Update 12:56pm 1/07/17: Game Sports Bar, the newest addition to Minneapolis’ LGBTQ bar scene, appears to have closed its doors for good on Sunday night after the Patriots beat the Falcons, according to patrons and employees. The bar was the first foray of LGBTQ nightlife in Uptown when it opened in August. A report from City Pages notes that the bar may be changing concepts but keeping limited weekend hours as an LGBTQ bar or may be closing indefinitely.
Employees and patrons took to Facebook on Monday to lament the demise of the bar in public posts.
Benjamin Kaufman, who had once hosted trivia and bingo as drag personality B. Louise, wrote:
No matter which bar is “your” bar, a LGBT bar is all of our bar and when one closes it makes me incredibly sad. I hope everyone who was working there lands on their feet and to everyone I worked there with as B. Louise, thank you for making it a fun environment!
Benjamin Jacobs, who worked at the bar, remarked: “Goodbye Game sports Bar! I will miss you!”
Game’s General Manager, Emerson Kellogg, simply wrote: “Game Over”
Though the website and social media properties still listed it as open as of Monday night, the bar’s phone number had been disconnected. Google Maps listed the business as “permanently closed.”
First opened in August, the bar underwent a rebranding with new management in late-December. In a post on Facebook, the bar’s management wrote:
A NEW YEAR. A NEW GAME.
Here at GAME, we are excited for a new year filled with many exciting changes, including new management. A GLBTQIA sports bar is a unique concept, and we’ve spent the past few months exploring and experimenting as we find our place in the community. As we unveil a new GAME, we’d like to address some of the great feedback we’ve received, and some of the changes you’ll experience.
Update 12:56pm 1/07/17: According to City Pages, the bar may be changing format:
An employee shared with City Pages an email reportedly sent to all staff on Monday, February 6, from the current general manager. He informed recipients that the bar was going to change concept — to “a Lotus restaurant,” seemingly a reference to the popular long-time Vietnamese spot in Loring Park — but would continue operating on weekends as Game Sports Bar for the time being.
The Lotus, a popular Loring Park restaurant has been posting about its return to Uptown on Facebook:
Or Game could be closing indefinitely, City Pages reports:
On Friday, management told staffers the bar would be closing Monday through Thursday immediately and indefinitely; the news was met with tears and concern from the staff, according to one employee.
I agree – it’s sad when any LGBT establishment closes. Much like breweries are a tight-knit group that support one another vs. compete, so do the gay bars.
That being said, Game had a lot of marketing and social media mistakes that led to their demise. They never launched their website (last time I checked in December it still said “Coming Soon”), their Facebook and twitter were inconsistent and had very little presence. They rejected or didn’t respond to several event ideas by gaymer groups, breweries, and other organizations, and didn’t seem overly prepared to cater to company or org functions that did book events there. After their initial debut in late summer, most of my friends kind of forgot they existed … there was never any “must attend” event, theme night, or drink/food specials that were marketed heavily enough to keep in their clientele’s heads.
Even their apparent closure was botched … when you just shutter your doors and don’t do any type of clear announcement or communication, you’re burning bridges with your patrons. If you decide to reopen, rebrand, or open another establishment, people will remember that you have a flaky reputation, and it will be damaging.
a concept like game, a gay sports bar could still make it if they did it correctly. First of all starting in uptown was a major mistake, way too expensive as far as rent. I believe that restaurants of all type have come and gone many times at that location in the last few years. They should have started at a smaller less expensive place, they should have tried to build up the place organically, with a strong word of mouth and online with promotions for all the different sports teams we have here. I don’t remember any promotions of any type. also as both a gay bar and a sports bar there should have been more of a fun vibe, but when ever I was there it just felt like any other bar in the twin cities. they should have been willing to think outside the box more, how ? I don’t know, that’s not my expertise. I still think a gay sports bar could work here what with both a large gay community and a large sports community. Next time start smaller and try to make it more original
There are just not enough out gay men in the TC to make multiple gay establishments successful. It is, after all, a small community. Many gay men spend most of their lives in the suburbs, working, homesteading, and gardening, and they end up shunning the city.
The same thing goes for a licensed sex club here. The customer base is so small that only small, unlicensed (and untaxed) sex clubs like the ones on 3rd St. N. can succeed — until they don’t.
what are you talking about the twin cities having a small gay scene ? Just a few years ago a national gay magazine named Minneapolis the gayest city in the us. Just a few years ago 3 out of the 13 members of the Minneapolis city council were openly gay. This does not even account for the significant gay community in the state capitol and all the first tier suburbs. This also does not take into account for all the out and closeted gay people who would come to the twin cities from outstate Minnesota and small cities in the 5 state area at least once a month. the problem with game are obvious. First you walked into it and it looked like almost every other bar in the twin cities. I have been to many other bars that did not advertise as sports bars but when there was a sporting event going on they always had specials or events going on according to what the sport on television was. you almost never saw this at game, and this was supposed to be a sports bar ! Also the decided to start off way to big in a very expensive area in the twin cities. They should have started off in a smaller less expensive area and slowly built up a clientele base more organically so that a crowd of 25-35 people cold have sustained them at the start until word of mouth slowly got a few more people in every week. They needed someone in charge who was capable of thinking outside the box. A gay sports bar can still work in the twin cities if you are willing to start smaller and make it not feel like just another bar.
Comments are closed.