We’ve been doing Purple Live shows with Chris Richards for nearly two decades at Greenmount Station in Hampstead, right next to the Greenmount Bowl in Carroll County. They share a parking lot and now a great story about their OTB and BetParx partnership with mobile sports wagering.
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
bowling alley, otb, years, bowling, week, friends, place, hampstead, crab cake, gave, community, chris, parks, maryland, people, night, business, part, john, horse racing industry
SPEAKERS
David Richardson, Chris Richards, Nestor Aparicio
Nestor Aparicio 00:00
Welcome back, WN st Towson, Baltimore and Baltimore positive. We are positively up in Carroll County. We’re in Hampstead. I said Hamden before I I’m confused. I’ll be in Hampton. At some point. I’ll be getting some broccoli to pour. But instead I’m up here eatin bookmaker sandwiches. It was Fernanda read a bookmaker sandwich still today. Greenmount station. Oh, he’s doing good. We’re here with Maryland lottery. I’m giving these away to everybody available here. Michelle will have brought me that bookmaker sandwich. I gotta give her number 20 for Frank Robinson, we’re giving these away will be a Pappas, later in the month on the 29th Stewart, Pittman and rural county executive also our friends at Windsor nation, 866 90 nation. Now I’ll put the floppy hat on. But Dave likes to hair out. Chris took one look at me. So Chris lost some weight a couple years ago, and it took me a little while to like, use look different, right? You got your glasses, and I lost weight at one point. And then my hair exploded during a COVID. So it’s now three and a half years that I’ve had like hair, like real three years have had hair but three and a half years have been growing. And I let it out. You took one look at me like you’re just like, it’s so weird for you.
Chris Richards 01:04
Right? It is. Yeah. So you let your hair down. Every once
Nestor Aparicio 01:08
in a while I run into somebody that I’m not on social media with like, I went to dinner with a friend who’s not a social media person in Houston. Back in February before Bruce Springsteen concert, I was down there for show. And he had seen me, but we tax and whatever. But he’s not on LinkedIn. He’s not on Twitter. He’s not he’s not a fan. We’re just friends in the real world, you know? And I met him at the restaurant he like literally didn’t recognize me, like kind of freaked out a little bit because it had been a couple of years. So how are things here? You guys are doing things mobile crabcakes above and beyond that bookmaker sandwich was just delicious. Dude. I gotta tell you that
Chris Richards 01:46
Yeah, we like doing that every once in a while is special. So guys in the kitchen like to make something different every now and then.
Nestor Aparicio 01:52
Well, Chris has been on the show a million times. He has been my friend for 20 years. Greenmount station is here at the edge. Not the edge anymore. There’s build everywhere around here but Hampstead next to the green mount bowl. You guys are sort of intertwined in this project. And the weird thing is you’re from Dundalk. I’m from Dundalk. You probably you’ve been to Dundalk in your life.
Chris Richards 02:13
Never come on. Come on Chris.
Nestor Aparicio 02:18
What you find guys like you and me sound from Colgate tell them where you’re from?
David Richardson 02:23
Bear Creek gray Haven road right Haven
Nestor Aparicio 02:24
road. Gray
Chris Richards 02:25
man right here, man. I’m right here in Caracas.
Nestor Aparicio 02:29
So what I would say to you and this is the truth, man. I’ve been all 32 years I’ve done radio is my 25th anniversary because of people like Chris helping us stay in business in our spa, Raskin globe, everybody that so we did all of that last week. I kicked it off at Costas on Thursday because my mother’s favorite restaurant they’ve been with me 20 years it just felt like the right place to set up everything I bought all my old T shirts and hats and gave everything away books all that and then on Friday went to truck city so when I say drug city to you you’re like yeah man videos thought videos there when you’re you grew up walking distance from there. Everybody had done thought knows this but when I say like Captain Harvey’s or squires when I bring people to cost us they’re like, we’ve never been over here Mike, and I think that my stuff is the center of the universe done. Right? Should be Yep. But you gotta go to Dundalk. Nobody stops in it Dundalk. We talked about this a Costas last week where like, it’s a destined Thunderhawks a destination. It’s like it’s like an island in the Caribbean. You have to go there you don’t go through there. So people don’t
David Richardson 03:36
I’ve got a fun story about drug city. Okay, I don’t know how old I was. But how old you are the middle of winter and 48 turn 48 Next week Lujan me okay, I said young I was young. I was at East Point Mall. This is after they had the penguin spa where they had the big fan remember they had the big fountains and big tree fountains well I fell in fell in middle of winter middle I was trying to put a bin was always member coins in the fountain but I remember my mother had to go to drug city afterwards I fell into this dam that was soaking wet it’s 10 degrees outside my mother said absolutely not you’re walking in here you’re staying out there in the cold I froze my answer and I was walking through drugs city for for at least a half an hour she’ll bring any lay would not bring would get no reprieve from me at all at all.
