For an in-the-know group of New York bar-goers, Tuesday night means “Flip Night.” The place is Flight 151 in the Chelsea neighborhood, and the promotion is one that has kept loyal patrons returning for drinks since 1992.
“Every Tuesday night between 7 p.m. and 1 a.m., each time a customer orders a house-brand drink or draft beer, the bartenders flip a coin,” explains owner Roy Savelli. “If the customer calls it correctly the drink is free.”
On average, most customers drink for half price on Tuesdays, but it’s the game that keeps the crowd entertained and coming back each week.
Radio ads, table tents, fliers and even social networking options such as MySpace and Facebook have been marketing tools for Flight 151 — “We have done all of the above,” Savelli says — but Flip Night has its own power. Savelli says it’s more of an institution, with patrons spreading the word to friends.
“We do trivia night on Thursdays, a bingo shot night on Wednesdays and a Margarita Madness night on Mondays,” he says. “We have been considering changing some of the specials around, but for now we will stay the course.” There are, of course, no plans in the works to change Flip Night.
“Our biggest challenge is to get people to come in when it’s not a Flip Night,” Savelli quips.