The Trivia Night Checklist

One week out

• Lock the format: rounds, questions per round, team size limit (cap at 6 — bigger teams order less per person)
• Write or source 30–40 questions plus a numeric tiebreaker
• Pick the prize (see prizes that protect your margin)
• Post the night on social + your Google Business Profile; tell servers to mention it
• Schedule your best bartender — trivia crowds order in waves

Day of

• Test the mic and speakers from the back of the room
• Print answer sheets and set out pens (or use phones/tablets if your system scores automatically)
• Reserve tables for teams of 4–6; singles and pairs get a "free agents" table
• Brief the kitchen: push shareables and pitchers, the trivia crowd's natural order
• Queue a music playlist for between rounds

The host script (run of show)

1. 7:00 — Welcome (5 min). Explain the rules once, plug the prize, name the rounds. Keep it under two minutes of talking.
2. 7:05 — Round 1 (easy). Read each question twice. 60–90 seconds per answer. Collect sheets at round end.
3. Between rounds. Read answers with one fun fact each, post scores, call a drink special. This is your biggest order window — don't rush it.
4. Rounds 2–4. Ramp difficulty. Insert one audio or picture round to change the energy.
5. Final round. Offer a wager option on the last question — teams love the drama.
6. Scores + prize (5 min). Announce the podium, hand out the prize, and say next week's theme out loud — that one sentence is your best retention tool.

After last call

• Note attendance and sales vs. a normal night — that delta is your trivia ROI (estimate it here)
• Post the winning team's photo (with permission) — free promotion that recruits rival teams
• Bank unused questions for next week