Is Stage Door pregame good/fun?
- Thread starter Didley
- Start date
We go about 1/2 the time.
We are in our 70’s
My observation:
1) older crowd
2) Food OK
3) bar usually pretty busy
4) Fun? Well certainly not wild. We have a good time because we meet old friends there.
Depends what you are looking for.
Perhaps its changed, but I've never had to show any ID/donor level to go in.
As long as you're happy drinking domestic beer or standard 40% abv liquor its a good deal.
It's okay. Food is usually meh and maybe a touch spendy. The drinks are reasonable and that's the highlight as far as I'm concerned. It's a cool way to hang out and kill time before the games, but it isn't much more than that really.
If you want to drink a few beers in a warm place before the game i recommend it. It’s a short walk to the west end of Hilton
Now, parking early and the short walk are about the only positives with Stage Door. For the Iowa game, there was only one bar with one person handling orders and payments and the food was gone in 45 minutes with one other person handled those payments causing long lines for both drinks and food. The Athletics Department basically told me that’s the way it is because staff hiring is a problem.
I have never heard of Stage Door. Is this a basketball season ticket holder only kind of thing? What/where is it?
Stage Door is in Scheman Continuing Education Building. The higher levels of Cyclone Club contributors have access to this area two-hours before most men’s basketball games. Numerous big screen tv’s are set to basketball games of interest with a cash bar, and cash buffet meal.
It was one of the things that came to mind when the plans were dropped for the entrainment district between Hilton and JTS. Can demand be built for more pregame basketball socializing? A top-10 team and warm winter helps.
Stagedoor is nice for how small and convenient it is. Super easy. But Imo a good ISU team would draw a weekend pregame crowd. If real offerings/good restaurant bars, there were many weeknight games we would have gone before if a 7/8 tip, or after for the rare 6pm tip.
The only real positive to me is you can mingle before the game and likely run into people you know that you don't otherwise see on a regular basis. It's crowded, loud, lines are long, beverage choices are limited and moderately expensive. Also I have never understood why they don't check eligibility at the door. If you're going to have perks for certain donation levels, then monitor them so only those eligible and their guests are using them.
As a non-donor, I might have to check this out if they are not going to check you at the door.
I saw that too. While I wouldn't say Stage Door was amazing, I'm bummed it's not going to be there. It's at least a convenient spot to stop and have a beer before going in to the game. Also with two kids at ISU it's nice to stop after and have a beer and talk to them a bit while the parking lots clear out.
RIP Stage Door - the email didn't sound very encouraging of it coming back.
We loved it as it was a great place for us "poorer donors" to wait for traffic to clear out after the game and talk about the game with family and friends. It's gone downhill though over the last 2 or 3 years once ISU itself stopped managing the bar and such and contracted it out.
We loved it as it was a great place for us "poorer donors" to wait for traffic to clear out after the game and talk about the game with family and friends. It's gone downhill though over the last 2 or 3 years once ISU itself stopped managing the bar and such and contracted it out.
It was nice, food was average but reasonable, nice to sit and have some beers and wines with fellow Cyclones, but will not happen this year, Scheman renovation !
