Sneakerz Sports Bar & Grill Review

Location: 4104 San Mateo Blvd NE, Albuquerque, NM 87110 505-837-1708

Hours:  Mon-Wed 3pm-2am

Thurs-Sat 11am-2am

Sunday 11am-12am

Website: www.sneakerzsportsbar.com

Sneakerz is a sports bar located in Albuquerque just off of San Mateo and Montgomery. Most people drive-by and miss it due to the building being set back away from the street. Depending on the time of day and/or day of the week the parking lot may be so full that you have to park at one of the neighboring businesses. When you walk up you will see a sand volleyball court surrounded by a mesh net, loud music playing and lots of people dressed for the beach are hanging out and having a cold beer.

Once you walk into the rundown building, you get a whiff of damp and musty wood and a reeking of old beer. It is a hodge-podge of collected items from the scuba diver hanging from the ceiling to the marlin to the Lobo's memorabilia. The tables are worn down, the floor is warped, and there are graffiti-ed dollar bills hung around the bar top. When you take a walk around you will find it is much bigger than it appears from the outside. At any time you could encounter the floor set up with a ping pong table, dance floor, large 6 foot folding tables for additional seating, dart boards, video games, a live band, arm wrestling tables, pool tables, karaoke or a Pay-Per-View UFC fight. Sneakerz’ has a plethora of things for you to do and enjoy and the flexibility to accommodate almost any request. An anonymous Google user states “This is my favorite place to have a large variety of good beers, great food (the full court calzones are amazing), and having fun not only watching sports but playing them too.”  You will be engulfed by a wall of televisions. There are three large projectors strategically surrounded by other extremely large televisions, so that during football season you won’t miss a game. 

Sneakerz’ menu has a wide variety of items from traditional fried bar appetizers, a small new Mexican food section, pizza and calzones (I believe to be their best items), kid’s food,  and even breakfast that can be ordered at any time. They fall short in the availability of some items.  This seems to be a sporadic occurrence as it is never the same item or product. They offer a vast selection of drinks; draft and bottled beers, liquor, mixed drinks and non-alcoholic beverages.

   

On my most recent visit I went to play some pick up volleyball on a Sunday afternoon. We were greeted by one bartender, we made our way out back where they have additional outdoor seating and volleyball courts.  Due to the number of staff working at the time we had to go back into the bar to order our drinks and food. We ordered Sprites, Bluemoon and Jaeger bomb. All our drinks came in plastic cups much like you would find at your own barbeque. We started with some chips and salsa but were informed after returning to our table that they were out of salsa (they make their own) and we offered queso dip, which is usually more, but were not charged a difference. For our meal we ordered 2 kids corn dogs and a mini calzone. The kids corn dogs came with tortilla chips and a pickle and were served in a red basket. The mini calzone which is a 10” pizza dough shaped to fill with whatever topping you like. We decided on a favorite of ours; ham, pineapple with both marinara and ricotta. It was cooked to perfection, crisp on the outside, still slightly doughy, and everything inside melted beautifully together. It took about 20 minutes from the time we ordered to taking my first bite. It was large enough for 2 people to eat and be comfortably full with left overs! We ordered ours to go but were still brought plates and silverware to eat with.  Our ticket was about $35.00 and we spent four hours there.

We enjoyed our meal between playing games of volleyball with other customers who were also enjoying a very hot and gorgeous Sunday. With only one staff member to help all areas of this large bar, we did have to go in every time to place an order. Another staff member, a waitress appeared about 4 or 430. By that time we had a decent tab going and we were not willing to start or transfer as we would be leaving in an hour.  The waitress was there but did not seem ready to wait on tables. On many occasions I have had this experience and not even been greeted by a waitress. It is very disappointing as I come to a restaurant to be waited on.  S.G. agreed with me on his Yelp review: “The service here is some of the worst I have seen. We waited at a table for 30 minutes to get served. We then gave up and went to the bar. That took ten minutes” (Yelp)  I feel the wait staff has a hard time being encouraged to be there and give good service as Sneakerz is first a bar and then a restaurant.  Due to that they do not get a “dinner rush” like most chain restaurants.  As an ex server/bartender I can understand being discouraged when you are slow but that is the exact opposite  attitude you need to portray when you are slow, you should be doing everything to wow the customer you do have!

