Peyton needs to take a lesson from Shaq when it comes to business.
Is that lesson a reference to Shaq's inexpensive, accessible line of Jordan-inspired footwear? I get what you're saying, but politely disagree in this context.
Graduate Hotels is a nationwide chain, and Saloon 16 is merely the restaurant of one of its 30+ outposts and is just as much a venture of theirs as it is Manning's. If Peyton were opening up a chain of similarly-themed restaurants across the state/country, I definitely agree that it would behoove him to be a little more approachable. Unfortunately, space at Saloon 16 is limited and it's likely more beneficial to have a smaller number of patrons paying a higher price than a huge crowd spending less money.
All other restaurants at Graduate properties have similarly-sparse menus, though I expect that the ongoing pandemic has impacted the beer list and would be surprised if they don't get some local/national craft drafts at some point. Either way, I agree that a $6 Bud Light seems absurd at a casual dining restaurant in Knoxville but I would imagine that the restaurant's goal in 2021 is to expressly
not compete with Hanna's/Half Barrel on game day and instead provide a slightly more "upscale" atmosphere (and, to that end, I'd probably kick the prices up a bit more and have a super limited menu on fall Saturdays).
In any event, I think that this is objectively the coolest Graduate hotel in terms of being "school-themed" but wonder if its location on the strip as opposed to downtown is going to be a disservice for the 30+ weekends a year that the hotel's proximity to Neyland and Thompson-Boling isn't a selling point.