Name, Image & Local

FoodProfile

Jan 31

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Name, Image & Local

Local businesses and non-profits get a lift from partnering with student-athletes to foster a sense of community

BY JEFF FIJOLEK
PHOTO BY JORDAN WERTMAN

Since the passage of the NCAA's Name, Image & Likeness (NIL) policy in the summer of 2021, student-athletes have been able to benefit from opportunities to build their own brand.

Gonzaga Forward Drew Timme can be spotted in local ads promoting Northern Quest Resort & Casino, while his former teammate Chet Holmgren secured national partnerships with Topps trading cards, Yahoo! Sports and Bose headphones before he was drafted second overall by the NBA's Oklahoma City Thunder last summer. But these star players weren't the only members of the team to secure endorsements--their teammate Matthew Lang signed a whopper of a deal with Heritage Bar & Kitchen in Downtown Spokane to put his name on a signature burger.

NIL deals are open and available to any player as long as it is allowed by state and local laws and their athletic programs, but with close to half a million student-athletes competing in NCAA sports across the country, not everyone is solicited to become a spokesperson on a local or national level.

Heritage owners Alex King and Gabe Wood are self-described ex-jocks who met over ten years ago while working together at O'Doherty's Irish Grille in Downtown Spokane. After moving on to sales jobs, the two stayed connected over their love of sports and all things local. Eventually, they decided to open their own restaurant together that would combine their interests and celebrate their families, local food and drink, and the Spokane community.

"One of our favorite things about being business owners is the freedom to use our creativity at our own discretion," says Wood. "We feel that adding authentic personality to the brand and image is something that the consumer appreciates and is lacking in many other establishments."

Some of the marketing shenanigans that King and Wood have employed for Heritage include donning a chicken suit to promote their Thursday Hot Chicken Sandwich special and placing a giant Spokane-themed chair outside of the restaurant and encouraging those passing by to stop and take pictures.

"We've probably vetoed more ideas than we can count for fear of something being too 'out there' for people, but hopefully those that keep up with us have come to recognize and expect that we have a lot of fun while doing things a little differently," says Wood.

Heritage is no stranger to highlighting local icons as a way to promote their business and connect the community. The bar’s cocktail menu is made up of drinks named after local media personalities like longtime KHQ anchor Stephanie Vigil whose drink features gin, a berry reduction, soda, basil and lime.

When the opportunity to sign student-athletes from Gonzaga was a possibility, the duo decided to go for it.

This year, Heritage has signed Forward Ben Gregg and Guard Hunter Sallis, both sophomores on Gonzaga's men's basketball team, to NIL deals–complete with a contract ceremony overseen by Wood in costume as the bar's sasquatch mascot.

“Being able to do different things like have your own sandwich or get on billboards and stuff like that has been pretty cool–as a kid, it’s the stuff you dream of,” says Gregg. “Gabe and Alex has been extremely easy to work with–a couple of funny guys, but most importantly [they] can cook up some great food!”

This season, Heritage have created two specials named after the GU cagers: The Ben Gregg Cubano and The Sallis Burger, topped with gouda, bacon, fried onions and bbq sauce.

While Gregg admits to going a little crazy enjoying a cheat-meal after games, because the sandwiches are only available on Gonzaga game-days, the players haven’t had a chance to enjoy them except for a pre-season taste-test. Not to mention that Gregg, a 6’8” Portland native, and Sallis, 6’5” and from Omaha, aren’t even old enough to enjoy Heritage’s eight rotating taps of local beers and ciders to wash down the sandwiches bearing their names!

“We've enjoyed having the opportunity to support local college athletes and our customers love having the opportunity to try their signature dishes and feel connected to the university they support,” says Wood.

Small and local businesses aren’t the only ones taking advantage of NIL deals with student-athletes. Spokane’s Community Cancer Fund has introduced their “Assists” program, featuring a roster of five players from Gonzaga’s men’s basketball team: Rasir Bolton, Nolan Hickman, Hunter Sallis, Malachi Smith and Julian Strawther. Supporters can choose one player or all five and pledge to make a donation based on how many assists these players are credited with during the season.

Wood says that he and King are currently working on opening another restaurant that will continue to celebrate all of the things they love about the Spokane community and allow them to flex their culinary and creative muscles in new and exciting ways.

“This is a basketball town,” adds Gregg. “It’s great having so much love and support in the community; it makes it easy to work hard everyday.”

For more information visit heritagebarandkitchen.com and communitycancerfund.org