Big blue counrty status.1

Big Blue CountrySports Bar & GrillVoted “Best UK Bar” AND “Best Sports Bar” in LEO Magazine’s Readers’ Choice Awards.

Situation Report

Unique Niche

Sports bar & restaurant in Louisville with theme centered around University of Kentucky sports.

Big Blue headquarters in Louisville, Ky. Only exclusively commercial presence in Louisville for the University

of Kentucky

In a market with a population of 1.2 million with 30-50% of the college sports fans being UK fans, Big Blue Country is now the only exclusively commercial presence for UK in Louisville.

(University of Louisville fans boast the “Cardinal Hall of Fame Café” which has been successfully operating since 2003 after a multi-million dollar initial investment).

Location 426 Baxter Ave in Louisville’s

Highlands area Former site of The Brewery Bar, a

successful bar/restaurant for over 10 years

High traffic location at the intersection of two major city streets: Baxter Avenue and Lexington Rd (“The Road To Lexington Starts Here”)

Convenient access from all areas of town

Plentiful parking (a true premium asset along the Baxter Avenue corridor)

Across from well-known outdoor volleyball complex

Just a few minutes from downtown Louisville

Location (continued)

Location (continued)

Building

Classic building with warm atmosphere (exposed brick, hardwood floors, antique back bar, UK plaid tablecloths)

2700 square feet for dining Have set for seating of 175 Outside sidewalk patio Rear outside deck with outdoor

bar Fully equipped kitchen and server

station Large bathrooms (4 toilets in

women’s room, 3 urinals/1 toilet in men’s room)

Plentiful storage on second and third floors

Burglar and Fire Alarms

Building (continued)

Twelve brand new flat screen high-definition televisions and 2 HD 120” projection televisions with outstanding quality – one of the best places to watch sports, including comparison to even the major national chains.

Outstanding sound system featuring Atlas amplifiers and Klipsch speakers and wireless microphones.

Back room used for private parties, meetings and gaming Pool table, ping pong table, Golden Tee, cornhole Ability to show DVD’s or live streaming from the internet on 120” projector

screens

Bar area

Bar area

Dining area

Dining area

Front patio & rear deck

Back room

Jim Denny is a life-long University of Kentucky Wildcats fan who has schemed for many years that there was a big opportunity to rally the huge army of UK sports fans that live in Louisville. He is a UK graduate and has a background in advertising and promotion. He has been closely following UK sports since the mid-60’s.

Jim has served on the Greater Louisville UK Alumni Association board of directorssince 1994, having held several officer positions including 2 terms as president. Jim also has been elected 3 times to serve 3 year terms on UK Alumni Association’s National Board of Directors.

Staff - Co-owner/President

While serving on the alumni board, he has started many new club events including annual UK nights at Louisville Bats games since 2003, annual pep rallies before UK’s basketball games in Freedom Hall since 2002, pep rallies before UK-UL football games since 1998 including the Big Blue Invasion Pep Rally at Waterfront Park, possibly the biggest UK Alumni event ever, attended by over 10,000 fans. Jim has been awarded the prestigious Alumni Service Award from the UK National Alumni Association.

Big Blue Country Sports Bar & Grill is the fulfillment of Jim’s vision to create a “home-base” and source of UK pride for the large, underserved contingent of UK fans living in Louisville. Jim oversees the total operations of Big Blue Country and handles marketing and event planning.

Staff - Co-owner/President (continued)

Annie Darst, with a background of writing software, is a co-owner and provides daily administration support. She handles all daily accounting functions and payroll; handles issues related to the MICROS point-of-sale operation; works directly with key vendors and schedules services that they provide to Big Blue Country. She also maintains the website and helps with overall event and marketing planning and many other day-to-day duties.

Staff - Co-owner/Administration

Staff – Co-owner/Operations Manager

Philip Denny – operations manager/bartender/server. Philip is one of the three owners and has been wearing many hats. Philip works 7 days per week as a bartender/server. His responsibilities also include ordering liquor/supplies, inventory management, labor scheduling and supervision, and some marketing and event planning. Philip has prior restaurant experience working at Cheddars, Mariah’s (Bowling Green, Ky), and Hunting Creek Country Club. Philip is a very knowledgeable sports fan and lifelong UK fan.

Key Staff Members (continued)

Ashley Craig, Kat Cruise and Rachel Keens – servers. Ashley, Rachel and Kat are mainstays at Big Blue Country. They work all

big events and game days and patrons look forward to connecting with them. They are very experienced, hardworking, smiling, friendly, vivacious servers that ensure patrons have a great experience. They are fans of UK sports.