Nestor Aparicio 04:27
So drunk City was the place where in the 70s that they had the wrestling magazines first. They also had this thing Daddy woods. Baseball Coach who’s who slur? No, no, no, no, no. We don’t get those magazines on. Not that. The wrestling magazine, wrestling magazines, baseball cards, candy. They had this thing called the fountain that they’ve resurrected. That is now a literal five at dawn. They make the episode a jerk. They make sodas but really big boy whistle. When I see people drunk City talking about a titter they laugh about drunk city or whatever. But they see what you say which is Dundalk ever been there. And I’m like how could you have never been the Dundalk and I’m thinking the only thing you can come to Dundalk for would be pizza crabs or like a girlfriend or to buy cars. I know. Steak. I don’t know. Go
David Richardson 05:13
go bowling. Bowling and that’s about it right. I mean, what do you go to Dundalk for now? You guys get them out there.
Nestor Aparicio 05:22
Chris who’s been the proprietor female station where did you get Greenmount station? When did this start? We
Chris Richards 05:27
opened it 9095 95
Nestor Aparicio 05:30
Right? It was a pizza shop at that point, maybe the one
Chris Richards 05:33
the one unit that we originated in was a pizza and this
Nestor Aparicio 05:36
was like five units right at that time maybe even more than it was for four units. Right? So you have this dream you come out here you meet wacky me probably. Oh 40506 Somewhere in there. That’s 20 years ago now that you gave me the crab ball down on the club level at the Boys and Girls Clubs. Paula Bragg was a part of that. And I’ve been coming up here ever since doing shows. And then the bowling alleys always been there. And I guess I’ve been in the parking lot doing the show here for a lot longer than you own the bowling alley. Right? Because like the bowling alley is like 17 for you. I was doing shows here from like probably oh six to 18 or 19. The last show I ever did was in 19 with with Sam Koch. But the plague you know I’m not out and about as much are you none of us were but like how did you meet? Did were you? Did you come into this as a Dundalk. I tried to buy a bowl.
David Richardson 06:32
Yeah. I mean I live right down the road. I was on the town council here in May. I love this community. I’ve been here. I played little league baseball. You know, after we moved from Dundalk, we moved up here actually graduated from Westminster High School. Okay, so you left on the left. To move out did we moved out here my father worked at Bethlem steel and he would commute to Bethlehem Steel here from here. He did. So I kind of you know, after we left on doc, we came up here. So I was a bowler. I was a bowler and my kid. Look, I grew up in the bowling alley at East Point, you know, East Point lanes, and then from here when it opened in the mid 80s. So I met so many friends and so many people. It’s just part of who we are doc pin bowling. Well my kids started to get into and I love coaching and things like that. So
Nestor Aparicio 07:14
you’re living at this point when you come
David Richardson 07:17
in the advertising. I just started an advertising business and I kind of morphed into horse racing. Well, you own a bowling alley, but that was I’ll tell you a story. I’ll tell you a story. So I walked out and when when we came out here and I was I met so many friends in that bowling alley. But I would I’m a marketing guy and I always looked we couldn’t walk you know there were things that sometimes you wish you didn’t even have a TV in there to watch the Orioles and it was a bowling center was an old bowling center, you know that you think and I always thought that there was things that we could do to grow this and it was it was a neat place. Parking lot. So I said to the lady that owned and I said look, this is a part of who we are. I said never sell this place to be a car dealership or anything like that. I said if you ever get to the point where you can’t do this anymore, pick up the phone and call me. And I was at Gulfstream Park 2015 16 remodel I was at that was a Gulfstream in the paddock. I’ll never forget it right by the fountain the Gulfstream Park Austrian parks a place
Chris Richards 08:11
and I’ve been there. Oh,
Nestor Aparicio 08:13
it’s Vegas dropped down in the in the plantation, Florida. Yes.
