Syracuse Trivia Company turns weeknights into a battle of wits

What started as a small crowd at Coleman’s Irish Pub answering questions over drinks has grown into a thriving trivia scene that brings together hundreds of people each weeknight in Syracuse. Around 50 pubs and restaurants across the city now fill up with teams ready to test their knowledge, thanks to one small business that made it all happen.

The Syracuse Trivia Company started in 2009 and is owned by Included Company LLC. Each night during the week, the company hosts trivia events at different places around Syracuse. The venues range from restaurants and pubs like Margarita’s and Home Team Pub to brewing companies and wine gardens like Willow Rock and Tassone’s. 

Open to the public and free to play, the trivia nights are team-centric and hosted live. The questions are different each night of the week and players can win prizes by answering them correctly. 

Brian Cocca, the owner and president of the Syracuse Trivia Company, said the inspiration for creating the company came from his time living in Philadelphia, where he attended weekly trivia events. 

“When I moved back to Syracuse, I tried to find the same thing here, and it didn’t really exist,” said Cocca. “There was one that was kind of intermittent and another one that I couldn’t ever make it to. So to be the change I wanted to see in the world, I decided to start up weekly trivia here.”

In its early days, Cocca and the Syracuse Trivia Company would select their favorite local spots to host the trivia nights. They selected Coleman’s Irish Pub as their first-ever trivia venue based on its proximity to neighborhood communities and social atmosphere. 

Photo by Collin Snyder

Cards like Uno, among other games, are commonly played by groups in between trivia questions.

After seeing successful turnouts at Coleman’s, they sought out more venues with similar vibes and energy. By picking out family-owned places close to residence areas with the right mix of sharable appetizers and pub grub, Cocca and his team got the wheel turning. Now, restaurants and venues come to the Syracuse Trivia Company when they are interested in hosting trivia nights. 

It wouldn’t be a true game of trivia without interesting and challenging questions. As the backbone of the game, the questions set the tone of the night and can impact the participant’s overall experience. To keep the trivia nights fresh and thought-provoking, Cocca and the Syracuse Trivia Company write all their own questions. 

“We use feedback forms as guideposts to figure out what we are touching on that people like and what we are missing,” said Cocca. “We look at our crowds and ask ourselves, ‘Who out here is sitting there bored and how can we ask questions that will make them engaged?’ So we’re constantly thinking about what people are interested in — and not just anyone, but the people who come out to our events and the people we want to come out to our events.”

As a small business, the Syracuse Trivia Company took a hard hit during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. With restaurants and businesses closed nationwide, trivia nights couldn’t happen and the company shut down for a bit. 

Despite this, Cocca said they pivoted to an online broadcast relatively quickly and within a week, they were able to put together virtual trivia nights. They carried out virtual trivia for about three months before businesses started to open up again.

“Luckily, we have a really good community around here who wanted to support us,” Cocca said. “And once things opened back up, our former venues kind of trickled back to us. Now, we actually have more than we’ve ever had.”

Photo by Collin Snyder

Teams can compete for cash prizes at weekly trivia night games.

In addition to the many Syracuse residents who attend trivia nights, a handful of SU students go as well. Engineering students Hayley Scott and Marlee Ecton have been consistently going to trivia nights at Maxwell’s with their friends on Thursdays. Scott said Maxwell’s is the ideal spot for them because it is not too far from campus but still far enough that most students aren’t coming down there for trivia.

“I wanted to start going to trivia night downtown because after spending my summer in Syracuse realized how many activities there are to do off campus and wanted to get my friends involved in them,” said Scott. “Going to trivia has definitely made us closer. It’s the perfect time for us to do something outside of the academic setting that’s not too stressful.”

Ecton added that the trivia nights are a nice way to break up the school week and introduce some friendly competitiveness among the group. 

“It’s the perfect excuse to take a break from school and combines all of our individual interests,” said Ecton. “And a bit of competition is always a good bonding experience.”