Highlights to date Opened on March 3rd, 2010 for the second to last UK regular season

basketball game. We had a full house for UK games and other NCAA tournament games.

Highlights to date (continued)

Fundraiser for the KIDS Center for Pediatric Therapies – April 24, 2010

Event featuring appearance by Keenan Burton to promote scholarship fund – April 30, 2010

Very successful “NBA Draft Night Party” on June 24, 2010 to watch the NBA Draft on television and celebrate the 5 UK players selected in the first round. Also hosted UK Alumni National Board members who were in town for annual meeting. Featured UK trivia, door prizes etc.

Very successful “Big Blue Madness” party on October 15 to watch the event live on television and celebrate the start of basketball season. Featured UK trivia, door prizes, etc.

Weekly UK Trivia nights during the summer

Highlights (continued) Booking of live music on weekends began in June

Highlights (continued) Very successful (but short-lived) Rock-Paper-Scissors tournaments which

are now being incorporated into some plans for charitable fundraising events

Highlights (continued)


Phenomenal success creating the Big Blue Invasion outdoor pep rally and street festival on Friday, Sept. 3 of Labor Day weekend. The pep rally was the night before the UK-UL football game and featured 2 live bands, appearances by former football players, door prizes, food and beer available for purchase outside. Attended by 1500+ people and was the single largest sales day for Big Blue Country.




Highlights (continued) Very successful “Karaoke with Kenny” night featuring former UK basketball great, Kenny Walker with proceeds going to the Kentucky Literacy Project.



Hosting monthly UK Alumni Association’s “UK Connection” business networking events. Some are just meet-and-mingle events while others have had formal programs including Caroline Francis from the UK Career Center and former UK basketball star, Dicky Beal.

Highlights (continued) Very successful hosting of an event presented by the University of Kentucky Admissions office entertaining all of the high school counselors in Jefferson County for a luncheon and program.


Appearance by former basketball player, Mark Krebs, member of 2010 Final Eight team and a book-signing featuring his book “Beyond a Dream” with proceeds going to endowment fund for cancer research

Sports Memorabilia event featuring Steve Milam, a well known collector, auctioneer, and appraiser of UK sports memorabilia

Hosted a number of private parties that have been booked solely because of our UK theme including bachelor party, several birthday parties, baby shower, graduation party, UK Wakeboard team fundraiser, retirement party, rehearsal dinner after-party.


Hosted several Christmas/Holiday parties including the Advertising Federation of Louisville, the UK Alumni Association Greater Louisville Chapter, and a private “Ugly Sweater” party.

Hosted several NFL fantasy draft nights including one incorporating a live radio broadcast with the Fantasy Football State Commissioner for the state of Kentucky

Developed a steadily increasing following of volleyball players who patronize before and/or after their volleyball games at Baxter Jacks volleyball complex (seasonal). We are sponsoring a co-ed team for 2011 that is comprised of waitresses from Hooters and their partners.

Highlights (continued) Very successful hosting of soccer events, especially World Cup game-watching parties. Big Blue Country was named the official bar of the Louisville Chapter of the American Outlaws (one of the more than 50 chapters of the national fan club supporting USA Soccer).

Highlights (continued) Very successful Breeders’ Cup Handicapping event featuring Don Knobel (host of “Down the Stretch” radio show on WKRD790), Mike Hartnet (WAVE-TV Sports), Andy Walden and Billy Ashabraner.



Have steadily increased our email marketing list and Facebook group page which have been the primary promotional vehicles for Big Blue Country. The email list currently has 2250+ names and the Facebook group page has 1250+ members.

Rated very high on food, atmosphere, service and value from independent anonymous data collected from Restaurants.com, Rewards Network, and comment cards inside the restaurant.

Participated in Bardstown Road Aglow hosting an open house featuring 3 live bluegrass bands. Our holiday drink, the Final Four Roses (a warm holiday bourbon-cider concoction with whipped cream and a blue cherry) finished fourth in the drink contest voted on by the public.

Have booked a variety of groups to use our back room for their meetings/functions including the Louisville Skeptics, Louisville Baseball Veterans Association, Bike Louisville, Louisville Ski Club, Louisville Free Thinkers, On Your Left Bicycle (for movie previews), UK Young Alumni Association.