David Richardson 08:18
So I got a phone call. And there was a lady there in the Boneyard. And she said I remember you told me years ago, you know, the if I ever wanted to sell this place or ever wanted to move forward, you know, to call you and I said great. You know, I’d love to figure out a way to do it. And so I brought my accountant in and we started crunching numbers and
Nestor Aparicio 08:34
I said bowling alleys a little bit. You know, they just from being in
David Richardson 08:38
business. I know how to build a brace. And so I brought my accountant in and he took a look at things. And I see why people don’t buy bowling, right. You know, I mean, this is a as Chris knows, this is an expensive piece of property here and the plunk a bowling alley on it. And you have to be able to generate enough revenue to pay a mortgage on a big piece of property on a main road. And the numbers just didn’t work. I can’t make this work. They’re harder to sell bowling. Bowling for $10. Again, people aren’t going to pay that. So I started thinking we were just opening the OTB Timonium from the empty ha You know, we were working on that we were working on Boonsboro I started thinking I said, you know,
Nestor Aparicio 09:20
this is Nick’s right? antimonium Yes, yeah, this was before as
David Richardson 09:23
well before next. This is when it first started we were doing we had a big community thought that there was going to be nothing but prostitution and crime. And we had a big hearing and it’s turned out to be a great place. It really has I can make jokes about that. But no, we from the horse racing industry. We’re opening otbs around. I’m just getting out. So I was laying in bed one night and said, Okay, how can I make this bowling alley work? And I said, Okay, why don’t we put an OTB in there. So during the day, they can bet on horses at night. They can bowl with it, you can generate some more revenue, you can pay a mortgage, and I got one the one In the computer and there was one OTB bowling alley in the whole country, and it was in Santa Clarita, California. And I said to my wife, I said, You know what, let’s go check it out. So literally, we got on a plane that weekend. It was Breeders Cup weekend. We got on a plane combination bowling alley horse TV, OTB. So we flew out there and it was Breeders Cup weekend is a good word. That’s a good word. And it was packed. It was packed. Nobody was bowling, but it was the OTB was packed. And I just, I mean, literally flew across the country just walked into this place, sight unseen. And we said as the owner here, and so we talked to the guy and he said, Hey, I wish I would have done this OTB idea. 20 years ago, I said he said it really helps generate business. And, you know, I can say they bet during the day and they they bought at night and they said to tell us. Yeah. So I said, Okay, that works. Let me figure out a way. So I came in here and we started up south Sinatra came with me. We came up here. We started scoping it out. It just didn’t work. It didn’t work in that bowling alley. I would have had to knock out duck pin lanes to put an OTB and I wasn’t doing that. I mean if I’m buying a place to save a duck pin bowling alley that’s not I’m not moving the duck I said I can’t do
Nestor Aparicio 11:10
like you more now and I wasn’t ripped down pattern wasn’t gonna do it points like not functioning. My son still lives. You know my son lives 50 feet from the East Berlin Yeah, yeah, I mean it’s where I grew up my house my parents grew up in and I mean if I want to go roll duck pins I don’t
David Richardson 11:25
know I’m gonna place Penland was gone. They just brought it back. So
Nestor Aparicio 11:30
forever. We did. Back in our we’ve been 25 years. We’re celebrating by the way our 25th anniversary. One thing I’m going to be celebrating a Christmas might speak to you 25 stories of glory for my company for wn St. So we’re talking three the birds, we’re talking about the New Orleans, March that we did all of these incredible events. We could be allotted a lot of events up here with you as well. But you know, like for me all these years later and you think about like duck pin bowling and I spent a little while for me every year from 90. Steve Hennessy came in 96 years before we even had the station was the first year we did it. Danny Wiseman came every year. Right? And here, we pin land we did. We did it in late March. It was always the weekend. It was it was early March, the weekend of the ACC tournament, because we didn’t want to do it when March Madness was going on. And we didn’t really want to do it February because it snow. So it was like alright, let’s pick a weekend and we did it on that Thursday or Friday night. Every single year. squires brought Pizza Steve Nutrena was there I had in Finland. I mean, Michael Jackson from the Ravens Derek Alexander Eric desirable with us of all these old pictures. Jermaine Lewis and pictures of him there Marvin Lewis capable with us, Nikolai Volkoff. Came out sees that good with the Iron Sheik. No, no, not bringing our sheep with him. Let’s not embellish the story. It’s good enough the way it is shown. Nikolai Volkoff came out and they didn’t have shoe for probably at So Steve’s like, it’s big Live Oak on a roll, whatever. And he had these big hunters boots. I have it. I have it all on video. John Buren made it leak John beer, John. John Van Buren. John did the show me last year. He’s a horror. He loves the show. Yeah, he does. Yeah. So John came out and did league night. It was probably 98 or 99. I think it was the radio station era. Like we were open by then. And you know, the Tuesday night, late night the John didn’t show 13 Nikolai Volkoff is bowling. You roll a strike on late the league night. I mean, we’re going back 22 minutes, 2425 years now. And we did this bowling thing every single year. That was it. Because it’s it’s Baltimore. Right? Like it was done. And I feel like a lot of these things are passing us by Well, I was I like you.
David Richardson 13:54
I’m not I look, it’s a part of who we are. It’s part of who we
Nestor Aparicio 13:58
are. And by would it be a bowling alley right now?
