Project 1
The Corner Bar and Grill

Floyd Hines
(812)781-1071
fahines@eagles.usi.edu
MKTG 305

Kevin Talley
(812)480-7881
2668 Mount Vernon Ave
Evansville, IN 47712

Submitted To:
Dr. Sang Choe
University of Southern Indiana

The Corner Bar and Grill is a bar on the west side of Evansville and a staple in the community. It is the only recognized Greenbay Packers bar in the state of Indiana. It is known for its competitive prices on food and beer; also, for its famous and iconic “Slim Jim.” The Corner Bar is a very interesting place because its demographic slightly changes based on the time you enter the door; from the older gentlemen talking Reitz and Mater Dei football in the morning, to the after work crowd of construction workers, and finally to the after dinner crowd of college students.
The Corner Bar and Grill does not have a known date of establishment as it has gone through multiple purchases over the years. The previous owner licensed it initially in 1998 and sold it to the current owner, Kevin Talley, in 2005. It is a unique place in the fact that it does not serve liquor, it only serves beer and wine. When asked why, the short answer is that The Corner is supposed to be a relaxed area for friends to meet and watch sports and they don’t want the headache that comes with serving liquor. They are know for their iconic “Slim Jim” which is a 32oz beer mug used to serve beer fresh from the tap. Their grill is one of the few open for breakfast, lunch and diner giving the place a steady flow of hungry and thirsty customers.
The “Four P’s” of the marketing strategy are Product, Price, Promotion, and Place. These are used to produce a cohesive marketing program in any size business and are implemented at The Corner Bar. Another method I used to investigate and analyze The Corner Bar was through a SWOT Analysis. This method emphasizes the different P’s of the marketing strategy through evaluating each one’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats.
Product is a good, service, or idea consisting of a bundle of tangible and intangible attributes that satisfy a consumer’s needs. It is received in exchange for money or something else of value. The Corner Bar’s Product is broken down into three areas; tap beer, bottled/canned beer, and the grill. * Strengths- Serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Has local Micro-Brew on tap and has beer tastings. Very simple menu and customers know what to expect. * Weaknesses- Only serve beer and wine. Only beers on tap are Anheuser-Busch products minus the Reds Apple Ale and Carson’s. Simple menu might not cater to every customer’s wants or needs. * Opportunities- Owner is about to put in a root beer tap and serve root beer and Carson’s Brown Cow floats. * Threats- Leroy’s Tavern across the rode serves food and liqueur.

Price is the money or other considerations exchanged for the ownership or use of a product. The tap beer has an all time special of $4 for a “Slim Jim” of Budweiser, Bud Light, Busch Light, and Michelob Ultra. You can also buy any “Slim Jim” of Reds Apple Ale, Carson’s Brown Cow, and Amber Bock for $5. Bottled beer only has one special and that is $5 buckets on Wednesdays; which consists of your choice of five bottled beers in a bucket of ice providing a great value and an “escape” in the middle of the week. The kitchen has daily specials but their main appeal is their breakfast. According to Mr. Talley his breakfast has been the biggest game changer in his bar. Offering a football themed breakfast consisting of the First Down, Touch Down, and the signature menu item he Packer. The First Down consists of bacon, ham or sausage plus eggs, German fries, and toast. The Touch Down is a First Down but with the addition of biscuits and gravy. The Packer is a breakfast sandwich that uses two cinnamon sugar donuts for buns securing the hard cooked egg, quarter pound sausage patty, and pepper jack cheese.

* Strengths- There is no place in the surrounding area where someone can receive a 32oz beer, on tap, at the price point of $4. * Weaknesses- Price of “Slim Jim” sometimes deters customers from purchasing just a bottled beer. * Opportunities- Capture the customers that want to get the most out of their money. * Threats- Other bars beer specials, none compete with the “Slim Jim” but other bars do have bucket nights and other drink specials.

Promotion refers to raising customer awareness of a product or brand, generating sales, and creating brand loyalty. The Promotional product for The Corner Bar and Grill is the Slim Jim, Corner Burger, and Packer. The other promotion item is that it is the Evansville Soccer Fan Club headquarters and the only Greenbay Packers bar in Indiana. Also the Corner has Karaoke every Friday night and either a DJ or the owner unlocks the jukebox on Saturday nights.

