GREEN BAY – It’s kickoff time for the Green Bay area’s first football-themed bar.
Casuals opens this Saturday at 1238 Main St. along with the European leagues. Joe Phillips, co-owner of the bar, said there will be a soft opening for family and friends on Saturday, starting at 6:30 a.m. with the first Premier League game of the day, Ipswich Town vs. Liverpool.
“Of course, everyone is welcome,” he said. “But we want to have some time to try things out and see what works and what doesn’t.”
Phillips said there will be a Weasel Mini Donuts food truck in the parking lot and the bar will serve beer and wine. The liquor license is still pending city approval, he said.
“I’m going to fill our cooler with hamburgers and hot dogs and grill them,” he said. “I’ll give them away for free.”
He said there will also be a small pizza oven so people can bring their own until they can get the kitchen up and running.
How are games broadcast to the pub?
There is a projector in the pub with two rows of stadium seats arranged to watch the main game. During big games, when there are no games on at the same time, all the screens will be synchronised. If there are games on at the same time and someone wants to watch a different league, they will be able to do so on a different screen.
“We will also have an AudioFetch app that will allow people to get the audio of the game on their phone,” Phillips said.
This means people can see and hear the game of their choice even if the main sound in the bar comes from the projector.
“We have these little cards with a QR code,” he said. “People can log into our Wi-Fi and select the screen they want to hear.”
There are 12 TVs, including the projector, and Phillips said they show all soccer leagues and major tournaments, including the MLS, Serie A, Bundesliga, Spain’s La Liga, Liga MX (Mexico), Argentina and Brazil. They will also host TV nights for local soccer teams like Green Bay Glory, both men’s and women’s. He promised the bar will show a game when it’s available in the United States.
The total capacity of the pub is 99 people, but there is also an outside area where a few picnic tables are set up with additional TVs.
Phillips said the bar is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays unless there is a major game or tournament going on. On Wednesdays and Thursdays, the bar is open from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays from noon to 10 p.m., and Sundays from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
“We will post the games and times on our social media sites,” he said.
For more information, visit greenbaycasuals.com or follow their Facebook and Instagram pages.
Ariel Perez is a business reporter for the Green Bay Press-Gazette. Reach him at [email protected] or check out his Twitter profile at @Ariel_Perez85.
