Sports bar scores with high-tech matrix of TVs

Diners and athletics enthusiasts don't have to wait to be seated to watch a game at Third Base restaurant and sports bar.

Two of the restaurant's 46 LED high-definition TVs are built into the floor of the waiting area at the restaurant and sports bar, located at 13301 Research Blvd. in the Anderson Arbor Shopping Center.

"Technology, I think, is one of the things that really sets us apart from the other sports bars," co-owner Brendan Puthoff said. "We focus a lot on audio quality. We saw some sports bars that we admired that were downtown and wanted to do something [just] as well on the technology front and also deliver on the comfortable, laid-back [atmosphere]."

The restaurant's TVs are on a matrix technology system, which allows employees to change the channel of each individual TV to increase the number of sports games patrons can watch.

Owners Puthoff, Bill Hogan and Michael "Stix" Tashnick each have more than 14 years of experience in the restaurant industry and opened Third Base Northwest in July 2013. The three restaurateurs, Hogan said, wanted to fill the missing gap in high-end sports bars and created the concept for Third Base in 2007 when they opened the first location in Central Austin.

The business recently closed that location but still operates locations in Round Rock and South Austin. For Sunday football patrons can use a map that indicates what games are playing on individual TVs throughout the restaurant.

Ample planning is necessary for weekend sporting events, and the owners said they try to predict the size of crowds. The Third Base team analyzes how well sports teams are performing to decide how much staff, food and drinks to stock.

"There is a camaraderie watching a sporting event at a sports bar that you just can't get [at home]," Puthoff said.

Third Base, 13301 N. U.S 183, Bldg. E, 512-257-2273, www.thirdbaseaustin.com. Hours: 11 a.m.–2 a.m. daily, Twitter: @thirdbasesports