Worked with the UK Alumni Association to create a fundraising event for DanceBlue (a UK student-run philanthropy that supports UK Hospital’s Pediatric Oncology Unit by enhancing the lives of children and families that are suffering from childhood cancer). The event raised thousands of dollars for DanceBlue. It featured music and a Rock-Paper-Scissors tournament featuring celebrities including Kenny Walker, Matt Jones, Mark Krebs, Dave Baker, Evan Daniels, Mike Pratt, Richard Hardin, Chris Demaree, Anthony Wajda, Perry Stevenson, Dean Wells, and Glenn Holt.



Highlights (continued) Our Makers Mark Bourbon Tasting event, hosted by CEO Rob Samuels,

created a packed house.


Highlights (continued) Hosted autograph session with Deandre Liggins.

Highlights (continued) Hosted autograph session Wayne Turner.

Highlights (continued) Had Matt Jones of Kentucky Sports Radio/Kentucky Sports Television as a

guest speaker for one of our monthly Big Blue Networking events..

Highlights (continued) We started karaoke on Friday nights in May 2011. It is gaining popularity

and we have a steady crowd every week.

Highlights (continued) We have a singing bartenders and a singing cook that customers now

request repeat performances from.


Named “Best UK Bar” AND “Best Sports Bar” in LEO Magazine’s 2011 Readers’ Choice Awards (also voted “Best UK Bar” and #2 in “Best Sports Bar” category in 2010).

Marketing - Current efforts

Most marketing efforts to date have been executed through emails, social media, and on-premise signage/displays. We ran a very small radio schedule the week before Labor Day to promote the Big Blue Invasion pep rally/street fest. That advertising drove in new lunch business and supported the pep rally’s success. Additional guerilla marketing has been employed involving the handing of business cards and coupons to people who are wearing UK merchandise in public places.

We are continuing to market everything we do to the same folks we have connected with via email and social media. There is still a much wider universe of potential patrons for future marketing efforts.

Opportunities

Due to the limited time and financial resources of the current owners, many excellent opportunities have not yet been pursued, yet offer excellent

opportunities for future growth.

Conventions/meetings – By working with the Visitors and Convention Bureau, we can get on the radar for large meetings and conventions scheduled in Louisville, especially statewide organizations like the Kentucky Bankers Association or the Kentucky Broadcasters Association that would have visitors from around the state who might be big UK fans.

Lunch – New advertising, along with additional guerilla marketing efforts to nearby businesses employed to develop a solid, daily lunch business

Catering for special events Box Lunches – Guerilla marketing efforts toward businesses and organizations

to offer box lunches for pick-up or delivery Promotional Merchandise – “Big Blue Country – Louisville KY” has a strong

marketing appeal (versus say: “Beef O’Brady’s – Louisville KY”) and can be branded and sold on many promotional products on site and on the web. Additional opportunities are available to also promote and sell UK licensed merchandise on site and on the web.

Opportunities (continued)

More seating to be added to allow for larger crowds on game days and special events as patrons are often turned away because of no place to sit.

Game day enhancements to keep patrons longer after games conclude. Special Occasion Packages – Develop and promote special all inclusive

food/beverage/decorations/music/video packages for “UK Birthdays”, UK Graduations”, “UK Bachelor” parties, “UK Retirement” parties, “UK Baby Showers” etc.

Guerilla Marketing to the “UK-Identified Public” – Simply handing a business card and coupon to fans who identify themselves by wearing UK clothing or sporting UK bumper stickers on their cars. These networking efforts have been very successful, but time availability for this purpose has been very limited to date.

Loyalty program – using the technology available on our POS system, we can develop a loyalty program with points assigned for patronage that can be redeemed for reserved/priority seating for games/events, promotional merchandise, gift cards, tickets, etc.

Consumer Reaction

Since opening in March 2010, consumer response to Big Blue Country has been overwhelmingly positive. Verbal comments from consumers to the owners cannot be documented, but have been universally positive. We honestly have received virtually no negative comments. We can document comments received via Restaurant.com, the Rewards Network, emails received and comment cards.

When someone visits and signs up to join our email list, we send them a confirmation email with a “thanks for visiting” message. Here are some replies:

I attended with several friends and had a great time. Thanks and best of luck. I will be back with more friends. Great place to watch a game. Thanks. Thanks. Everything was great except the final score. Too many turnovers. Had a good time. Thanks for adding me to your email list. I enjoy every visit to BBC and always enjoy bringing in new people to

experience the atmosphere. (from former football player response to us offering to put his photo on our wall) Wow, JD, what a honor! That’s

very cool of you guys and I will get a photo to you asap. I get the emails and newsletter. I was actually there Tuesday night for the handicapping event. Big Blue Country is a great bar and I enjoy the food there. Where did you get those tablecloths?

