How the Pacers and Caitlin Clark Boosted One Bar’s Bottom Line

INDIANAPOLIS — When John Haliburton, the father of Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton, was banned from attending the team’s playoff games in person, he had to find a new place to support his son.

The older Haliburton, who missed eight games after an altercation with Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo in the first round, chose Tom’s Watch Bar, which sits about two blocks from Gainbridge Fieldhouse, home of the Pacers and Fever, and Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the Colts.

“I was not sure what to expect initially, but I think he was here six times, five times,” Damien Kostick, the store’s operating manager, tells Front Office Sports.

It was a small gesture to serve the Haliburton family because the bar, which only opened its Indianapolis location in December, has benefited significantly from the team’s surprise run to the NBA Finals.

Tom’s Watch Bar sales double whenever there’s a Pacers game. During the playoff run, whether it’s a home or away game, the bar’s sales are four to five times more than on a regular day. They could not expect just how massive of an impact Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers, who had an 85-to-1 shot to win the NBA championship on DraftKings before the playoffs, would have on their business this early.

“Did we know the Pacers were going to make the playoffs and go this far? Absolutely not,” Kostick says.

Co-CEO Brooks Schaden tells FOS that it’s difficult to forecast sales during the playoff season due to volatility. The bar has 16 locations nationwide, and Schaden said forecasting during the playoffs goes both ways—gains from locations where teams make surprise runs or dips in cities with teams that are prematurely eliminated.

But Schaden admits there’s a bias for the success of Indiana, given it’s a new location, because of the value of early “exposure.” 

“The sales from these games are great. But what’s really more exciting is more people get to come out and see us,” Schaden says.

Schaden knows a championship will bring even more eyeballs and visitors to his restaurant because of the parade that would be held in downtown Indianapolis. It’s why he isn’t afraid to admit his bias.

“We do care who wins, and definitely rooting for the Pacers. It’s funny; we always say we want seven games, but then I get nervous that if it goes seven, they may not win. So if they can win in six, that’s fine,” he says.

Caitlin Clark Effect

While the bar only opened late last year in Indiana, the process of expansion had been going on for some time—even before the 2024 WNBA draft. The Fever would select Caitlin Clark with the No. 1 pick, and Schaden says her presence has boosted their business, not just in Indiana but also around the country.

“This last budget season, we were putting in the number of WNBA games because it is having a real impact that we have to forecast for it,” Schaden says.