   

© Cassandra Hidalgo

Sneakerz has an appeal that most chain/corporate restaurant do not. It is not a place you go to eat and leave. It is a place you can come and stay for a while and never feel like you have been there too long! You can find patrons of all ranges and walks of life. They come to be a part of a league weather that is volleyball, pool, or darts. Many folks bring their children making it family friendly until 10pm. A reviewer on Citysearch commented “Sneakers is a very satisfying atmosphere to be in. All types of people go there as well as families. There are fun and games for all ages as well as laughs for everyone.” (momo3712)

Overall Sneakerz is an okay establishment. Do not go in expecting 5 star dining and a building to match. Sneakerz is an old bar in an even older building that needs to be updated. The biggest complaint of the surveys that I took was a bathroom upgrade (Corona; Shomin).  They need to become more social media friendly and get a user friendly website that is kept current weekly, daily would be even better. However,  if you want to go where the staff will know your name (like Cheers) and make friends that will last for years, this is a place to try. You will find an unusual appeal in Sneakers Sports Bar & Grill if you give it a try, probably a couple of tries. It takes years and years for a piece of coal to become a diamond and I think Sneakerz can make that happen with a fresh approach to a classic place.

Sources:

"Sneakerz Sports Bar (sneakerzsportsbar.com)." Sneakerz Sports Bar (sneakerzsportsbar.com). Web. 30 June 2015. <http://www.sneakerzsportsbar.com/>. 

"Google." Google. Web. 30 June 2015. <https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&rlz=1C1CHKZ_enUS434US435&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=sneakerz albuquerque&lrd=0x872274deef95879f:0x10cf4aea6a442bbb,1>.

"Sneakerz - Business Parkway/Academy Acres - Albuquerque, NM." Yelp. Web. 26 June 2015. <http://www.yelp.com/biz/sneakerz-albuquerque>.

"Sneakerz Sports Bar Albuquerque." Citysearch. Web. 26 June 2015. <http://www.citysearch.com/profile/6941899/albuquerque_nm/sneakerz_sports_bar.html>.

Corona, Jessica. Personal interview. 29 Jun. 2015

Shomin, Tanya. Personal interview. 29 Jun. 2015

Check out this analysis on my blog! http://cassandrabuchanan.blogspot.com/2015/06/sneakerz-sports-bar-grill-review.html

Old Spice Rhetorical Analysis

YouTube Video

Old Spice is a men’s personal care brand that has been around for more than 70 years in America.  Old Spice was originally called Early American Old Spice for women and marketed to men a year later as Old Spice for men. It was developed in the colonial era and the creator, William Lightfoot Schultz was “interested in maintaining a colonial framework” (Procter & Gamble) and used the influence of colonial sailing ships and a nautical theme.

Proctor & Gamble states that “Old Spice is the authority on male grooming experience” (Procter & Gamble). They market a wide variety of products to men including anti-perspirants, deodorants, body sprays and after shaves.  This commercial effectively shows how marketing is expanding to a younger audience especially in this case of the young male with credibility (ethos), emotions (pathos) and logic (logos). 

We will begin with Old Spice’s ability to use their reputation to introduce the product. They have a well-known and long standing history with men’s grooming products. Many young men can recall the distinct smell of the Old Spice after shaves as their grandfather or father may have worn it. This equates to the character of the product as these elders are respected by youth.  They also have a distinguishable chime in the form of what they call the “classic whistle” (OldSpice); it is easy to relate that sound with the memory of Old Spice as it adds to the recognition of the brand. 

