Exploring Life & Business with Bates Battaglia of Teets, LuckyB’s, Silver Dollar, Sand Dollar

Today we’d like to introduce you to Bates Battaglia

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I (Bates Battaglia) grew up in Chicago and while playing college hockey I signed with the Carolina Hurricanes (1997-2003) which brought me to Raleigh. While playing in the NHL, I opened Lucky B’s (2005) in Glenwood South and it is still open to this day. My younger brother (Anthony Battaglia) who also played professional hockey, eventually moved down to Raleigh. Anthony became a Raleigh Fire Fighter for many years and eventually he started the “Axes and Ales” party bus firetruck. We appeared on the TV show “The Amazing Race” together and won! Our Dad died in 2020, which brought us to the idea of opening “Teets” in 2021 with the winnings from the Amazing Race, named after our Papa (Sam “Teets” Battaglia). We are “THE” spot to watch all sports, as well as “THE” bar to be at on the weekend. We also have a bar in Carolina Beach, NC called The Silver Dollar (2022). It has been a landmark since 1957 in CB. We will soon be opening a new bar in Carolina Beach early (2025) called the Sand Dollar Sports Bar.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Struggles are part of life. Our top ones would include the death of our Dad, COVID, all its effects on everything, and the daily challenges of balancing work & family.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Teets, LuckyB’s, Silver Dollar, Sand Dollar?
Most of these questions can be answered in previous sections and I have attached a couple articles for reference, but we are certainly proud of being a part of bringing Hockey to the Raleigh area. We are proud of all the bars/businesses that have become staples of the communities and personally I am most proud of my family and my son. What sets us apart I believe, is our adaptation to what the communities want and need. We are a mix of sports bars, dive bars, beach bars and neighborhood bars. We are not those loud clubs where nobody can hear the person right next to you. We have 20+ years of experience doing this and we know what makes people happy, especially when you consider Anthony and I are two of those people sitting next to you at our bars. We love our patrons and communities.

If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I was and still am a very hard worker. I would have never made it to the NHL if I wasn’t. I never quit. The percentage of people that make it is very low and talent is only part of the battle. My parents taught my brothers, sisters and I to be that way from day one. Those hard working, ambitious traits have helped me in every aspect of my life. I’ve always been a firm believer of never asking anyone to do something I wouldn’t do myself, and often times I still do it myself!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.teetsraleigh.com/
• Instagram: @teetsraleigh
• Facebook: @TEETSRaleigh