Students bar-hopping on Thursday nights this semester can do so without emptying their wallets on cover charges.
The Geaux Band is a $10 wristband that allows entrance into Mike’s Daiquiris and Grill, JL’s Place and Reggie’s Bar.
History junior Jesse Lyman began selling the Geaux Band last semester on Wednesday nights due to his frustration of spending too much money trying to visit multiple bars in the same night.
“It’s a bar-hopping wristband for Tigerland. The whole premise is to save students money because the cover charges were getting too expensive,” he said.
Lyman acknowledged the Geaux Band Wednesday edition wasn’t popular last semester and decided to sell the Geaux Band on Thursday nights instead, in hopes of turning more profit. His first try this semester was not successful, but he’s hoping his second try will be.
Darren Adams, owner of Mike’s, JL’s and Reggie’s, allowed Lyman to experiment with the Geaux Band last semester and agreed it wasn’t as successful as he thought it would be the first time.
“It didn’t hurt business, it just didn’t do real well,” Adams said. “A lot of people didn’t do it. There wasn’t a need for it.”
Adams said he doesn’t know what to expect when Lyman sells the Geaux Band tonight, and he said Lyman’s success will depend on how well he marketed the band.
Lyman has paired up with Rotolo’s Pizzeria to sponsor the Geaux Band in order to spark business.
“People like to go there before they go to bars,” Lyman said. “It will bring in customers to you because they’ll have an extra incentive.”
Rotolo’s customers wearing the Geaux Band on the nights it is sold will be given discounts like $5 each for “Sweep the Floor” Cheese Stix, 8-inch pizzas and “Sweep the Floor” calzones, according to general manager Tim Thrower.
“[Lyman] didn’t ask for any compensation,” Thrower said. “[The Geaux Band is] just a way to expand [Lyman’s] adventure to get more people involved in the whole process.”
Lyman said he hopes to gain more supporters and sponsors in the Baton Rouge area and to expand the Geaux Band to other college campuses, like West Virginia University, where many of his hometown friends go to school.
Lyman said there are numerous bars near West Virginia University similar to Tigerland.
“That’s what the Geaux Band is looking to expand to,” he said.
Students can purchase the Geaux Band tonight at the median in Tigerland for $10 from 9:30 p.m. until the bars begin to close.
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Contact Danielle Kelley at [email protected]
Geaux Band promises savings at Tigerland bars, Rotolo’s
February 22, 2012