City Leaders, Business Owners Hope March Madness Shows Life Finally Returning To Normal
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - March Madness has come to an end in Pittsburgh this weekend as the horn sounded on the second round of the NCAA tournament.
As city leaders expected a huge economic boost, fans here for the NCAA tournament not only packed the arena, but they also packed restaurants, bars, and hotels too, more than doubling regular business.
"It's been great, the people have been great, and there's a ton of them, they're all happy, so it's been a great weekend."
We talked to Souper Bowl before the tournament started and they were hopeful business would get a boost. We checked back in with them Sunday, after the games, and they couldn't be happier.
"We rely on events from the arena so something like this where it's bringing a lot of people in is great," said Carly Moore, the manager.
Moore said the restaurant isn't open on weekends unless an event is happening. However, they've more than doubled their revenue this weekend, compared to a weekend when the Penguins play.
"A lot of my servers are excited for a 12-hour day," said Moore. "Usually, they're only here for a couple of hours. I actually brought in a lot of extra staff to do beer tubs and shots so trying to spread the love."
City leaders predicted the Pittsburgh region to bring in about $10.5 million to hotels, bars, and restaurants.
Meanwhile, Souper Bowl says they hope the big crowds show life is getting back to normal and the exposure shows they're open for business.