EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Meet The General Manager at Brand New American Sports Bar, Route 66 Swindon

To celebrate the GRAND Launch of the all-new American-themed sports bar in Old Town, Swindon, we caught up with the General Manager, Dan, to find out a little bit more about the brand new venue!

1. Explain to us what Route 66 will offer the people of Swindon...

Route 66 is going to offer the ultimate sport experience here in Swindon, with up to 41 TV screens! We can show anywhere from five different sporting events throughout any day of the week, from football to NFL, to ice hockey to basketball, tennis, F1, wrestling, and more. We will have 18 draft products on tap including Budweiser, all the way through to specialist drafts like Spaten Hells, Leffe Blonde and more so we have a lot to offer.

2. How will Route 66 change Swindon's nightlife game?

Swindon doesn't really have a dedicated sports bar, it has clubs and bars and pubs that show the sports but we're solely dedicated to the sports and then delivering a high standard of food and drinks. As I've said before, we've got multiple screens, one of them being a massive screen in the centre of the room so it will definitely bring something new to Swindon.

3. What can customers expect from the food and drink menu?

People can expect anything from burgers to wings, hot dogs and more, it's an all-American menu. We've been working on it a lot and testing non-stop, getting the kitchen and service ready. The menu will start fairly small and then build up from there so we don't overload people. We'll start off with the basic wings, burgers, it will be like American fine dining but in a sports area.

4. Tell us how Route 66 will transform into a late night bar...

We have two settings within the club, so the first one being the bar and restaurant setting. This is all controlled by lighting, sound and TVs, as well as special effects where we can control the mood, from anywhere from a bar to a restaurant to a nice chill out area. Then, at 10pm, they press a button and the club switches into club mode where the lights change, the pillars and strips change, and the promotions on the screens will change.

We will have some sport showing throughout the club but obviously no sound on them because the DJs will step in and then we'll be doing anything from Pop to American Classics, American Rock, 80s/90s mostly and we'll have DJs every single day with live bands also coming in once a month. We also have a very exciting feature going in when a team scores a goal which people will be able to see when they come and have a look!

5. Will you be holding any special events or themed nights?

We will be running special events and themed nights, we are going to start off quite small as we don't want to overload people so we're going to do little bits at a time, we're going to start off with our own version of bingo, making it sporty and super fun, giving away fun prizes and more. With special events, we can do beer pong tournaments, sporting personality appearances, from famous boxers to footballers, as well as karaoke nights and then we'll be building it from there.

Route 66 in Swindon opens on Saturday 24th February from 2pm, so get the date in your diaries and make sure you don't miss the grand opening! You can find out more about Route 66 here.