinner special Saturday night 7/7/07? Because we need to get the food and beverage operation in order first. There have been some improvements and you should see more in the coming months.
The problem becomes do we want large crowds that watch the races or do we want smaller crowds of gamblers. When we did the Cavs night, we drew huge numbers, none of the participants bet and we ticked-off a lot fo regulars who couldn't get to the machines becasue of the lines. So there has to be balance.
The sports franchises have very specific rules regarding having players participate in promoting gambling, so we could not, for instance, have Brady Quinn or Grady Sizemore on to make race picks. But an autograph session would be great. Having said that. Sizemore would cost about $4-5,000 for a personal appearance. We would need top generate $10K in additional food sales or $25K in added wagering to cover the cost. Obviously, there would be an ancillary benefit from publciity, but we need to be concerned with the bottom line. Why bring in Grady if we will lose money AND not create new bettors.
We have done backstretch tours in the past-- I took it on myself. Never had more than 6 people show up and most were regulars. In '03 we did four. I had on efamily and one individual show up who had not been to the track.
It's easy to come up with ideas, but many have been tried and do did not provide the result we wanted. That doesn't mean we aren't trying. We did give away a $25K car last week and give away another one end of August.
More later.
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Post by trackrat on Jul 11, 2007 16:26:39 GMT -5
A few short remarks, and hopefully more complete later. Our concession prices hark back to a time we did not control them. We are looking at chancges, but the model TrackRat proposes woul dnot be profitable. We would be better off closing down the stands. With all due respect Keith, Trackrat and Associates (if I had any) could make a fortune from the prices I listed. But we're not here to criticize, just bounce ideas. Thanks for the response anyway. |
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Post by 150flat on Jul 11, 2007 17:49:09 GMT -5
The fact of the matter is it's too God d**n easy not to go to the track. There's nothing a track (with no Slots) can offer that you can't get right out of your house.
Here's an example of how much an average gambler spends going to the track (not including betting) --
* Gas - $5.00
* Parking - $2.00
* Program - $2.00
* Food & Drink - $8.00
* Seating - $3.00
That's $20.00 and they didn't even make a bet yet. They could easily stay at home and use that money to make more bets -- plus, it's more comfortable and the food is probably a bit better.
Race Tracks must be able to offer more than just Horse Racing and overpriced Food. I'm sure I'm speaking to the choir though.
It would be interesting to know where the majority of Northfield's profits comes from -- is it from betting / simulcasting or concessions? If it's from betting, I could see the day when a track stops all concessions -- one step further, just stop letting patrons in the doors. Could you imagine the expense base that could be removed?
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Post by the believer on Jul 11, 2007 18:05:20 GMT -5
Hi Keith , you might want to try this sometime , a race for Nw of  |
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Post by the believer on Jul 11, 2007 18:22:11 GMT -5
This was at Kawaratha Downs , You gotta love the guy in the blue shirt top left..must have wagered a bundle!
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Post by 150flat on Jul 11, 2007 19:01:04 GMT -5
That'll get them to the track -  |
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Post by the believer on Jul 11, 2007 19:07:36 GMT -5
That'll get them to the track - Hey 150 , i think attendance was up several hundred by the looks of the of the railbirds! lol |
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Post by the believer on Jul 11, 2007 19:13:13 GMT -5
That'll get them to the track - 150flat , on a serious note , the extreme racing day at Georgian looks like a great way to capture the interest of a few new people to harness racing . The track is situated in an area that is a huge tourist / cottage area ,surrounded by terrific lakes |
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Post by 150flat on Jul 11, 2007 19:50:06 GMT -5
Are any of them spending any money?
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Post by the believer on Jul 11, 2007 20:02:08 GMT -5
Are any of them spending any money? No would be the answer to the question , on the other hand a few new bettors may have visited the track , that is the key ..get them to the track and get them interested in the races , which in turn get's them hooked if they enjoy the day or night out! How did you get hooked on Harness Racing ? |
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Post by 150flat on Jul 11, 2007 20:08:03 GMT -5
Are any of them spending any money? No would be the answer to the question , on the other hand a few new bettors may have visited the track , that is the key ..get them to the track and get them interested in the races , which in turn get's them hooked if they enjoy the day or night out! How did you get hooked on Harness Racing ? Stupidity - LOL!!! |
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