I normally don’t like posting in bunches, but I saw the new rules for the Radio Show and had to blog my thoughts.
In case you haven’t heard, the motto for the Pens this season is “Fans First”. This means the Fans come first. The radio shows have always been a favorite for me. But, Lucky’s Sporthouse is coming up with these ridiculous rules to make it a more “favorable experience” for the fans. Here they are, direct from the WBS Penguins website:
- Seating during the Penguins Report Radio Show will be by reservation only.
- Fans may call Lucky’s from 2-4pm & 9-11pm Monday thru Wednesday to reserve a seat.
- Fans must speak to a manager when reserving their seats.
- Seating in the hi-top area will rotate on a weekly basis.
- Fans must show ID when arriving to claim reservations.
- There will be two seatings based on 7:00pm start time for the radio show: 1st seating will be 5:45 – 2nd seating will be 6:15
- Everyone in the party must make a dinner purchase.
- Discounts will not be given on happy hour pricing.
Are you kidding me? Reservation only? And you can only call during certain hours AND you can ONLY speak to a manager AND you have to buy dinner with NO discounts? What? OK, so I call Tuesday at 3:05 to talk to a manager. What if the manager is in the bathroom? I have a full time job, I can’t call back in 10 minutes because I have a conference call at 3:15. Are you REALLY going to make me call during a small window to speak to a manager? Really? What if I don’t drive and don’t have an ID card? I can’t go to the radio show apparently. Borderline discriminatory.
EVERYONE has to make a dinner purchase huh? What if I have 3 kids? Do I have to buy them a dinner? Really? Run us through the ringer of calling between a small window, then make me, my 74 year old Aunt Netta, and my 3 kids, all ages 5, 8 and 12 respectively buy dinner too? You should just charge all the fans $15 to get autographs and call it a day.
I am only assuming that if you don’t make reservations you can’t, at the end of the show, get a players autograph and picture. What if I get out of work at WalMart across the street nightly at 8 p.m. and can’t go to the radio show anyway? What if Chris Conner is my favorite player and he’s at the radio show? You’re saying because I didn’t make reservations for a radio show I couldn’t attend anyway because I need this job to put food on my table and pay my bills (and pay for tickets to WBS Penguins games) I can’t get him to sign my t-shirt? What?
Whoever at the the Pens front office OK’d these ridiculous rules was smoking something funny that day. This does not put, “Fans First” by any stretch of the imagination.
Lucky’s, you can have your Radio Show and all that goes with it. You are not going to charge me for listening on the radio, are you? You know what, don’t bother. I’m not going to waste my time even listening.
WBS News
Chirps from Center Ice 
That’s too bad. My experiences at Lucky’s have always been very positive – granted I’ve never been there during a radio show. I wonder how much influence the Pens had on this. My gut feeling says this is not all Lucky’s doing. But I could be wrong.
I vaguely remember seating times like the above when the show was at the AB&G. But I could be dreaming that up as well haha That was years ago.
Were there ever any problems before? It’s common sense someone should have to order something in order to take up tables (tables = money & at the end of the day it is a business. I would hope you’re allowed to get apps or whatever and not just dinner entrees).But the fact that there’s a bunch of silly little steps to get there seems a bit much. It is a turn off for sure.
Sorry, but I have to disagree with your post. And here’s why:
I habe chosen not to go to the radio show for the last few years. I, like you now, had a job at the time or maybe assorted school plans, and I could not get up there hours early like some fans would and reserve a table. Even if one got to Lucky’s or whatever at 6, all the tables would be taken and you would be out of luck if you couldn’t get there early enough to reserve one. Lucky’s taking reservations ensures that this won’t happen anymore, and I am thrilled with that.
Second, please tell me if you can think of any restaurant, affiliated with the Penguins or not, that would just allow you to come sit there and not purchase anything?
Third, and this is coming from my work experience in food service, there is a good reason why you can only call at a certain time. I have worked during both lunch and dinner rushes, and managers can easily get occupied at that time covering for any staff shortages and trying to keep everyone moving during a really busy time. The times you mentioned are generally slower times for restaurants…not saying always, but in most cases. That’s probably why they don’t want you calling at 12 or at 5 or whatever time is more convenient for you. If you still don’t buy this…then I think it’s safe to say you’ve never been to a place like Circles or Panera at around 12 when it is a total madhouse.
I do like your charging for autographs idea though. That would keep some of these insane people who show up with 400 things to sign in check a little bit.
I have showed up to past radio shows to just get autographs and then left once I had those, so I don’t think this will necessarily be discontinued.
And P.S. I don’t drive. I have a PA State ID that has my photo on it. I have presented it everytime an ID is requested and no one gives me a problem. My sister had one before she got her license as well.
OK I apologize this is so long, and I respect your opinions, but I just wanted to offer another POV.
I completely disagree with you Ali.
First, I always found a spot at the bar area every time I attended.
Second, you are kidding yourself that a restaurant, no matter where, is going to lose money so badly that it has to close in an hour if no one buys anything. This was never the case at Lucky’s, because I always saw someone with something (beer, food or otherwise) on their table.
The premise that you need to speak to a manager and a manager only to obtain reservations is ludicrous, regardless of the time. Why should I have to call for reservations at a restaurant that doesn’t take them? OK so you are saying that ONLY managers can take reservations means that the rest of the people are too inept to take down Donna from Wilkes-Barre’s name and number?
Charging for autographs at the minor league level will leave you at home on a Saturday night in a few years because the AHL team that used to be at the arena will have gone the way of the Quad City Flames, Lowell Devils and countless other AHL teams which have folded up shop and gone the way of the Dodo because they tried ridiculous things such as charging for autographs (or making reservations for a radio show)
You are dreaming if you think you will shirk this well thought out system of making reservations and buying dinner to get Brad Thiessen to sign your lineup card.