David Richardson 14:01
Or be a car dealer
Chris Richards 14:02
it would be something else it’d
David Richardson 14:03
be so what we did I mean, I passion play. So we so I wanted to do that my kid was really into bowling and you know, he wasn’t in anything else. So I wanted to save that place but I was not knocking up duck in lanes to do it. Alright, so we’re here. No, no, well, yeah, you come over every now and then. But I didn’t know Chris from Adam. But as I pulled out, I was all too jacked it up. So I thought I thought I was gonna have to let this opportunity pass but I couldn’t quite make it a big couldn’t make the numbers work. But I was pulling out here and I looked over and Chris had a bunch of empty suites. Here are the bank, the bank it was all bank that Chris when Chris bought this whole building, he couldn’t rent it out because he didn’t have adequate parking here. And he and the lady that owned the bowling alley, they didn’t see eye to eye on the parking situation. She wouldn’t let his customers park in the bowling alley. I remember. And I never under
Nestor Aparicio 14:53
member this or if idli never He would always say to me don’t park at the bowling alley. How many The times that come out of your mouth.
Chris Richards 15:01
And then how about bringing the guys, some of your guests, the players, we used to bring them through the kitchen because they’d parked behind the building. We’d have them double parked back there, and they’d come into the kitchen. They always came
David Richardson 15:12
in she wouldn’t let people park on a boat that boat and I didn’t understand there were signs all over the place as we were elite bowler we used to have to put a placard on our car that say elite bowler because if you didn’t have a placard, she told you and because if you didn’t have a placard you were one of his
Nestor Aparicio 15:27
famous for telling people.
Chris Richards 15:29
Hey, the first person she towed was you. Police Chief. It was great. He he’s in here and he asked us are they tone tonight? We said yeah, no sooner did he turn around. It was on the roll back and out. He calls up the the tow truck come what are they? You know, it’s cheap. Bring my car back. Yes, sir. is great. So
David Richardson 15:51
that’s why I’m so yeah, that empty spot. I knew there was a parking lot. It was you know, it was a cold war here between the two. And I didn’t know what from Adam. I really didn’t. So I walked over a peered into the window. I said, What the hell is this in here, you know, and I looked in it was a bank, I saw a vault. And so I just walked through the door and I said, can I talk to the owner and Chris comes walking out. And I said, you know, I know you don’t know me, but you know, kind of considering doing something with a bowling alley. I have this idea with an OTB and the Boolean was functional musical people. Okay. And so I had this idea with the OTB. And I said, Look, I can’t make it work over there. I mean, would you have any interest in you know, partnering, and I think with him, it was like, somebody’s got a solution to my parking for I said, Look, so we started talking about it. And I told him, I said, Look, I’ve got some crazy friends in New Jersey that swear to god that we can, they’re going to legalize sports betting. And I said, if we have an OTB, who knows, we can do a sports book I said, but that’s a pipe dream. But you know, it may work, you know, so we worked with South Sinatra at Maryland Jockey Club, and we kind of pieced it together. And it it and I it gave me the courage to have another revenue source to put towards a really hefty mortgage over there. And it’s worked. And we’ve rebuilt that place from the ground up and turn that from an old stinky boy. I mean, that’s a modern nightclub. And y’all just wait, did
Nestor Aparicio 17:15
it get modern, I mean, how’s it been?
David Richardson 17:16
What I did, look, I’ve got a job. I view that businesses, we’re doing that for the community. That’s not That’s not I don’t look at it as a business for me. So every dollar that that bowling alley makes we roll back into it. So and we had some, I mean, as we started marketing it and doing some fun things, it’s just grown and grown and grown. So that money just keeps on going back in I keep reinvesting in the in the bowling and we’ve rebuilt it from the ground up.
