There will definitely be a big winner in Thursday’s much-anticipated presidential debate, no matter how Joe Biden and Donald Trump do.
The bar near you.
Bars and clubs all over the country are getting ready for big crowds, and some are even offering specials and cocktails that are related to the debate.
Soho Cigar Bar, a popular downtown New York City spot, has a cigar and cocktail combo with a Biden theme called “The Gentleman” and a Trump theme called “Last Call.”
People who go to the craft beer bar Old Town Pour House in Chicago will be able to get Biden and Trump masks.
People who are interested in politics love the Union Pub in Washington, D.C., and they’ve made a drinking game out of the debate. “Drink every time a candidate gets mute,” is an example of what to do. If they keep ranting, drink again.
People who own it say it’s all about having fun. Getting customers is also important, as is keeping them there and getting them to order more.
Lee Ringelheim, owner of the Soho Cigar Bar, said, “We’re going to be close to full, even though it’s our slow season.”
Ringelheim also said that his bar doesn’t usually have a TV on loud, but for special events, he does. He has also noticed that people have started gathering at his business for almost any political event, like how people might do so for the Super Bowl or a World Series game.
In fact, politics may be more interesting than sports at places in Washington, D.C. Sam Sanchez, spokesman for Union Pub, says that the trend began to grow during the 2016 Republican debates, which is when Trump first became a national political contender.
Sanchez said, “There was a line out the door.”
Not just debates are interesting. For Biden’s State of the Union address earlier this year, Sanchez said that Union Pub was packed.
It might be a good thing that bars have become the place to be for political discussions. Noah Rothbaum, a veteran journalist who covers the bar and cocktail scene, said that Americans “have traditionally debated politics over drinks.” He also said that even the Founding Fathers were known to get into heated arguments at the local tavern.
Rothbaum did say, though, that bars will look for any reason to let people in. He also said that things are like that on weeknights when business is slow.
Rothbaum said that the presidential debate should really happen on a Monday, when bars are the least busy, because Thursdays aren’t as slow as the first few days of the week.
He said, “That would have been better.”
