Running a good hospitality establishment is about delivering what your customers want.

To do that you have to ask them what they want but, there is one time you shouldn't, and that's when you decide to run a quiz night…

The quiz night is an enigma. People who know they like them probably already go to one. If your current patrons don't already attend a quiz night, chances are they already know they don't like them or more likely, they don't know that they do like them.

So the question is, "How do you convert these customers into quiz customers if they don't think they're going to like it?"

The first thing I advise bar and club owners to do when considering a trivia night is advertise in house, let your patrons know it going to happen. The next thing is to invite your existing patrons to attend. Since more often than not you're trying to fill up a quieter night of the week, many of your regulars don't come to your venue on that night. They may do something else, watch a favorite TV program or go for a fun, whatever it is you want to change their habits and simply saying "Do you want to come to a Trivia night on Tue at 7pm isn't likely to change that.

I was wondering if you could do me a favor? -- Bar Owner

So ask them like this.

"Joe, I was wondering if you could do me a favor?"

"It depends, what's the favor?"

"We've decided that we're going to run a Trivia night. I know this may not be your cup of tea, but I wanted to kick it off in the right direction and I was wondering if you could help me out by getting a few friends to make up a team. If you did that for me, I would make sure the first drinks were on me."

He still may turn you down but you are much more likely to get Joe to come to the night asking him this way. Of course you're also hoping he will bring some friends who may not already be patrons.

Owners, mangers and hosts who use this technique often relate their surprise to me at how many of the patrons who are personally invited become long term quiz patrons. And what really surprises them is how active these patrons become at recruiting friends and new patrons to the night. They really take ownership of it.

So if you're considering a trivia night, I recommend you don't ask your patrons if they would like to come to your trivia night. Decide to do the trivia night and ask them to help you out.

The results may surprise you.

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