Nestor Aparicio 17:42
I don’t live here, right, you guys are up here. And I always keep Chris about Christmas time to come up with lights, whatever, I take the back roads now that I live in the Towson area. So I don’t really come up from Clinton, you know, I don’t come up that way, the Reisterstown way as much anymore. So I, you know, I don’t for a community of this size. And I would say you’re isolated, but you’re a little isolated. I mean, you’re a little away from that you want to stay here, you stay here. I don’t know how many places there already go. And we talked about high schools closing that you’ve had all of that we’ve done whole segments on that we’re gonna do a thing for North Carroll A little later on in this program today about what they’re doing in the fall. But a place for people to gather that’s, that’s kind of important. And it
David Richardson 18:23
is it really, you know, in a day and age where everybody’s on their phone or on their computer, and we kind of lost that personal community touch and you know, I mean, that’s what I’ve used at bowling alley, I’d say it’s a community center. It’s where people come together. And, you know,
Nestor Aparicio 18:38
I’m gonna bring him back up here. Every match,
David Richardson 18:40
we saved. And it’s been phenomenal. But Chris and I become really good friends. You know, we love doing business together. We’re having fun with as Chris is as much of a community guys it comes. So he believes in the vision. And then we like I said, as he sits
Nestor Aparicio 18:53
in front of the North Carroll wall and all of these community plaques, but this is between COVID and this coming online and today’s sort of momentous, right because like the bricks and mortar part of, of the sports wagering side was completely five minutes long, right. Like, like that part of it as the central part. And John Martin told me all along, he’s like, we believe it’ll be 85% in the you know, and it started out at 90 Yeah, one point here this year for people using their phones to wager and I think now that we’ve seen baseball catch on again. And I think the last year I was here with you guys saying, who would bet on baseball this year that culture has changed for and how you bet on baseball, because it’s not taking a starting pitcher, it’s betting pitches by exotics, and just all of these things that you’re aware of now that you see people sit here and do that they’re doing at home that you wanted to do with your pleasure. Yeah,
Chris Richards 19:50
it’s all over the TV every every inning when it comes back on, you’re seeing all the updated props for who’s gonna get a hit or who’s gonna get a home run or over unders, all that kind
Nestor Aparicio 19:59
of stuff. It’s a little bit for them on whether it’s a ball or a strike or who’s you know what I mean, for the officials for whatever dirty stuff that’s going to happen with players, but the NFL there, they’re all going to be they’re all going to have a problem with this policing it. There’s going to be scandal that a piece this week on the Black Sox Scandal, trying to understand a guy wrote a book, like a big book on it. You check that out of Baltimore positive is trying to understand like, how did that happen? While the players weren’t making any money in the organized crime gaming, so like, organized crime has been on sports for 100 years? The one thing I say is I promote the lottery talk to John Martin is the state’s taking part in this? It’s very much on the up and up, right. It’s, it’s on the up and up. And that part of it, there’s a safety mechanism for everybody involved in that, that you’re gonna bet on football? Let’s at least tax it, put it on the board. You know, I mean, I don’t know what else to say. So am I involved in it? I don’t, not as a sports fan, because it’s going to change everything about the way we talk about it. Right? And the way people used to yell at guys at Greenmount station, you’re on my fantasy team. You didn’t score you catching balls last week or whatever. I think it’s a whole different thing when you know, it’s a different game, but you guys are not new to it. But new to this mobile side of it. Did you understand the mobile side was going to be 85 90% of what this was?
Chris Richards 21:32
If I didn’t I do now because after we’ve been open since the end of October, and it’s just not what we thought it was going to be on the retail side. I mean, we’ve gotten a lot of regulars but I really thought that we’d be able to build a bigger retail and we’re still working on it but uh, I think it the mobile is huge. I don’t think that you can, can make this work as a sportsbook operator without the mobile. That’s just my opinion.
David Richardson 21:55
And we launched that weekend mobile went live for FanDuel DraftKings that’s kind of kind of hurt us a little bit and most of our customers that we were going to capture went straight to the phone. And so that’s what we’re launching tomorrow. Let
Nestor Aparicio 22:08
me say this before I let you guys get your launch thing. You know, I do business with Hollywood casino and barstool and they are having like a thing with ESPN. Right so and I’m gonna be up there. We’re doing the crabcake tour. I’m gonna be with them all my birthday. Actually, when the ravens are over in Tennessee, we’re having breakfast with them up there. This is also new for the every operator. But all due respect to Hollywood all due respect to every name you just gave the DraftKings and FanDuel all of these things Maryland Live and MGM I’ve already plugged that Bruno Mars plays that these are all these giant operations that went in the business. And then I’m sitting with to do you guys in the country, you’re a great story, aside from this is what I do when I know you both and there’s all this ancillary history and bowling and all this crap. But like, I say to you guys, go find the other am radio station owner who has been doing this 25 years successfully and pays his bills, owning an am radio station in a top 25 market.
Chris Richards 23:11
Or not that I’m the only one that’s doing that. And
David Richardson 23:14
we can sympathize with you.