Consumer Reaction (continued)

Hey there. We watched the game there Friday night and LOVED IT! It’s the new place. We used to go to the Pizza Place in Hikes point but the BBC wins. We really had a good time. Our server was Ashley and she was a doll. Thanks.

Good Morning. I just wanted to thank you for opening a UK bar in Louisville. We really enjoyed ourselves heading over there and watching the games. The atmosphere, food, & service is wonderful!!!! My co-workers and I plan on coming over there for lunch one day. Thanks so much for everything, had a blast and we plan on continuing to come over there and visit.

We had a great time at Big Blue Country outside of the outcome of the game of course. It is a very unique and enjoyable atmosphere being around all UK fans , and they have some very good prices. Karaoke with Kenny sounds hilarious. Jennifer is definitely missing out. If she can make it into Louisville for a UK game, this would definitely be the place to go.

(referring to her brother coming for a birthday gathering) He was VERY excited about doing it with you. People are liking the idea of your bar – we just have to get them there! He’s never been but he was like: ”yeah that’s a cool idea”. So I have no fear you are gonna be the hottest bar in town in no time!!!

(referring to having a rehearsal dinner) I’ve never been in to see you as I live in Lexington but hope to in a few weeks. All I’ve heard is great things.


(Later response about same rehearsal dinner) We’re still planning on coming by in the near future to take in a game and talk to you all about locking down the details. Unless the reviews I’ve read and word of mouth from friends is way off, it is the perfect place for us.

Thanks for the hospitality, Meredith and I had a great time. There is definitely a great buzz about Big Blue country on the street! Unfortunately we are not on Facebook, but will see you soon at Big Blue.

We will definitely be back. You pour a good drink and the food was wonderful. Thank you.

Thanks for the info. You can count on seeing me again. Hope you’re planning a big time Dec 31….I guess you know who we’re playing!!

My first time there and I end up on television. The wings were as good as any I have ever had. Go Big Blue.

Hi. Thanks for the email. We had a blast. The pizza bread sticks are amazing. I’ll try to remember to stop and try other things. The crew working are all very considerate and helpful each time I’ve visited. My parents are huge fans of the bar so I’m usually with them. Looking forward to seeing you again.


Been there several times now. The service and food has been great. I will keep you in mind for lunch as well. Thanks for adding me to your list.

Yeah it was great! My first visit. Ill definitely be back next time for a big game. Go cats.

I had a great time when I came in to Big Blue County. I appreciate your concern and help; and will be back in soon.

(referring to missing a graduation party) Unfortunately, I had to work that day. My wife said everything went great. Phil and waitress were wonderful. Several folks who came had not been there before. They said the food and atmosphere was great. Hope they come back. We’ll visit again in January. Best wishes for the New Year.

Big Blue Country Rocks! Great place for any sports on TV. Thanks Jim, I will definitely be back.

Consumer Reaction (continued) It was great meeting you as well. I really like Big Blue Country

and will continue to visit for games and events. I will also continue to promote the place as I would like for it to remain a great place to watch a UK sporting event for years to come. Look forward to next visit.

Had a great time (being away from all my Louisville friends), food was delicious, met a new friend and I WILL be back!!!

We were in downtown Louisville today for a play. Stopped by afterward to use the coupons you gave Cherie for a meal discount and enjoyed another pleasant evening. I forgot the young man’s name at the bar but he was very hospitable. Fun group of folks while we ate. Great food, atmosphere, and service each time I’ve been there. Hope it all works out. I announced my intent to retire from LG & E. I plan to host my retirement party at your place later this year. Enjoyed seeing the Cat’s get revenge against the Dogs at home. Looking forward to the next UK Alumni evening there. Best Wishes.

Finally we don’t have to share a bar with UL fans. (comment from Facebook post): Great lunch at BIG BLUE

COUNTRY today, their pizza is to die for. If anyone doesn’t like pizza, try their barbeque wings. The sauce is different but DELICIOUS…..This has NOT been a paid political announcement.


(email received from UK Admissions office after holding their event for high school counselors at Big Blue Country) “You were an excellent host and we had a great event because of your hospitality”.

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Big Blue Country...only place to be on gameday...also, the best white chicken chili I have ever had!!!

