He Rethought the Sports Bar Experience — Now Fans, Teams, and Celebrities Want In

Brooks Schaden, co-CEO and co-founder of Tom’s Watch Bar, is building a new kind of sports bar designed around how fans actually watch games today. Through thoughtful design, operations, and partnerships, he’s turning live sports into a scalable hospitality experience. Watch now to learn how a sports bar built around fandom grew fast, formed strategic partnerships, and turned games into shared moments. Sponsored by: • TOAST - All-In-1 Restaurant POS: https://bit.ly/3vpeVsc Chapters: [01:57] - The Core Thesis Behind Tom’s Watch Bar [07:24] - Technology Challenges in Modern Sports Viewing [15:07] - Using Brand Partnerships to Scale Faster [18:03] - Mascots, Cheerleaders, and Fan Moments [21:42] - Growth Plans and Fundraising SPONSORS: RESTAURANT INFLUENCERS IS PRESENTED BY TOAST — Restaurant Influencers is brought to you by Toast, the powerful restaurant point of sale and management system that helps restaurants improve operations, increase sales and create a better guest experience. • Toast All-In-1 Restaurant POS: https://bit.ly/3vpeVsc Episode Links: Brooks Schaden LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brooks-schaden-35564a11/ Tom’s Watch Bar: https://tomswatchbar.com/ Tom’s Watch Bar Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/toms.watch.bar/?hl=en Tom’s Watch Bar Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/discover/tom-watch-bar Tom’s Watch Bar Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Toms-Watch-Bar-61574436494191/ Tom’s Watch Bar YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@tomswatchbar392 Flecha Azul Tequila: https://flechatequila.com/ Key Takeaways: Design the Experience Around the Fan: Tom’s Watch Bar succeeds by treating sports as a communal event, not just content on screens. By designing spaces, service, and operations around how fans actually gather, Tom’s Watch Bar turns watching games into shared experiences that keep guests engaged longer. Partnerships Beat Traditional Marketing: Rather than relying on standard restaurant promotions, Schaden uses brand and team partnerships to access built-in audiences. Collaborations with professional teams and Flecha Azul Tequila, backed by Mark Wahlberg, allow the brand to punch above its weight and scale awareness faster. Events Create Loyalty, Not Discounts: Away-game watch parties, mascots, announcers, and team activations give fans a reason to show up beyond food and drink specials. By turning games into moments, Schaden builds loyalty through experience instead of incentives. *** ABOUT BROOKS SCHADEN — Brooks Schaden oversees all aspects of the brands and investments within SIF Partners, including Tom’s Watch Bar, MPMG/Cliovana, Motiv Sports and manages the securities and real estate investment portfolio. He also spends time in the market to identify trends and new opportunities for investment and innovation within the relevant sectors. Prior to joining SIF, he founded and ran Baseline Partners, a private equity investment fund primarily focused in emerging markets. ABOUT RESTAURANT INFLUENCERS — Restaurant Influencers is a weekly video podcast series presented by Entrepreneur Media and Cali BBQ Media. Every week host and restaurant owner Shawn Walchef (@shawnpwalchef) talks with business leaders like Shaquille O’Neal, Rob Dyrdek, Emeril Lagasse, Mayim Bialik, Jon Taffer, Robert Irvine, Toast co-founder Aman Narang, and more, about their secrets to Smartphone Storytelling, marketing, branding, and how to show up where customers are engaging online. Published by Entrepreneur Media - https://entreprenuer.com Produced by Cali BBQ Media - https://betheshow.media