* Strengths- They have three iconic items unique to the establishment & is a great place to go to watch sports. * Weaknesses- The only promotion of this establishment is by word of mouth. * Opportunities- Has plenty of room to advance promotion through many different avenues, such as social media and radio/television. * Threats- Bars that advertise in News4U and actually promote their establishment.

Place refers to providing the product at a place which is convenient for consumers to access. Being located on the west side of Evansville the Corner is just off of Franklin Street, which is a place many people travel to when looking for local food and drinks. Franklin Street also is ideal due to the fact that all the bars and restaurants on the street have banned together to put on events to increase business and foot traffic. The biggest boost to foot traffic is of course the West Side Nut Club Fall Festival, which is the second biggest street carnival in the United States next to Mardi Gras. Fall Festival also has a bar crawl that is the Friday and Saturday night of the week and draws people from all over celebrating the end of the festival. Within the bar itself, it has three separate areas: the bar, pool room, and dinning area. This gives plenty of room for different experiences and provides plenty of room to sit.

* Strengths- The three rooms allow customers to relax at the bar, play pool, play shuffleboard, or just catch up with friends in the dinning area. Being located on Franklin Street puts them in an area where people go to look for bars and food. * Weaknesses- Being located on Franklin Street parking space is hard to come by. * Opportunities- Plenty of room for upgrades. * Threats- All of the other bars and restaurants on Franklin Street.

Strengths are what gives the Corner Bar and Grill its advantage over competitors. * The first thing that comes to mind is the Slim Jim, at $4 for a 32oz beer. This is a price point unmatched in the area and the essential calling card of the bar. * The overall laid-back atmosphere of the bar makes the bar a great place to just relax and watch the game. This is contributed to the lack of serving hard alcohol making it more difficult for individuals to get out of control and easier for bar tenders to control situations. * Although they are a bar the do serve breakfast, lunch, and diner. Serving breakfast on Franklin Street gives them a unique advantage, as they are the only place that does. The fact that they also take breakfast seriously and serve home-style breakfasts with big servings keeps customers returning. * The space of the bar with three different rooms allows customers to enjoy the bar their way. A person can play pool or shuffleboard in one room. In another room just sit at the bar and in the next just relax with friends in the dinning room. In the dinning room on weekends is where the DJ is for karaoke or just playing music. * The Corner Bar and Grill almost has a cult following as they relay on mostly word of mouth to get the word out about them. The customers that come in are usually loyal regulars that return from week to week or in some cases from day to day.
Weaknesses are the things that set a disadvantage for the bar. * One of their greatest strengths is also their greatest weakness as they only serve beer and right across the street and all the way down Franklin the other bars do serve hard alcohol. This limits the business to just those of us that like beer and cuts out the customers that do not. * Although they serve breakfast thru dinner the kitchen does shut down at 8 pm. This leaves customers frustrated and unable to satisfy the customers late night food needs. * There is a vast amount of room for upgrades in the bar ranging anywhere from the floors need to be replaced to fixing the pluming in the men’s bathroom. * The method of word of mouth advertising is a great weakness as there are magazines in Evansville that customers look to for information on what Evansville’s nightlife has to offer. Limiting the means of advertising means limiting your base for potential customers.
Opportunities are elements that the bar can exploit to its advantage. * The breakfast menu is the first thing that pops into my mind of things to exploit. As there are not very many local places to get a quality breakfast. * The price point on drinks and meal specials are highly competitive capturing the customers that value getting the most bang for their buck. * They are the Evansville Soccer Fan Club headquarters for watching games. * They are the only licensed Greenbay Packer bar in Indiana being a true fan of the sport of football. * Beer testing for Carson’s Brewery and having their beer on tap. * Soon to come the unique taste of root beer and Brown Cow floats.
Threats are the elements in the bar’s environment that could cause it trouble. * Biggest threat is the amount of bars that are on Franklin Street. * There is a church right next door restricting the degree of liquor license they can apply for.