Latest news with #JennyNguyen
Axios
7 hours ago
- Business
- Axios
Women's sports bars are booming across the U.S.
Women's sports bars are springing up in multiple cities, growing from one to 11 in just three years. Why it matters: With viewership and attendance for women's sports soaring, fans are building new hubs that are about more than simply watching games. Driving the news: Six women's sports bars have opened this year, with as many as 17 on the way in various stages of funding and construction. At least eight have announced plans to open by the end of this year. Others have indicated 2026 or have not specified a timeline. Catch up quick: It all started with The Sports Bra, a Portland bar dedicated to supporting and showing women's sports founded by Jenny Nguyen in April 2022. Rough and Tumble Pub in Seattle followed later that year. By the end of 2024, three more had opened: A Bar of Their Own in Minneapolis; Watch Me! Sports Bar in Long Beach, California; and The 99ers Sports Bar in Denver. What they're saying: The bars "galvanize the community," says Kaitlyn Laabs, who is making a documentary about women's sports bars called "Untapped." "They've become centers of social, economic and political power in the communities where they exist." The vibe: Bar owners mix the fun and camaraderie of team sports with an atmosphere that's welcoming to everyone, including nontraditional sports fans and the LGBTQ+ community. "Let's bring people in that have always been a little timid about going to a sports bar," says Monica Brady, co-owner of upcoming Kansas City women's sports bar The Dub. Friction point: Some bar owners, such as Watch Me! owner Jax Diener, have gotten sexist and anti-LGBTQ+ hate. Between the lines: Many of these bar owners also struggle to secure small-business loans, increasing the barrier to opening, Laabs says. Brady tells Axios she and her business partner were rejected for a loan four times. She said lenders cited high collateral requirements, risk, and inexperience in the industry as factors in the rejections. Many women's sports bar owners have turned to crowdfunding. Stunning stat: In 2023, women received less than a third of the Small Business Administration's loans despite owning about 43% of America's small businesses, according to the SBA.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
The Sports Bra, the first US bar focused on women's sports, expanding to four more cities
The Sports Bra, the first sports bar in the US dedicated to women's sports, is set to expand with new locations in Boston, Indianapolis, Las Vegas, and St. Louis. The original Sports Bra, located in Portland, Oregon, was founded in April 2022 by entrepreneur Jenny Nguyen. She sought to establish a venue that celebrates women and girls in sports. Since its launch, other women-centered sports bars have emerged across the country. They include The 99ers Sports Bar in Denver, Rough & Tumble in Seattle, and Title 9 Sports Grill in Phoenix. 'The first four franchises of The Sports Bra will join our OG Portland location to become the 'Starting Five,'' Nguyen said. 'Together, we're serving fans nationwide who are hungry for spaces that not only champion women's sports, but create a community where everyone feels like they belong. There is no better moment than this to open these places.' In 2024, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian's 776 Foundation invested in The Sports Bra with the intention of expanding through franchising. Potential investors were invited to apply for franchises in October. All of the new locations will be locally owned and operated and will highlight local and women-owned beverage and food products. According to The Sports Bra's website, the menu includes items such as a $17 'Bra-L-T' sandwich and a $14 green goddess salad. The bar's $14 signature cocktails include Title IX (bourbon, peach liqueur and mint), Cherry Picker (gin, cherry juice, lemon juice, simple syrup and egg white), and Pickle Ball (dry gin, dry vermouth and pickle juice). Sportico reported that the four new franchises were being asked to pay a $55,000 fee, and up to $834,000 in start-up costs including training expenses, leases and insurance. Each franchise would be asked to hand over 8 per cent of their gross revenue each year, once they were up and running. Sportico reported that the Portland Sports Bra grossed an average of $1.086 million revenue the past two years. About 80 per cent of that came from food and alcohol, with the balance from events, merchandise and non-alcoholic drinks.
