‘We’re going to be here.’ Panthers fans boost some uptown businesses on game day
The first home game of the season usually means packed streets in uptown Charlotte and parking lots full of cars and people. But Sunday’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders looked much different, even as fans made the best of not being allowed inside the stadium.
So while there was no tailgating and Bank of America Stadium was closed to fans due to novel coronavirus restrictions, some still flocked to uptown Charlotte bars and restaurants to watch the game.
Lissa Miller, waiting outside Ink and Ivy to catch the 1 p.m. kick-off, said she was disappointed she couldn’t tailgate — but grateful there was still a game.
“We’re supporters,” she said. “We’re fans — we’re going to be here regardless. But COVID has taken it all away.”
Miller said she hopes players know fans are still showing up, even if they won’t be in the stadium.
Fans were also watching the game at Latta Arcade restaurants — and manager of The French Quarter Restaurant Angelo Tsepelis said he’s grateful for the traffic.
“We’ll take whatever business we can get right now,” Tsepelis said Sunday.
The restaurant was not as packed as it has been in the past, but there were more customers than Tsepelis expected. Still, he said it hurts that the stadium is closed to fans.
That means people who might have traveled from outside of the city to watch the game — and bring their business to uptown restaurants — end up staying away, he said.
‘Still a ways to go’
Data show people are returning to restaurants after a huge drop in spending as the coronavirus pandemic hit North Carolina.
At of the end of August, consumer spending at Charlotte restaurants and hotels was down 37.1% compared to January, according to research group Opportunity Insights’ COVID-19 economic tracker. But that’s an improvement from mid-April, when consumer spending restaurants and hotels in Charlotte was down 70.3% compared to January, according to the tracker.
The return of some weekend business is a good thing for restaurants, who took a big hit from the loss of office traffic during the week due to the pandemic, Charlotte Regional Business Alliance senior vice president Chuck McShane said. Panthers games can only help them, even with an empty stadium, he said.
“Growth and employment has been in rebound in food services since April,” McShane said. “So that’s been a postive trend — there’s still a ways to go. Certainly, events like (Panthers home games) will definitely help.”
Fans making plans
For some Charlotte fans, game day seems to be almost normal.
That includes Bryce Hatley, who waited in the 20-person line outside Graham Street Pub and Patio in a Cam Newton Panthers jersey Sunday afternoon. He was meeting some friends at the pub, and said they would probably “bounce around” to a few other places before the end of the day.
That’s his usual plan on game days. The biggest difference was the research involved ahead of time — to figure out which restaurants had reopened after COVID-19 restrictions.
Restaurants have been allowed to operate at 50% capacity, but bars are still closed under Gov. Roy Cooper’s Phase 2.5 plan. The executive order is scheduled to run until Oct. 2, but could be extended.
In late August, the Panthers said they are working on compromises to allow a limited number of fans into the stadium for future games. More information is expected in the coming weeks.
In the meantime, Miller said fans will continue to show up for the team — just in different ways.
“The fans are doing all they can,” she said.
This story was originally published September 14, 2020 at 3:18 PM.
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