Tailgating before a big game means more than setting up a tent, putting out chairs and eating delicious food – to some, it’s tradition.
“In college, it was so easy to tailgate. But then you get out and you realize it’s such a hassle trying to access campus and be able to carry in all your stuff,” said Parker Duffey, president of Tailgate Guys.
Tailgate Guys is a company that began at Auburn University. Duffey said that him and his partner, Michael Otwell, founded the company, where they began hosting around 50 groups each game that averaged about 10 to 15 people per group.
The mission of the Tailgate Guys is to provide a superior reserved, turn-key tailgate service to the game-day fan, the university and the communities in which people live and work.
“This is the first time a company has done anything like this,” Duffey said. “We were the first ones to approach the university and make it a full-scale operation. Then the business took off like crazy.”
In 2013, they began offering services at the University of Florida. “Now, we host around 250 groups a game, which average 50 to 75 people per group,” Duffey said.
Chip Howard, the executive associate athletics director for internal affairs of the University Athletic Association, said he is hopeful the program will grow as more fans decide to take part in their service.
“They have been great to work with,” Howard said. “They deliver tremendous customer service and created critical relationships on campus that assists with their ability to provide their setups on the Union Lawn. We are very satisfied with Tailgate Guys and look forward to building a great program for our fans here at Florida to enhance the game-day experience.”