Stories like this should be so commonplace that a write-up in the local press wouldn’t be so newsworthy. Savvy restaurant owners like Peter Hart win in many ways.

Not only does he garner free public relations, but gets the desired tickets. And everyone involved in such trades talk to others, bringing additional, valuable word of mouth referrals.
The Gloucester Daily Times reported that for the last year and a half, Sugar Magnolias owner Peter Hart has allowed customers to pay for their meals with something other than cash or a credit card.

Hart’s preferred form of payment: Red Sox or Patriots tickets.

“Heck, let’s bring back bartering,” said Hart, a die-hard Sox and Pats fan. “Probably in a year and a half, I’ve gone to about a dozen (Sox) games.”

Hart’s “bartering” began when he wrote on a large blackboard, hung on the restaurant’s wall: “Will trade food for Sox/Pats tickets.” Since that day, the sign has received a lot of attention.

“It’s like the first thing people notice,” Hart said. “They point at it, laugh, take pictures of it.”

Customers have even asked Hart to pose in front of the sign while they take a quick snapshot.

“It’s really taken off,” Hart said.

Hart trades gift certificates to the restaurant, which serves breakfast and lunch, for customers’ sacred Sox tickets. He finds that the tickets come from “repeat people.” In other words, the same people keep trading with him.

“It’s the value of the ticket for the gift certificates,” Hart said. “So it works out pretty cool.”

He usually receives two to four tickets per barter; Sox tickets range in value from $20 to $312 per ticket. But Hart won’t put the full value of the tickets on one gift card. Rather, he splits the value of the tickets between several gift cards. But it all depends on what the customer wants.

“I break it up,” Hart said. “It gives people the option to give them out as presents.”

Although he’s been successful in acquiring Sox tickets, Pats tickets, worth $59 to $125 each, have been harder to come by.

“I’ve only gotten Sox tickets, I haven’t gotten any Pats tickets,” he said.

The lack of Pats tickets doesn’t bother him, since he’s scored some pretty sweet seats at Fenway.

“I’ve gotten seats right behind home plate - a few rows up,” Hart said.

His favorite seats so far have been on the first-base side, on the pavilion level. The pavilion seats are great because a waitress serves ticket-holders at their seats, and they have access to the Pavilion Club, he said.

Last year, Hart “got more feedback” or tickets, however, this year has been “slow.”

“I’ve only been to a couple games this year so far,” Hart said.

Hart said he has taken his wife, Melissa, to the games he has attended.

“It’s great,” she said of the trades and the sign. “It’s gotten a lot of attention, and people love it.”

How long will the sign stay up?

“Forever - for as long as Sugar Mags is still open,” Peter said. “It’s good. I like making people happy with food, so it works out well.”

Hart’s offering to barter shows he’s willing to entertain other barter offers, he’s creative, different than most of his peers. And the tickets he doesn’t use can be great perks for his employees, or used as business gifts.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 11th, 2007 at 8:58 am and is filed under Entrepreneurs & Small Business. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.