A bull’s-eye for business

For George Diaz, Perqs Nite Club & Sports Bar has become the place where everyone reallyreally knows his name.

The Huntington Beach resident has been a regular at the tavern at 117 Main St. for years, but he’s gotten a reputation lately beyond being another face at the bar. Diaz won the Monday night dart tournament at Perqs twice in a row in November, raking in more than $100 in prize money before his streak ended this week.

“It takes care of my entertainment for the night, I’ll put it that way,” said Diaz, who works in real estate.

As for what he intended to do with his winnings, he joked that he would use it “to pay my bar tab.”

The tournament, which started a month ago, is one of several new attractions Perqs has introduced in the last two years to expand its clientele. Last year, the bar began screening Sunday and Monday night football games, complete with free pizza and sandwiches and $2 beers. The tournament takes place during the football game, and the owners add another incentive by raffling off shirts, caps and other merchandise at the end of every quarter.

Players compete on a pair of dart boards above the foot-high stage in the corner. Bartender Dawn Kinney, who founded the tournament, said the festivities had boosted business Sunday and Monday nights.

“When people are having fun, they tend to stay longer,” she said. “They tend to tell their friends about it.”

To referee the tournament, Kinney enlisted Dave Fitzpatrick, a Perqs regular who has won tournaments in the past. Fitzpatrick is too good to compete against less experienced players, Kinney said, but she pays him for his help with free beers.

Fitzpatrick, an estimator who lives in Huntington Beach, has a simple rule for winning at darts.

“You gotta focus and be consistent,” he said. “And don’t drink too much.”

Challengers in the tournament face off in one-on-one matches, with players competing to be the first to score a bull’s-eye and three points in each segment of the dart board numbered 15 through 20. Players who lose two matches are eliminated. The entry fee is $5, with the winner taking all the proceeds.

The event may be a month old, but Perqs has gotten a boost already from one of its suppliers: Coors Light custom-made a banner advertising the tournament that hangs over the corner stage. On a typical night, about a dozen people sign up to compete.

“It’s like a ‘Cheers’ environment,” said Susan Walker, who recently took over as Perqs’ co-owner. “A lot of people come down, and a lot of them are neighbors.”