Red Sox fever means a boost in bar business
A local pub owner devised a strategy to fill up his bar on a weeknight: sell dollar drafts of the house beer, give away pizza for free and put the Red Sox playoff game on all seven TVs.
Chuck Monagle, owner of the Waltham Sports Pub, expected a throng of hungry and thirsty people to pack into his Main Street tavern to watch last night's American League Division Series between Boston and the Anaheim.
``We're expecting a crowd,'' he said while tending bar yesterday, hours before the game. ``A lot of college kids come in. When there's something free, they come.''
Many bars and restaurants across MetroWest are expecting a boost in business that typically comes with the playoff push by the hometown baseball team. Plenty of people tune in at home on their HDTVs but many more go out to eat, drink and be merry - if the Sox are ahead, that is - with friends and family.
The 300-seat Doc's Sports Bar & Grille on East Main Street in Milford surrounds its customers with five massive projection televisions and about 40 smaller sets, with the sound turned up.
Kristyn Coady, the general manager and daughter of Doc's owner Kevin Coady Sr., said she scheduled as many workers as possible to tackle expected pick-up in sales.
``It should be very busy,'' Coady said.
Brian Lewis, an assistant manager at Owen O'Leary's in Natick, said the hotel-based restaurant's 100-seat bar will be busy while the Sox and Angels are battling it out between the base paths.
``We probably double in capacity for people watching the game because it's the playoffs as opposed to the regular season,'' he said. ``But as soon as the game's done, they leave.''
The postseason also helps increase team merchandise sales at sports apparel retailers.
Jim Haley, district manager for the Sports Authority chain, said customer traffic always increases when teams head into the playoffs. And the crowds rush in the morning after major victories, such as the day after the Red Sox clinched the AL East division and commemorative hats quickly disappeared.
Olympia Sports, a 160-store sporting goods chain with outlets in Franklin, Marlborough, Milford and Westborough, carries everything from Red Sox hats and sweatshirts to folding chairs, Rubik's cubes and toothbrushes sporting the team's logo.
``When the Sox are doing well like they have this year, it definitely helps sales of these items,'' said David Heath, a training coordinator at Olympia Sports.
``It's always exciting for us when the Red Sox are in the playoffs, especially because our employees are also fans, so it's a great morale booster.''
The pitch could become feverish if the Red Sox make it to the World Series again.
Greg Turner can be reached at gturner@cnc.com or 508-626-3909.