Orange October is in full swing in San Francisco as the Giants play in the World Series.
There’s orange and black spread across the City, but it is the green color of money that has local businesses excited.
The question now is – how much of an economic benefit will the 2012 post season bring to San Francisco??
If you ask Jeff Thompson, owner of the Nova bar and restaurant on Second Street, the Giants’ run has been nothing short of incredible.
At about six blocks from AT&T Park, Thompson said the overflow of fans has been even better than 2010.
He attributed that to a bigger Giants fan base.
Thompson said even regular season games can double his usual business. He said the World Series game have tripled it – adding it couldn’t have come at a better time.
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“January is always a rough month for restaurant and bars,” Thompson said. “So it just gives you that little extra cushion that you need to get through winter and keep everyone happy.”
Jim Lazarus, vice president of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, said there are no official estimates for just how much more money the World Series is bringing to the city, especially since the fall typically does pretty well thanks to out of town tourists.
“October’s a busy time in the Bay Area anyway. This just puts that icing on top of the cake. It helps the entire region. If San Francisco’s full, the overflow goes to Oakland and down the peninsula,” Lazarus said.
More importantly, Lazarus added, is the series’ long-term impact as it gives the world a “blimp shot” of the Bay Area. City skyline shots can give people the final, last push they need to choose San Francisco as their next destination.
“How do people make that decision where their next vacation is going to be or that convention they’re deciding where to go from now? You see San Francisco and the Bay Area in a night like last night or night before in a World Series – that helps people make a decision,” Lazarus said.
The picture is vastly different in Motor City Detroit where there could be up to three World Series games.
A spokesperson with the Detroit Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau told NBC Bay Area if all three games are played this weekend, it could net $26 million in direct spending, compared to regular home games there generating roughly $5.5 million.
So do San Francisco businesses want the Giants to lose just enough to return home for the big win?
Thompson says no. “We win no matter what. The excitement’s going to be there no matter where they are when they win.”
Notice he said not if – but when.