Nestor Aparicio 23:15
So you guys being the only two dudes who said we’re going to have the same license, really the same license that MGM has in Hollywood, all these other places, and make it work out of this community out of a legacy sports restaurant and, and delicious crab cakes at the edge of Hampstead that you’re the only guys that have that have done this. So there’s a part for me that like, I’m fascinated because the amount of work and consulting and all of that stuff that these guys came off the boat from Vegas, and just plop down. And they’ve done it missus they’ve done it everywhere. You guys are an amazing story. I just want you to say appreciate it. I mean,
David Richardson 23:58
I mean, it was a crazy idea that, you know, we didn’t think we’d pull off but we wanted to try it. And
Nestor Aparicio 24:03
we told the bed and I’m like, You’re what, what does that. But when we
David Richardson 24:09
had our doubts if we’d make it here, you know, we haven’t we plan to launch tomorrow or mobile app. But would that mean for you? Because you’re in business with that part? It is? Yes. They’re our partner. They do all the risk management. They do all the back end stuff. So obviously, guy that runs a bowling alley and the guy that runs the restaurant can’t do that. They do all the backend stuff. They do all the technology part. But yeah, no, I mean, it’s it’s on par with DraftKings. FanDuel I kind of like it better. Honestly. I think it’s a smoother experience. And it’s, it’s to local guys. It’s not you’re not giving your your money to a to a multibillion dollar corporation. That’s really not really invested in the community. I mean, look around here. I mean, look how many sports teams he’s sponsored. And you know, we’re a part of we’re part of this community. You know,
Nestor Aparicio 24:54
for me, I’ve had really special access to the Maryland lottery, my partnership with John Moore. I have John on all the time. And one of the things that this thing began like three years ago with John with the crabcake tour and my hair was grown, we’re coming out of COVID. And I’m trying to go all over the state and promote crabs and oysters and people and stories and move my brand away from kissing the ass of athletes and the people who represent them. Free Kevin Brown free Kevin Brown. And the thing was rolling out and I’ve known John for a period of time, going back to my wife had cancer 10 years ago. And he’s like, we’re, you know, all of this sports wagering like it’s important for John fields to be in front of it, but for the credibility of all the put to say, how does it How does the sports book pop up in cream outstation, in Hampstead? What does What does, who’s making the rules and all that, but talking to him every week about all of the guardrails that we’re getting set up by suar. And they’ve been in here, they were in here yesterday today, to get you open, that all of these fringe operators, the bingo world was trying to do it for a period of time, that that it was just going to be a lot easier for the alphabet soups to just plop down because they’ve done it, and that there would be a lag time that was going to take you guys a little while longer and cost you market share. And that in the beginning, they were fighting in Annapolis, we’re gonna have 100 licenses, a million licenses, 5 million. Now you’re gonna have maybe eight to 12 to 15 operators that can stay in business, like video stores, right? I mean, like, there can only be so many in a community, you know, how many crabcakes you sir, but for you guys to do this and to be on the front end, give everybody in our audience, because I’m interested in hearing just the barriers to be two guys to do this. And the stick through it this that you did because and that same thing with cannabis for anybody that was a regular guy 10 years ago, to go into that marketplace. There’s a place for saturation now and but these new industries this is this is a high risk of you know, and an interesting play on something that was taboo. That involves licensing that I’m sure he didn’t even know you were getting.
David Richardson 27:05
We’ve learned so much over the past two years during this process, but we couldn’t have done it without a great partner in parks, parks casino in Philadelphia, Dr. X car X. They’re actually they were friends of mine from the horse racing industry. You know, we Philadelphia Park. I mean, Philadelphia Park was their first parks casino actually came. I don’t know how many years ago but came within Philadelphia Park. So I had the relationship with the people up there, I kind of posed this crazy idea and said, hey, you know, we’ve got a bowling alley and got a restaurant here we got an OTB we’d make a perfect venture into the Maryland market because they kind of want it to spread around. They’re in Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania. And we’re the fifth state. We’re the fifth state. We’re the fifth state. So they wanted to branch out outside of Pennsylvania. And I said, guys, this is a great opportunity. We’ve got through the horse racing industry, we’ve got a lot of experience. In the General Assembly, we got a lot of friends, we got a lot of contacts. So we kind of, you know, kind of use that as a leverage. And you know, it just it just worked. It was a good, good relationship. So it got parks into this market. We have a lot of expertise in Maryland. We’re Maryland guys. And it just worked. It worked perfectly. So got it got parks into here and it just Yeah, I mean, it came together and you know, it took us a little bit longer than we thought, you know, we thought we would get retail open probably as soon as we could, but to the challenges because we were not a casino we’re a we’re a you know, a restaurant in Hampstead so we don’t have the floor space to hit all the regulations and everything that they’ve wanted. So we kind of had to and we’re lucky the lottery has been phenomenal working with us. And you know we’ve we’ve kind of changed some I get
Nestor Aparicio 28:46
the vibe with the lottery people was that this thing rolled out they wanted it to be uber Uber fare for every Christian day as it was for anybody else. And they were really really important.
