Astros home playoff games expected to drive in business for downtown's bars, restaurants
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Thousands of fans will pack Minute Maid Park to cheer on the Astros in the postseason, but all the excitement won't be seen only on the field.
Downtown Houston bars and restaurants are gearing up for an expected significant boost in business.
There are plenty of bars and restaurants that are a quick drive away or even walking distance from Minute Maid Park. Some business owners said a few extra games at home can make a difference in making more money.
For businesses near Minute Maid Park, like Eighteen Twenty Lounge, it's time to cash in on the postseason rush.
"For bartenders, that can be several hundred to a thousand dollars," Bo Mauch, general manager of Eighteen Twenty Lounge, said about how much money his workers could earn. "We got three home games coming up in the playoffs. There are people that were not scheduled on those three days but are going to be scheduled for those playoff games. Everything they are going to make in those three days, they would not have if the Astros weren't playing."
Just like in sports, preparation is critical. For the postseason, it's all hands on deck.
"I have people that are just on call indefinitely. They will all be scheduled during the playoff games for sure," Mauch said.
At Pitch 25, about a mile away, staff members feel at ease knowing that playoff baseball is approaching.
"Working those two, three shifts in the playoffs could be a difference of 'I paid my month's rent in one or two shifts.' That just helps us, coming in to know that we're taken care of. We're easy. Whereas if there's nothing going on, we're kind of on edge," Selena Morrison Chin, Pitch 25's small events coordinator, said.
Like the Astros, they know what it's like to be in the postseason and have their own recipe for success in playoff time.
"We compare it to what we did (during soccer tournaments) Copa (America), Euro finals this year. It's going to be those extra, longer shifts. Usually, a bar shift is about six hours during those playoff times. We expect eight to 10 hours, but it's worth it," Morrison Chin of Pitch 25 said.
ABC13 also asked about any downtown-area crime concerns. Both fans and the businesses said they're not worried about safety and will do what they can to show up and support the Astros.
