Downtown bars and restaurants are banking on a boom in business during the Cleveland Cavaliers playoff games. The wait staff is bound to rake in extra money too.
“It’s only going to get better and better,” said Thomas Parker, chef at Wild Eagle Saloon near the corner of Huron and East Prospect.
Wild Eagle opened three weeks ago. Since then, Parker said the establishment made great money, first on the Indians home opener then on the Cavs playoff game Sunday. The latest event brought in 50 percent more sales, according to Parker.
“Business right off the bat has been incredible,” he added. “It’s everything we hoped for then some.”
“We fill up, the bar fills up, people are watching the game on TV,” said Tommy Kneeland, manager of Alley Cat Oyster Bar in the Flats East Bank.
Kneeland said sales at the restaurant were up 70 percent during Sunday’s playoff game. He increased staff by 50 percent to accommodate the demand.
