State Street Brats is back on the list as one of the top 10 college sports bars in the U.S., according to a Playboy ranking released Thursday.
State Street Brats, known to many simply as Brats, found itself located near the top of the list for the second time in five years.
To those who run Brats, the rankings are more than just an ego booster.
“We made the list a few years ago,” Brats manager Matt Goetsch said. “It affects a lot of our business from out of town; those people are really the ones that are the most aware of it and curious to check it out.”
The list contains a number of sports bars from across the country, and the information the rankings were based on came directly from the patrons.
“A lot of [the list] was based on reputation,” said Abi O’Donnell, a publisher from the Chicago branch of Playboy. “One of our contributors pulled the list, so he’s really the one actually … talking to people — both kids on campus and people who have frequented the bar in the past.”
According to Goetsch, the recipe to a great sports bar is simple. He said the physical layout of the building — in particular the placement and number of televisions — is unlike any other bar in Madison.
Goetsch, however, is also quick to acknowledge the other, and perhaps even more valuable factor, that helped earn Brats a top spot.
“One of the things that really works in our favor is that the Badgers have such a following of fanatical fans,” Goetsch said. “We have a place that fills up every week with people, alumni and students who are really going to be fans for life.”
A virtual sea of red and white, Playboy remarks that Brats “looks more like an Elmo convention than bar.” When asked why the fans flock to Brats instead of another campus-area bar, Goetsch said Brats offers a combination of good food and superior television viewing experience.
“There’s really no comparison to the times when sports games are on, and I think that’s where we really take on our competition and win,” Goetsch said. “When it comes to how many people can view a game on an excellent-quality TV and get some food, this is the place to be.”
He added Brats plans on celebrating the ranking in the coming months, as it did before, with specials and framed lists adorning its walls.
The list itself can be viewed on Playboy’s website, and Goetsch encouraged everyone to come out and join in on the celebration. As for newcomers, he is confident the experience will be well worth it, all rankings aside.
“I think locally we are definitely No. 1,” Goetsch said. “Whenever I get a chance to put us up against another sports bar in the area, our setup is so conducive and our patrons so intense, I’ll take on anybody, any day.”