OK, you don’t drive. Cool that you have an ID card. Point I was trying to make was what if I don’t drive and don’t care to have the need for an ID card? If I have to present some form of ID I don’t have to attend a radio show about minor league hockey it’s discriminatory.
I appreciate your point of view, I really do. But I think that you are in the minority here. Please don’t let my disagreeing with you here deter you from visiting again.
Jason, not necessarily never going to come here again. But I think you took one of my points out of context. I never said that a restaurant would have to go out of business because people aren’t required to purchase anything at the radio show. I just said that it’s not necessarily common practice and I can’t think of anywhere that would allow that.
And I am pretty sure the Lowell Devils folded because they had pathetic attendance at the majority of their games (remember that one game we played there where they claimed 900 people were there…no way 900 people showed up, that arena looked pretty empty…I saw a high school hockey game that probably got more people, but I am getting off topic here.). If you have inside knowledge that indicates otherwise, I’m open to hearing it.
As far as the only managers taking reservations, it’s probably because that at some point, an employee would screw up and not get a reservation in the hands of a proper person. It happened to me once when I went to Arena Bar and Grill (it was not for a radio show, this was something else). We had made reservations but the restaurant had no record of them and since the restaurant was packed, they couldn’t even seat us. Some of the minions so to speak cannot be trusted. I’m not saying all of them are horrible employees, but there are some that would screw this up. Managers can do it right.
Finally…me? In the minority? Pfft. I am used to that. You should know that. I don’t let it bother me. I don’t think the saying about what opinions are like is appropriate for this blog, but you get my drift.
Thanks for the discussion.
Does anyone else find it intriguing that all these rules have surfaced for the radio show with the return of Tom Grace and his gigantic ego?
Look – I always thought the show drew well, but I never saw a line out the door or a lack of tables in the restaurant. Every person there for the radio show at least had a drink, if not food as well. Personally, I always felt the autograph line moved smoothly and rather swiftly even if there were a fan or two who had more than one item to get autographed.
There are just enough extra steps/planning now that has to go into place for attending the radio show, that I wouldn’t even bother now. What happens if I get out of work earlier than expected and want to swing by to grab a bite and catch the show? Well, I guess I’m sh*t out of luck because I didn’t know enough in advance to call in a reservation.
We’re a minor league team. Yes it’s pro hockey. Yes we are a passionate bunch, but give me a break. Pretty lame if you ask me.
Personally, I don’t like the rules.
With my job, having a Thursday night off is rare. But, if there was one player I knew was going to be there, or I had the night off, yes, I would stop and grab a bite and listen to the show.
Now, I guess I’m not coming at all. Because my work schedule is so erratic, like many in the retail business, I don’t know my day to day operations(I do, but daily it can be changed with a phone call). But now I have to know ahead of time if I want to go or not…and I have to make reservations? What a complete turn off.
I guess I could just wait for the Season Ticket Holder party.
You have 3 days between the hours of 2-4pm and 9-11pm to make the call. If you’re that busy that you or someone else can’t find time to make the call in that time frame, you are too busy to attend the radio show as well.
Every person should have some form of government ID issued. If you don’t drive you should have (or get) a state issued photo ID instead of a drivers license. You can probably also also use credit cards, student ID’s, etc. If you have no identification then you probably shouldn’t be attending the radio show to begin with. It is 2010, ID’s are required for a lot of things. Nothing discriminatory about it. Is it discriminatory to ask for your passport when you enter and exit the country? Or how about to serve you an alcoholic beverage?
As stated, it’s a business. Luckys have the shows there to make money, not for fans to come in and sit at all tables and take up what would be paying customers seats whilst it costs Luckys to run the place. There are plenty of other player appearances to attend if you want an autograph and if you don’t just listen to the show on the radio, otherwise don’t bother, there are 10 other fans that are waiting to take your place.
If you have 3 kids and you can’t afford to buy them dinner once in a while, again, you shouldn’t be attending the radio shows or going to Pens games for that matter.
Joe, for me personally it is not about calling to make reservations. If I wanted to go bad enough I would make the reservations every week and be done with it.
It’s about having to make reservations to start with. It’s 1) A restaurant that doesn’t require reservations, 2) A minor league hockey team and 3) A minor league hockey team which hasn’t won a thing since it existed championship wise. I could see this working in Hershey, given who they are and what they’ve accomplished, but not here.
As far as IDs are concerned, I agree with you. 9 out 10 people have them. It’s just that small percentile who don’t (for whatever reason) which would / could feel left out.
Again, as I have stated, for the most part everyone I saw at the radio show last year had some form of beverage and foodstuffs in front of them. The premise of it being a requirement screams “selfish” to me. Also, I hardly think Lucky’s would go out of business if for one hour no one bought anything.
And who is Lucky’s, the Penguins or anyone else for that matter to dictate that if I can’t afford a meal out every once in a while that I am excluded? Has anyone ever heard of a budget?
my thoughts are the same as yours jason.we were told the radio show would be better this year.is that what they think is better?i agree with anonymous that if you werent planning on going but you got out of work early or something came up and you could go at last minute.it sucks you just cant go and get something to eat and enjoy the show.
Jason, I told you that it would be different this year, I just didnt know how ridiculous it would end up being. I guess the manager couldnt change the location of the players and the announcer to the back room like she wanted to, so she did this. I think it should be on a first come, first served basis as it was in the past. As long as the people would purchase food, I dont understand what their complaint is. Because of their new rules, I think that attendance may be down a bit. I have gone into Lucky’s on numerous occasions outside of the radio show and for the staff to say they are losing money is pretty bad because that place is never very crowded on days outside of a major sporting event.