Downtown businesses benefit from successes of basketball team
Various establishments along Massachusetts Street have taken advantage of thousands of fans eagerly wanting services after games.
By Ashley Barforoush, Jessica Wicks (Contact)
Tuesday, April 8th, 2008
Seventy five people stood outside Buffalo Wild Wings Grill & Bar at 7:30 Monday morning waiting to get inside. The die-hard fans were ready to claim their tables and wait more than 13 hours for the KU-Memphis game to begin.
Businesses all over Massachusetts Street had made game plans of their own to handle the massive pre- and post-game crowds.
Troy Ewing, a doorman at Buffalo Wild Wings, 1012 Massachusetts St., said people camped out to make sure they had seats during the game. The restaurant, which boasts 31 “big-ass” TVs, does not open until 11 a.m.
It’s Brothers, 1105 Massachusetts St., brought on extra staff and were at capacity all night. Patrons at Vermont Street BBQ, 728 Massachusetts St., ordered their dinner at noon to make sure they could be served among the crowds. The plan was to stay open as long as they safely could.
“We definitely have some extra muscle walking around,” bartender Katy Brown said.
Pizza Hut General manager Seth Mowe was cautious about the crowds and said his store would close immediately following the game.
“I don’t want broken windows,” Mowe said. “They would only come in to get beer and use the bathrooms.”
Mowe said he learned his lesson after the Davidson game when hundreds of drunks fans ran through his business with beer and liquor. He said it took him an hour and a half to clean up.
Jimmy Johns, which is open until 3 a.m., was looking forward to the post-game madness.
“It’s a mess,” manager Brian Schraeder said, “but I don’t know what else you would expect.”
Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwich, 922 Massachusetts St., is usually busiest at 2 a.m. after the bars close. But on Saturday, the normal 45-minute bar rush turned into 10 hours of non-stop business.
Although Jimmy John’s embraced the mayhem, La Prima Tazza, 638 Massachusetts St., did not. Assistant manager Caterina Benalcazar explained why they locked their doors three hours early on Saturday.
“It would have been dead in here during the game, and nobody wanted to deal with thousands of drunk, violent people after we won,” Benalcazar said.
Amy Savoie, manager of Free State Brewing Company, 636 Massachusetts St., said that it would be business as usual.
“As long as they don’t give us any trouble, we don’t give them trouble,” Savoie said.
Restaurants weren’t the only businesses milking the crowds. Retail stores opened up after the game to sell T-shirts and memorabilia.
Willie Wilkerson, owner of Jayhawk Spirit, 935 Massachusetts St., made shirts before he knew the outcome of the game. If the Jayhawks had lost, he would have been out the production cost.
Wilkerson said that he would reopen his store after the game with security to make sure things stayed orderly.
Framewoods Gallery, 819 Massachusetts St., also said that they would open after the game to sell memorabilia but that they were not worried about the crowds in their store.
“By 11:30, everyone just wants to have fun outside,” Framewoods owner Dave Seal said.
— Edited by Matt Hirschfeld
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