Sports bars aren’t typically the first place people think of when it comes to reality TV fandom. But Tom’s Watch Bar, a national restobar chain best known for wall-to-wall sports coverage, just proved that tapping into pop culture beyond sports can deliver blockbuster results.
This summer, Tom’s Watch Bar found itself at the center of a surprising boom: hosting watch parties for the hit dating show Love Island. The move not only filled seats during what is usually a slow sports season but also sent sales skyrocketing in one case, by nearly 900% in a single night.
From Baseball Highlights to Reality TV Drama
Tom’s Watch Bar operates 16 locations across the U.S., designed to immerse fans in live sports with massive screens, expansive menus, and stadium-like energy. Traditionally, the chain’s busiest nights come from major sporting events: football, baseball, soccer, and UFC fights.
But summer is often a slow season, with fewer big games driving traffic. Enter Love Island, the reality dating phenomenon where singles pair off in a drama-filled villa setting. Co-CEO Brooks Schaden told local press that when the Sacramento location held its first Love Island watch party, sales exploded from a few thousand dollars the usual Monday take to $30,000 in one evening.
“It was a massive, massive increase,” Schaden said.
A New Kind of Fandom
The success wasn’t a fluke. Recognizing the potential, Tom’s Watch Bar quickly rolled out Love Island watch parties nationwide. Each night featured DJs, influencer-driven entertainment, and, in some cases, appearances from cast members.
Kenzo Nudo, one of the season’s contestants, showed up at the Las Vegas location for the finale, while cast member Chris Seeley’s family attended the Los Angeles watch party.
Fans packed locations across the country, trading the bar’s usual lineup of beer pitchers and chicken wings for themed cocktails. A lavender lemon drop martini became the chain’s top-selling item on Love Island nights, a sharp departure from the sports-driven sales mix.
“We’ve got pictures and videos of our places just packed with Love Island fans cheering and crying,” Schaden said. “It was quite a shock to us, but the biggest takeaway was that fandom is fandom. Whether it’s sports or reality TV, people want to connect.”
Lessons in Customer Demand
For Tom’s Watch Bar, the promotion highlighted the importance of flexibility. The chain is used to volatile swings in demand: a Denver location once saw sales leap from $2,000 on a Wednesday to $220,000 two nights later during Rockies baseball’s opening week.
That ability to scale up quickly made it easier to pivot when reality TV superfans started showing up in droves.
What’s Next: From Slap Fighting to "90 Day Fiancé"?
Buoyed by the overwhelming success of Love Island events, Tom’s Watch Bar plans to expand into other niche fandoms. Schaden mentioned possibilities like slap fighting, dog surfing competitions, or additional reality TV juggernauts such as 90 Day Fiancé.
For now, Love Island has shown that the chain doesn’t need a championship game to score big. By broadening its definition of “watch party,” Tom’s Watch Bar has found a new way to fill seats, boost sales, and position itself as more than just a sports bar.