(Referring to DanceBlue fundraiser) I had a great time at Big Blue Country last night. Ashley, the server who took my drink and food order, was great to meet and chat with – she seems like a great employee to have on board. The UK community in Louisville seems very strong, as the event last night attested to. Although I just recently moved to greater Louisville and although I am a Notre Dame fan at heart (what a tough loss to UK at Freedom Hall in December!), I felt like I was at home with the folks who supported the BlueBash cause last night. I look forward to hearing from you soon and I am certain that I will see you again at Big Blue Coutry in the near future.

Consumer Reaction (continued) We have only received a handful of comment cards and have not pushed patrons to fill them

out. On a 1 to 5 scale, we ranked: 4.8 on atmosphere 5.0 on food 4.8 on service

Here are the only comments submitted via comment cards: Excellent bar staff Very friendly Awesome food. Love Big Blue Burger and Chicken Court on Blue. Service was great. The guy with the mustache is great. The owner, Phil, was so nice.

Consumer Reaction (continued)Here are comments that have been received from restaurant.com:

Loved the theme! Great place to watch sports We are uk fans ,we really enjoy this bar. Lots of tv's, nice people, great food. We

keep telling friends to visit. Great to have a place where good Ky people can watch games. We enjoyed ourselves at Big Blue Country and then went to the UK-Notre Dame

game. It was a great evening and we plan on getting back to BBC very soon

Consumer Reaction (continued) We receive ratings and comments from the Rewards Network from diners who use a

participating credit card. Our ratings (on a 1 to 5 scale) cumulatively since joining the network in August show:

4.0 rating for food 4.3 rating for service 4.1 rating for cleanliness 4.1 rating for value 4.2 overall rating

Here are all of the comments received:

Best time I’ve had in a sports bar in a long time. It’s a University of Kentucky bar, so I loved the atmosphere. The food wasn’t 4 star, but I’ll definitely

be back! It took a while to get waited on just because there wasn’t anyone else except another couple in the

dining room. Once we were noticed, the server was very friendly and we didn’t wait for anything. Food was delivered very quickly. Nice place.

The food was very good….much better than your average bar food. Love, love, LOVE It!!! Great atmosphere and excellent to catch all the Big Blue action! New pizzas are good, as well as other apps.


Our group had Arkansas, Florida State, and even U of Louisville fans and we all felt welcome at Big Blue Country. Food was good – waitress was friendly and attentive. Recommend trying this place for lunch or dinner. Great wings and burgers.

I was there for a Meetup Group and I really like the food and beer. I will be coming back.

The food was typical sports bar food, but good. The beer selection was good. The service was terrific and fast. The atmosphere was perfect for UK fans.

Good food – nice atmosphere – friendly staff Good atmosphere with unusual location for a

sports bar...Food was good....service is provided by inexperienced servers.....they did ok could be better. Overall good experience! Will return for sure.

The pizza and salad were outstanding. Great to have a UK Wildcat bar in Louisville!

Food is good, lots of TVs, will be there for every UK game

Consumer Reaction (continued) We had a private party and it was great. Service was perfect, food was delicious

(especially the pizza). Even the Cards fans enjoyed it! They had an awesome band that night (merry pranksters), great prices on drinks, and

fast service. The burger was delicious. As one of many of the “Big Blue Country” fans, I want to thank you for the service you provide Louisville’s Big Blue Nation!!!!! We call your place “Louisville’s Rupp Arena”, The next best thing to being there! We always have a great time and appreciate the

hospitality along with the background half time Band Music!!! I am a Kentucky UK Cats fan and this bar caters strictly to this environment. It’s a

great place to watch the UK games knowing all the other patrons are also UK fans. The energy is fantastic. Big Blue Country is one of the best sports bars I've ever seen. I've lived in Seattle and

Chicago yet none of their places compared. It's the perfect blend of great service, great food, and an awesome atmosphere. You can't go wrong at Big Blue Country!

Next Step

We are looking for investors or buyers who:

Recognize the marketing and investment opportunity available by targeting a very large niche (UK alumni and fans) that previously has not been adequately served in Louisville

Want to ensure there is a “Big Blue” headquarters commercial location in Louisville KY

Want participation in a commercial business that involves functions and events that tie-in with University of Kentucky athletics and other University of Kentucky functions

If you are interested in investing in, or purchasing Big Blue Country, or if you can suggest possible prospects, please send an email to: [email protected].

mailto:[email protected]

Video LinksJust for fun, This video was filmed in the early morning hours on New Year’sEve day prior to the UK-UL basketball game.Patrons arrived early for breakfast to relax and watched prior UK-ULVideos. The restaurant was much more crowded and rowdy duringthe game. Take a look:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyY4zwXgIuA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyY4zwXgIuA

