If you plan on dining at the Salty Iguana on a Monday night, don’t plan on parking close to the front door where signs reserve spots for coach Bill Self and his radio crew. Hawk Talk radio, great Mexican food, flat screen televisions and increased exposure have helped Salty Iguana general manager LeAnn Erock reach her restaurants goals. The Salty Iguana became host to the radio show in November at the start of basketball season and has been gaining popularity since.
“We did something I have never seen done before. We added TV’s to show a live video feed of coach Self during the radio show. There is not one spot in the restaurant that it can not be seen,” Erock said.
The video feed is also shown live at the two other Salty Iguana locations in Prairie Village, Kan. and Independence, Mo. University of Kansas Men’s Basketball coach, Bill Self, broadcasts his show live weekly from inside the restaurant. Learn more about
The biggest advantage Erock says, is the exposure which has increased her weekly numbers over the last three months. The Salty Iguana in Lawrence is the only restaurant of the three Salty Iguana’s in the area to report a noticeable increase in business. Bar tender, Courtney McDonough in Prairie Village said she has seen no change in the number of people there on the night the radio show airs live in the restaurant.
One couple has been commuting from Kansas City to Lawrence for the show for ten years.
“We drove here tonight in the rain. It took us an hour to get here from work,” Shelly Harshaw, Kansas City resident said. The couple has been coming to the show since coach Roy Williams was the host. They feel the drive is worth it to see coach Self in person. Harshaw said the new location for this season has been enjoyable.
Salty Iguana has made changes during the last three months to make the Hawk Talk a success according to Erock. Changes include adjusting the amount of staff to accommodate the larger crowd of customers, as well as creating a space where people can get things signed and talk to coach Self while he is off air.
“My friends and I did not know the Salty Iguana existed until we heard about it over the radio. We went one week to check out the show and really liked the food so we have been going back. We started going to watch the games as well. I suppose it is an added bonus that some of the money we spend there goes to a good cause,” Ryan Henrich, Overland Park junior said.
The restaurant has joined with coach Self’s foundation to help improve the community for local youth. According to the official ASSIST Foundation Web site on each day of a KU men’s home basketball game, the Salty Iguana restaurant group will donate five percent of sales from the Lawrence venue to ASSIST.
Erock says it has been a pleasure having coach Self in the house every week and the show is benefiting her business more than she had anticipated. The next Hawk Talk show will air live next Monday from the Salty Iguana located at Sixth and Wakarusa streets.