The most prominent use of persuasion is the use of pathos; it is evident throughout the 1 minute commercial from the tone of the music, the lyrics, the scenes, and the underlying humor. The advertiser is trying to convince teenage boys that by using this Refresh Body Spray they will become men and inherit the perks that come with that status. Also, that they will appeal to the opposite sex more. The image of pretty girls doesn’t hurt to grasp the attention of the intended consumer, young men. 

The music starts with a piano playing a moderate tempo that intrigues the watcher as to what this could be about.  The music brings about emotions of wonder and suspense.  This entices the audience to continue watching and see what this product is all about.  The music stays the same through the segment as it does not distract from the lyrics or scenes.  

The images start showing a young man getting dressed but not before using his body spray. As he leaves his room his mother is hiding behind his door and the scene plays out. He is walking with a pretty girl, he is happy and having a good time; yet he is unaware his mother is following him.  As different scenes appear they all have the same theme; a young man with a pretty girl in a dating situation, with them unknowingly having mom watching them. These moms appear in obvious and obscure places, only adding to the nontraditional humor. These scenes illustrate the emotions they are trying to have the audience, young teenage men, feel; confidence, enjoyment, fun, love, lust, and the allure of becoming “men”.  It shows that by buying this product you will go on dates, hold hands, and kiss girls. However, the advertiser is also projecting expressions of humiliation, embarrassment, and fear as the son’s are being followed by their mothers.  A teen does not want to think his mom is stalking him on a date as Cantor describes it as“…metaphorically spy in the most frightening (albeit creative) ways possible.” (Cantor)

The next use of emotion presented is in the lyrics of the song.  The writer of this jingle must have meant it to appeal primarily to the person who buys toiletries for the family, in this case the mom’s of the household. However, it brings about fear of loss, sadness, and jealousy as their son’s are distracted by teenage girls. Old spice may not have thought this one through as it does not support good reasons for mother’s to purchase this as they will help their son’s become men. This could be a further example of the humor that as parents we are proud of them growing up but also dread the feeling of losing our baby. If you take the time to really listen or read the lyrics of the song sung by the mothers it plays on the emotions described early. Furthermore, it appeals to the son’s excitement in the line “Old Spice (Old Spice) sprayed a man out of my son, now he’s kissing all the women and his chores aren’t done”. They think hey, these things could happen.

 Old Spice Mom Song Lyrics

Oh I didn’t see it coming

But it came in a can

Now my sweet son’s sprayed into a man

Mine too and hey we know just who to blame

When our sons have fun with women and misbehave

Old Spice (Old Spice) sprayed a man out of my son

Now he’s kissing all the women and his chores aren’t done

He was just my little sweetie tiny fingers, hands and feeties

Now he’s touching, kissing, feeling all the women because

Old Spice Re-fresh sprayed a man of my son

Now he smells like a man

And they treat him like one.

Finally this advertisement slightly touches on the use of logos. It is logical for a male teen becoming a man to be concerned about body odor. This ad also points to the belief that if you use this body spray then you will get the attention of girls. The grooming product itself appeals to reasoning as it is practiced that young men need to use odor products as they go through puberty, why not Old Spice items.

The commercial closes out with the well-known Old Spice sound pulling back to their reputation and reminds the viewer of the brand Old Spice. Advertising is to bring attention to one’s product and entice the purchase or continued use.  Does Old Spice get a younger generation interested in their new product, Refresh Body Spray? Yes, I think so. The ad is relatable and funny. I think it also re-creates an appeal to men of all ages as it speaks to older men’s memories and younger men’s dreams of the future.

 Sources

"New Old Spice TV Ad 2014 - Mom Song 60." YouTube. Web. 12 June 2015. .

"Procter & Gamble." About Old Spice. Web. 11 June 2015. .

"OldSpice." Old Spice. Web. 11 June 2015. .

Cantor, Brian. "Old Spice Debuts Creepy "Mom Song" Commercial; Lyrics and Video." Headline Planet. 5 Jan. 2014. Web. 11 June 2015. .