Who Dethroned Twin Peaks as San Angelo's Number One Bar?

For the first time in months, a homegrown drinking establishment has taken the top slot in alcohol sales citywide, beating out corporate placeholder Twin Peaks for the bragging rights of becoming San Angelo’s number one bar.

Coming in at just over $134,000 for the month of December, Shenanigans Sports Bar has climbed steadily since opening in 2007, and with the addition of food and catering, the owners hope to remain on top.

Derrick Hoffman, who opened the bar with his wife, said the secret to their success has been getting to know their customers and constantly coming up with new ideas to get people in the doors.

“A lot of hands-on approach [has contributed to our success],” Hoffman said. “Not just opening up a bar and thinking that people are going to come and buy beer just because it’s for sale. [We’re] always trying to be innovative.”

Comedy nights, live bands and midget wrestling are just some of the ideas the two have come up with in recent months, while the inclusion of lunch specials has broadened their audience to those who may not otherwise come in to drink, like teachers.

“There’s really not another place in San Angelo like it,” Hoffman said. “I know there’s Buffalo Wild Wings and Twin Peaks, but I think we just have a unique aspect because Wild Wings doesn’t have live music and neither does Twin Peaks. We have bigger than anyone else in town screens and we offer food and there’s not a lot of bars in town that offer food…we have everything from prime rib to chips and queso.”

Both Hoffman and his wife had backgrounds in gastronomy prior to opening Shenanigans, and a lot has changed since they opened their doors eight years ago, he said. A growing customer base, a growing staff and a lot of hard work have contributed to their success, and both are proud to be on top.

“Me and my wife went into it having really just basic knowledge of what we were doing and to see it grow from $19,000 in sales all the way up to $134,000 in sales—we put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into this place, a lot of worry, a lot of fight to stay competitive with everybody,” he said. “Just to see where it’s at now, I think it’s just a proud moment to be where we are today.”

Below are the top 25 San Angelo bars for December, ranked according to their sales. Some reported late, meaning their numbers are from a previous month. 

*Note: Desiree's Gentlemen's Club was not included on the report provided by the state comptroller, and therefore was not included in the table below. They have since provided LIVE! with their numbers, which place them at spot #10, between Fast Eddie's and Fat Boss's. The tax receipts for December equal $4,777.16, and gross sales were $57,905.00.

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