CHAMPS

Banned · Post by **Banned** » Tuesday Mar 29, 2011

The new Champs sports bar in Altoona is opening soon looks that way they are "hiring for all positions" sign out front..anyone know anything about an opening date?? Will they "sport" heh heh live bands

songsmith · Post by **songsmith** » Tuesday Mar 29, 2011

Don't hold your breath on the live bands, and even if they have bands, you'll compete with 1247 TV screens showing Albanian curling championships and poker. People who go to those places do NOT want entertainment, they want to watch people playing games. You're always going to be just beneath the busboy on the food-chain.
No, Thanks! I have HDTV at home.

bassist_25 · Post by **bassist_25** » Tuesday Mar 29, 2011

songsmith wrote:Don't hold your breath on the live bands, and even if they have bands, you'll compete with 1247 TV screens showing Albanian curling championships and poker. People who go to those places do NOT want entertainment, they want to watch people playing games. You're always going to be just beneath the busboy on the food-chain.
No, Thanks! I have HDTV at home.

This.

MeYatch · Post by **MeYatch** » Tuesday Mar 29, 2011

My little bro's girlfriend got a job waitressing there, and she said they built a sweet stage and are planning on having bands there.

songsmith wrote:Don't hold your breath on the live bands, and even if they have bands, you'll compete with 1247 TV screens showing Albanian curling championships and poker. People who go to those places do NOT want entertainment, they want to watch people playing games. You're always going to be just beneath the busboy on the food-chain.
No, Thanks! I have HDTV at home.

People like to go to nice bars. Obviously you are not going to do well there if you are competing against the super bowl or something, but there will be a ton of people there just because its the new place. Not all of them will be sports fans.

I guess I'm just not feeling very cynical today.

Banned · Post by **Banned** » Tuesday Mar 29, 2011

This bar is really going to hurt one local bar specifically, Zachs. They will have to do some things to compete. Maybe Zachs might start getting more music. I know they have now and then. I do not know how well the music went at Zachs, or how well Zachs treated our local bands.

bassist_25 · Post by **bassist_25** » Tuesday Mar 29, 2011

I never knew Zach's had music; though I always thought it would be a cool room for live music. It's always been one of my favorite restaurants in Altoona.

Banned · Post by **Banned** » Wednesday Mar 30, 2011

bassist_25 wrote:I never knew Zach's had music; though I always thought it would be a cool room for live music. It's always been one of my favorite restaurants in Altoona.

Paul, very rarely. I saw Brian Cupples band, Backdraft play there, and not one patron paid the band any attention. They just talked louder.

Banned · Post by **Banned** » Wednesday Mar 30, 2011

songsmith wrote: No, Thanks! I have HDTV at home.

Do you have any pizza and beer specials game day sundays

I like Zachs summer patio (only decent one in town) , and often they have light entertainment there. I welcome the competition, think altoona can handle two nice sports bars. More importantly let's hope we get more beer specials

songsmith · Post by **songsmith** » Wednesday Mar 30, 2011

I do have pizza and beer specials... I cut out the middle-man, and tip my waitstaff with the proceeds! (I hope my wife doesn't see that I referred to her as waitstaff!)
See, that was kind of my point... people who go to sports bars do NOT want to be bothered with a live band, unless maybe it's in another room, like the Pony. I've spent way too many nights playing to people who were craning their necks at some offstage TV screen, or running pool league 12 feet from the stage, hell, I've even set up, then got paid to sit quietly because some pre-season NFL bore-fest was on TV. Sports bars shouldn't have bands, and vice-versa... it's oil and water.
And I agree, Zach's is already on the bubble, and Champ's has franchises all over the place. It doesn't bode well for Zach's.

onegunguitar · Post by **onegunguitar** » Wednesday Mar 30, 2011

undercoverjoe wrote:
bassist_25 wrote:I never knew Zach's had music; though I always thought it would be a cool room for live music. It's always been one of my favorite restaurants in Altoona.
Paul, very rarely. I saw Brian Cupples band, Backdraft play there, and not one patron paid the band any attention. They just talked louder.

That's because most of the people that hang out at Zach's are in the yuppie crowd..they wouldn't appreciate a good band anyways...

RobTheDrummer · Post by **RobTheDrummer** » Wednesday Mar 30, 2011

onegunguitar wrote:
undercoverjoe wrote:
bassist_25 wrote:I never knew Zach's had music; though I always thought it would be a cool room for live music. It's always been one of my favorite restaurants in Altoona.
Paul, very rarely. I saw Brian Cupples band, Backdraft play there, and not one patron paid the band any attention. They just talked louder.
That's because most of the people that hang out at Zach's are in the yuppie crowd..they wouldn't appreciate a good band anyways...

I went into Zach's once and thought everyone there was too cool for me.

