From left, Justin Jinks, of Wichita, Brent Burnett, Dodge City, and Vaughn Good, Lawrence, cheer on Kansas University's men's basketball team during a Monday night game while sipping brews at Wayne and Larry's Sports Bar & Grill, 933 Iowa. The site has been a gameday draw for KU students and Lawrence residents alike.

Troy Wingert and his buddies come to Wayne and Larry’s Sports Bar & Grill two hours before a game starts to make sure they get a seat.

Wingert, of Lawrence, picks a table early because at kickoff, tipoff or even the first pitch, the place is packed with cheering fans. The restaurant, connected to the east end of Royal Crest Lanes, 933 Iowa, must rearrange its 135-seat dining room to accommodate the surge of customers on game days.

“Come early and stay late,” said Kyle Miller, Lawrence resident and Wingert’s friend.

Since the restaurant opened in April 2005, business has boomed, generating enough income to make renovations in the bowling alley. Throughout 2007, the bowling alley will get new lanes, scoring systems, seating and a new front desk, totaling $600,000.

“(The) location helped; we had a crowd to draw from,” co-owner Wayne Martin said.

When the restaurant opened, Martin said he hoped the bowling alley’s clientele would carry over to the restaurant.

And though that proved to be the case, about 80 percent of their profits come from outside the bowling alley.

Martin credits much of the restaurant’s success to high-tech televisions and hopes other sports bars will look up to his choice of technology.

With four 60-inch plasma screens and a handful of 32-inch LCD screens, three 95-inch projection screens divide the west wall of the restaurant, so fans almost feel like they’re right next to the players in the game.

Although different sports bars flood college towns like Lawrence, Martin hasn’t been intimidated by the competition.

“I don’t look at the competition. (We’re all) one in the hole. If we take care of what we’re doing, we’re all going to be OK,” Martin said.

A year before opening, Martin and co-owner Larry Burton started investigating other restaurants and looked at food, wait staffs and atmospheres. Then the duo sat down with cooks to tweak recipes for the menu.

“(We wanted) to taste around and see who has the best, but look around and don’t do the same thing,” Martin said.

Martin, Burton and their head chef picked usual bar munchies like wings and burgers, along with a few items that other sports bars don’t typically serve.

Wayne and Larry’s Sports Bar & Grill also offers a Chicago-inspired menu with Italian beef and Chicago-style hot dogs.

The restaurant features daily food and drink specials with regular menu items ranging from $5 to $15.