“This is not a bar,” said Paul Moler, co-owner of The Ticket Sports Grill. “It’s a sports restaurant. I realized that there is no place that was sports-related that catered to families.”
The Ticket, which had a soft opening March 5, does offer the traditional smoky sports bar atmosphere found elsewhere in town. However, there is a separate non-smoking section with its own ventilation system where families can enjoy sports on big-screen televisions and play pool or Xbox video games at no charge.
And if the big screens aren’t enough to satisfy the sports-starved fan, the restaurant also features 17 high-definition screens.
“The first weekend we were opened, the bar area had some real energy to it,” he said. “But on the restaurant side, the kids were playing pool while mom and dad had pizza and margaritas. It was a completely different feel.”
New Braunfels residents Jerry and Laura Kersey tried The Ticket for the first time Thursday. They watched ESPN on a big screen while polishing off soup and sandwiches.
Laura Kersey said the couple will be sure to return with their teenage son. Though the family likes watching sports, the Kerseys haven’t ventured to sports bars since their son came along.
“He loves sports and this is the kind of place we’d feel comfortable taking him to,” she said. “I really like the family atmosphere.”
Jerry Kersey, a former restaurateur, said he also was impressed by the establishment’s split between sports bar and family restaurant.
Moler, who owns the establishment with best friend and business partner Sam Panchevere, is no stranger to the restaurant business. Both have worked in and opened a number of successful restaurants — Moler owns Adobe Verde in Gruene and Panchevere owns Sam’s Burger Joint in San Antonio.
The Ticket’s original menu ranges from enormous “Monster” cheeseburgers to Thai pasta, soups and salads. There is also a children’s menu for finicky eaters including familiar fare such as peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and chicken noodle soup.
“Don’t come here expecting bar snacks,” Moler said. “This is a restaurant, and the food here rocks.”