The Independent
2 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
The Sports Bra, the first US bar focused on women's sports, expanding to four more cities
The Sports Bra, the first sports bar in the US dedicated to women's sports, is set to expand with new locations in Boston, Indianapolis, Las Vegas, and St. Louis. The original Sports Bra, located in Portland, Oregon, was founded in April 2022 by entrepreneur Jenny Nguyen. She sought to establish a venue that celebrates women and girls in sports. Since its launch, other women-centered sports bars have emerged across the country. They include The 99ers Sports Bar in Denver, Rough & Tumble in Seattle, and Title 9 Sports Grill in Phoenix. 'The first four franchises of The Sports Bra will join our OG Portland location to become the 'Starting Five,'' Nguyen said. 'Together, we're serving fans nationwide who are hungry for spaces that not only champion women's sports, but create a community where everyone feels like they belong. There is no better moment than this to open these places.' In 2024, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian 's 776 Foundation invested in The Sports Bra with the intention of expanding through franchising. Potential investors were invited to apply for franchises in October. All of the new locations will be locally owned and operated and will highlight local and women-owned beverage and food products. According to The Sports Bra's website, the menu includes items such as a $17 'Bra-L-T' sandwich and a $14 green goddess salad. The bar's $14 signature cocktails include Title IX (bourbon, peach liqueur and mint), Cherry Picker (gin, cherry juice, lemon juice, simple syrup and egg white), and Pickle Ball (dry gin, dry vermouth and pickle juice). Sportico reported that the four new franchises were being asked to pay a $55,000 fee, and up to $834,000 in start-up costs including training expenses, leases and insurance. Each franchise would be asked to hand over 8 per cent of their gross revenue each year, once they were up and running. Sportico reported that the Portland Sports Bra grossed an average of $1.086 million revenue the past two years. About 80 per cent of that came from food and alcohol, with the balance from events, merchandise and non-alcoholic drinks.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
The Sports Bra scores a win for women's sports with five new locations opening in America
As women's sports are finally starting to get the recognition they've always deserved, a popular Portland, Oregon-based bar dedicated to women's athletics is expanding to cities across the country. The Sports Bra, the first bar in the U.S. dedicated to women's sports, was the brainchild of queer chef Jenny Nguyen. After opening in 2022, it quickly became a Portland staple due to its inclusive atmosphere where all the screens play women's sports, and its extensive food and drink menu. Advertisement Now, based on the success of The Sports Bra, the bar is opening four new franchise locations in Boston, Las Vegas, Indianapolis, and St. Louis. "The addition of these new locations will help fuel the movement for gender equity in sports and provide even more opportunities for fans to watch, cheer, and connect over their favorite women's teams and athletes," The Sports Bra said in its announcement. Since the bar first opened in 2022 after Nguyen realized there was nowhere for her to watch the women's NCAA basketball championship game with her friends, it has received financial backing from investors like Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, who is married to tennis legend Serena Williams, CBS News reports. Advertisement "Each new location will carry the same heart and mission as our original one in Portland-uplifting women-owned businesses, serving delicious food, and creating a welcoming space for everyone who wants to belong to a community and be part of the movement," Nguyen said in a statement. The Sports Bra started teasing an expansion with social media posts asking fans to suggest cities where they should open up bars, before announcing the new locations on Instagram on June 3. US women's soccer icon Becky Sauerbrunn, Team USA hockey legend Hilary Knight, CEO of the Women's National Football Conference Odessa Jenkins, and Portland WNBA president Inky Son all helped make the announcement in an Instagram video listing the new locations. 'Visibility matters. Representation matters. And celebrating women in sports—loudly and proudly—matters,' the post read.
Eater
2 days ago
- Business
- Eater
A Celebrated Women's Sports Bar Is Expanding Into Boston
Sports bars that center women's sports are opening across the country, and one of the best-known is coming to Boston. The Sports Bra, which first opened in Portland, Oregon, back in 2022, is expanding with new franchises in Boston, Indianapolis, Las Vegas, and St. Louis. Jenny Nguyen, a chef in Portland, started the concept after struggling to find spaces to watch women's sports with her friends and partner. She found that sports bars would rarely play women's sports games at all, and if they did, the games would often be turned off when a men's game was playing. Back in 2022, she told Eater that the only way people would be able to watch a women's game is if they opened their own bar. So, she did just that, opening an all-ages restaurant and bar, featuring women-owned breweries and distilleries, and screens highlighting some of the world's best female athletes. The menu at the Portland location leans heavily on what they call 'scratch made' bar classics – with lots of vegan and vegetarian options – like chicken or cauliflower wings, the BRA-LT, which you can order with bacon or tempeh, and cocktails like the Title IX, made with bourbon, peach liqueur, and mint. 'The first four franchises of The Sports Bra will join our OG Portland location to become the 'Starting Five,'' Nguyen said in a statement. 'Together, we're serving fans nationwide who are hungry for spaces that not only champion women's sports, but create a community where everyone feels like they belong. There is no better moment than this to open these places.' Boston is a natural fit for these businesses: The city already has Drawdown Brewing, a Jamaica Plain brewery that prioritizes women's sports, plus college sports, soccer, and LGBTQ+ programming (check Instagram for their weekly viewing schedule). Boston will soon host National Women's Soccer League's Boston Legacy FC (set to begin play in the 2026 season), professional ice hockey team the Boston Fleet has been competing in the PWHL since 2023, and the Connecticut Sun WNBA team has been hosted at TD Garden. The ownership group for the Boston location is composed of eight Boston-area residents who are connected through their love of women's sports. 'We are a dynamic team of athletes, educators, leaders, planners, and fans — united by our love of women's sports and commitment to building an inclusive community,' the group said in a statement to Eater. 'We have spent years cultivating connections and building networks in the Boston women's sports scene, and most recently have been hosting watch parties at local bars and restaurants.' The group that will oversee the day-to-day operations of the Sports Bra Boston say they collectively have decades of experience in the hospitality and restaurant industries, and have hosted women's sports popups and watch parties in bars and venues in the Boston area for the past year. Betting on women's sports bars has proven to be a good move so far. Ngyunen shared with CNBC back in 2023 that the bar's Portland location pulled in nearly $1 million in revenue in its first eight months of business. Keep an eye on the group's Instagram page for upcoming information on the bar's launch in Boston. Sign up for our newsletter.