David Richardson 28:56
They really helped with that they really because we could not do some of the regulations. So that’s what took us a little bit longer to get our retail book open. So that put us a little bit behind. And then same sort of thing. I guess with mobile it took us a little bit longer we weren’t we don’t have a multibillion dollar bankroll as FanDuel does. I mean we’re scraping
Nestor Aparicio 29:13
does this change so you guys are gonna have an app now we
David Richardson 29:16
have an app. Okay, bet parks MD is the mat app right now it’s it’s pretty much the same app that’s in other four other states that allows you everything that FanDuel has everything Dr. King has it’s the same the same same experience and like I said we think it’s even a better experience because it’s tailored towards the Baltimore market
Nestor Aparicio 29:36
with early offers that I mean yes there’s there’s
David Richardson 29:39
futures on ravens there’s you know, exotic betting on the Orioles and it’s tailored to the Baltimore market. So we’re going to have a lot of promotions and specials coming up that’s tailored from you know, something that that we would use right you know, not something that some guy sitting in you know, a high rise in New York City things out these guys in Maryland my like, I mean, we’re from Maryland and it will be We kind of know what’s, you know what our guys like. So it’s going to be tailored to the, you know, the Baltimore, Maryland sports fan. And, you know, we hope it gives a little bit better experience in some of these other big guys.
Nestor Aparicio 30:11
So, so crabcakes you’re right, Chris, you got it. Right. That’s the stage. Give me this, like all of this and different people coming in here. I sense of vibrancy here after the COVID I mean, hirings always an issue IT staffing like all of these issues that were problems were coming out of this a little bit. I mean, the one thing I talked a lot about last week on the 25th anniversary shows just kids going back to schools, we said when you talked to Johnny oh, about the Baltimore County, I’m like, kids go back to school, his teacher Jamba Bill Ferguson on next week, we’re gonna be down in Mako talking to people about kids going back to school and just getting some sense of normalcy. And that makes your business more normal makes everything more normal
Chris Richards 30:49
mythos. And for the first time since before the pandemic, we have probably more people coming through the door to fill in applications and then you know, then it has since before the pandemic so that makes it feel more normal in itself that you’re not really you know, out there begging for somebody to come work for you plus, you take care of the people that have been with you and we’ve got we’ve got a really solid core of of great employees here that uh, you know, forget about the food sometimes a lot of times people are coming here just for the for the service and to see the people that they’ve known over the years that they see the
Nestor Aparicio 31:22
same. I mean, that’s a real tribute to you and the kind of place you are and the kind of institution this has become. And the bowling alley, what are we? So I let I’m just gonna put my hair back up at Christmas like No, no, no, let your hair out. And I look up here in the sign you got like an 80s
David Richardson 31:37
hair been nights coming? Yeah, there been a typical week for the summertime. Normally, historically, summertime has been a slow period of time. But we figured we try some themes. It’s just fun. It’s fun for me to do these promotions and it’s a scent like I said, it’s a community over there. So we started we started with like a beach party night. We did pajama night one week. We did and we can come and teach a yoga class. Give it a try. We’ll try anything, anything to work. join up. Let’s
Nestor Aparicio 32:04
play some music. Love it, but we’re doing do Tom Petty yoga.
David Richardson 32:08
Last week we did this. So check out our Facebook page, you’ll see all the pictures and we had people coming in leisure shoots with all the shirt open and the hair out and the chains we gave you $5 off if you dress the theme last week, we did disco night. We did a Taylor Swift night as I was talking about earlier, that was absolutely a huge hit. We had we were overflowing with people and on our video board that’s bigger than the Ravens at the bigger than the video wad. Raven stadium that we’ve got at the bowling alley and we put videos up and you know we did a real cool 80s montage with television commercials and news events. It was it gave me goosebumps to sit and watch it during 80s Night and everybody came in their 80s garb and came into Rubik’s cubes and next week like I said next week we do Michael Jackson night so we’re gonna have a big Michael Jackson, you know, wall to wall I like by now and we’re always looking for creative ideas. And
Nestor Aparicio 33:03
tonight is September 23. I can see the sun saying September 23 Sarabande. You got it. I’ll bring the hair to be there. You
David Richardson 33:09
got the hair. Well,
Nestor Aparicio 33:10
that’s a big week. Now I kicked the 25th anniversary off last week it cost this my dear friend John Allen did an hour with me. You could find that out of Baltimore positive and that we’ve run into this week. He’s put Child’s Play back together. They are opening for kicks on the kicks finale. And that’s the 17th of September. That’s it Merriweather. So I almost went to Europe in September I was going I’m not i i have to be here for the kicks. The kicks for now am I have let my hair grow for that. I live saw that. Just barely recognize me get up here to Green Man station. Get a crab cake with this. I gotta get a crappy last segment. Careful. It was come up. I’m gonna do a crab cake with her a little later on. But I love your crab cakes. I got the bookmaker sandwich that was a special
David Richardson 33:52
I’m not sure you get them fried man. You gotta get embroiled and last time you’re up here. You’re eating fried crab cake. You gotta get embroiled.
Chris Richards 33:57
He’s like you’re not gonna win that fight with that.
David Richardson 33:59
Come on, man.