Banned · Post by **Banned** » Thursday Mar 31, 2011

onegunguitar wrote:
undercoverjoe wrote:
bassist_25 wrote:I never knew Zach's had music; though I always thought it would be a cool room for live music. It's always been one of my favorite restaurants in Altoona.
Paul, very rarely. I saw Brian Cupples band, Backdraft play there, and not one patron paid the band any attention. They just talked louder.
That's because most of the people that hang out at Zach's are in the yuppie crowd..they wouldn't appreciate a good band anyways...

what is a 'good' band and why wouldn't young intelligent upwardly mobile professionals like them?

Of course people with excess discretionary $ like to go to nice places (Zachs is THE nice place). Professionals generally don't like to frequent 'dive' bars i would imagine. The crowd can be just a little too "edgy" for them

Anyway, when is CHAMPS opening, anyone like to guess?

MeYatch, do you know since you have a relative starting there?

songsmith · Post by **songsmith** » Thursday Mar 31, 2011

Well, the good thing about "upscale" sports bars is that they draw so many frat-boys (and former frat-boys) there, so they don't show up where I am. Those places smell of Drakkar and date-rape!

bassist_25 · Post by **bassist_25** » Thursday Mar 31, 2011

onegunguitar wrote:
undercoverjoe wrote:
bassist_25 wrote:I never knew Zach's had music; though I always thought it would be a cool room for live music. It's always been one of my favorite restaurants in Altoona.
Paul, very rarely. I saw Brian Cupples band, Backdraft play there, and not one patron paid the band any attention. They just talked louder.
That's because most of the people that hang out at Zach's are in the yuppie crowd..they wouldn't appreciate a good band anyways...

Thanks for calling me a yuppie, Bushie.

*sips moco-choca latte while reading Time before he gets in his Prius to go to his job as executive director of the Save the Fire Ants Foundation*

Banned · Post by **Banned** » Thursday Mar 31, 2011

bassist_25 wrote:
onegunguitar wrote:
undercoverjoe wrote: Paul, very rarely. I saw Brian Cupples band, Backdraft play there, and not one patron paid the band any attention. They just talked louder.
That's because most of the people that hang out at Zach's are in the yuppie crowd..they wouldn't appreciate a good band anyways...
Thanks for calling me a yuppie, Bushie.

*sips moco-choca latte while reading Time before he gets in his Prius to go to his job as executive director of the Save the Fire Ants Foundation*

that's a lib-er-al not a yuppie. a yuppy would read investors biz daily and drive his/her bmw to starbucks (or Zachs)

MeYatch · Post by **MeYatch** » Thursday Mar 31, 2011

faster pussycat wrote: MeYatch, do you know since you have a relative starting there?

No. Supposedly they are trying to have a really quiet opening so they don't get slammed right away with a brand new staff and what not.

Banned · Post by **Banned** » Thursday Mar 31, 2011

MeYatch wrote:
faster pussycat wrote: MeYatch, do you know since you have a relative starting there?
No. Supposedly they are trying to have a really quiet opening so they don't get slammed right away with a brand new staff and what not.

No doubt they will be swamped from day 1 when the news breaks..

They'll have to do a grand opening at some point.

Thanks anyways.

bassist_25 · Post by **bassist_25** » Thursday Mar 31, 2011

faster pussycat wrote: that's a lib-er-al not a yuppie. a yuppy would read investors biz daily and drive his/her bmw to starbucks (or Zachs)

Many yuppies are political liberals.

f.sciarrillo · Post by **f.sciarrillo** » Thursday Mar 31, 2011

bassist_25 wrote:
faster pussycat wrote: that's a lib-er-al not a yuppie. a yuppy would read investors biz daily and drive his/her bmw to starbucks (or Zachs)
Many yuppies are political liberals.

San Francisco yuppy

Banned · Post by **Banned** » Thursday Apr 07, 2011

CHAMPS IS OPEN!

Outdoor patio and DogFish on tap!

YAAAHOO!!

Haven't been there just saying.

Who's been there??!!

nakedtwister · Post by **nakedtwister** » Thursday Apr 07, 2011

OOOOHHH! I'll have to see if I can get reservations before it's sold out. I'm sooooo excited and pumped about Champs. Hey, do you think they have laZers and eneRgy drinks?

Larry · Post by **Larry** » Thursday Apr 07, 2011

I've been to the Champs in State College. Is this the same chain? They used to have Buck Nachos night every week and my roommates would go there with exactly $1 in change, order nachos and water, and stiff the waitress. Anyway, that Champs did have a steady acoustic act every week (Steve Summerhill?), but this was back when I was in college in the very early 90's.

Banned · Post by **Banned** » Saturday Apr 09, 2011

$1 nachos grande sounds like a great deal! they also say get your growler...what is a growler??

Craven Sound · Post by **Craven Sound** » Sunday Apr 10, 2011

A growler is a sealable gallon container for transporting draft beer.

Banned · Post by **Banned** » Sunday Apr 17, 2011

Craven Sound wrote:A growler is a sealable gallon container for transporting draft beer.

is that their microbrew or something, they say "get a growler" what does this mean?

they are now open whose been???