Nestor Aparicio 34:01
You know what would be really honest with you, you’re part of the reason you damy at fade Lee’s Pete over Costas, all these years I’ve had all these crab cakes at sponsor places. And all of you ride me about the fried thing. All of you crush me about it. And cupcake and, and most places serve a delicate crab cake that’s broiled. And I’ve learned to enjoy it. Okay. I’m gonna get it broiled here today. Always the last pro Oro
Chris Richards 34:31
crabcake I was just gonna say I can’t believe it. I love to try it.
Nestor Aparicio 34:35
Because most of the crabcakes I get are broil these days.
David Richardson 34:38
All right, good. I’m impressed. I’m impressed. Well, good.
Nestor Aparicio 34:40
Put it down. I get a nice cold beer here. Anything that didn’t leave anything out? Just I will get the app we can come to have dinner. I mean, you guys are living having fun we had looked for haven’t caught up
David Richardson 34:52
this whole community. You know, it really? I mean, I’ve like in that we did write ups. This is kind of like cheers this place is it’s kind of like that. You know, a
Nestor Aparicio 35:00
lot of oral stuff on the wall dude, I was going wall to wall. The Orioles have to be stoking your business right. Well when I did appear into the bar, two dudes Aaron Oriole shirt and Raven shirts start talking to me than who I am. And it’s home baseball and it’s Orioles. It’s like, and this is three and a half the game’s not till seven o’clock. You know, like the old Kevin Brown thing. But But more than that first place legitimate baseball.
David Richardson 35:24
Just like when we were kids done it. It’s just like, 1983 1982 I’m still brokenhearted. But 1982 You know, as a kid coming back like
Nestor Aparicio 35:35
tonight, I’m looking forward to October to seeing what this how this is gonna play out in
David Richardson 35:41
time. We deserve it. Yeah, we deserve it. It’s gonna last it’s over. It better last They better not lose.
Chris Richards 35:48
These guys make it. They make it like them, though. I mean, it’s not like, I don’t have a whole bunch of prima donnas, or any of these, you know, veteran guys that have been around for a while and think that they’re great. These are all like up and coming kids with great attitudes. I think it’s the best chemistry in baseball, the team chemistry in the world,
David Richardson 36:06
it’s good to have that enthusiasm again. You know, I just went down to Norfolk to watch the tides play. Just because I’ve never done it before I was in the area of flex drive. And it just it was just me. I just went in and watch the game and it was it was really cool. And but because we had that enthusiasm, you watch it and I know that guy I know that guy. I know that guy. That guy. You know. I mean, it feels to
Nestor Aparicio 36:29
me like I’ve gotten my life back to that degree. I was so crazy about it that I almost forgot that Angeles owned. And then it comes back and other free Kevin Brown thing comes back and I’m like I told you so.
David Richardson 36:42
We can Yeah.
Nestor Aparicio 36:46
Look, it’s all brought to you by the Maryland lottery. We’re gonna be a Papist on the 29th I’m going to be a Mako all next week. We’re giving these away up here in Hampstead and I said Hand in Hand in hon. Hampstead we’re in agreement on station green Mapple the OTB next door with that parks come on up. Man you can do crabcake watch the ballgame wager on it hangout start today at the worst racing and the night disco bowling and never have to move your car starting tomorrow
David Richardson 37:10
though I want to tell you one thing start hammering Uber starting tomorrow. Knock on wood. If we get approval from the lottery, we’re giving away a $75 green mount bowl or green mount station gift card for anybody that signs up and puts $50 into the new sports book. Okay, all right. So bed parks MD you go to your app store, you put in promo code bowl if you want to green Mel bowl gift card or you put promo code G m s at sign up. You get a $75 gift card just for putting $50 in better than the O’s that night or tomorrow night I should say
Nestor Aparicio 37:44
like come in and have a crab cake. I’m gonna have a crab for 75 bucks.
Chris Richards 37:48
No, you can get it for maybe four or five. I don’t know. I’ll make a deal with you. All right. You can get as many as you want.
Nestor Aparicio 37:55
So cold beer at a reasonable price and delicious crab cakes. Chris Richards been my friend for a long long time. We’re back up here in Hampstead getting it right on behalf of our friends as well as when donation I was gonna wear the window nation floppy hat. It’s kind of fun. It’s kind of seasonal, but it blocks my hair. I wore it last week 866 90 nation of friends also Rascon global Leonard’s back for the tech he missed the 25th anniversary I gotta get him down for that Pappas crabcake on the 29th as well. David Richards is up here running the bowling alley doing the horse racing thing. Come visit our friends up here I’m gonna stick around we’re gonna talk about North Carroll. We got some community stuff going on Johnson here is brought some friends as well and Kara Falk was going to be a little later on talking about leadership and business and how I’ve held this thing together for 25 years. It is our 25th anniversary. It is a pleasure to be back at him. Stead having an ice cold beer here cream outstation. Stay with us.
