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<\/p>\nBusinesses around the Trop are preparing for a busy playoff weekend, but the Rays\u2019 eventual move across the bay could change the game for the restaurants and bars.<\/p>\n
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. \u2014 The Tampa Bay Rays\u2019 playoff run is bringing more than baseball excitement to St. Petersburg. Businesses surrounding Tropicana Field are preparing for a surge of fans and sales this weekend, even as the team’s eventual move to Tampa raises questions about their long-term future.<\/p>\n
At Ferg\u2019s Sports Bar & Grill, owner Mark Ferguson is stocking up for what he expects to be one of the biggest days of the year.<\/p>\n
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\u201cIt\u2019s going to be off the charts because we have college football the same day as the Rays game,\u201d Ferguson said.<\/p>\n
With a playoff game on Saturday, Ferguson said he’s coordinating with food and beer suppliers to prepare for the crowds.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe got all the beer companies lined up, food companies and it\u2019s gonna be a big deal down here on Saturday,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
A few blocks away at Bodega, workers say the impact of a winning Rays team is easy to see.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhenever they\u2019re doing good, we\u2019re also doing good,\u201d employee John Harrobin said.<\/p>\n
Harrobin said the restaurant typically fills up on game days, with fans stopping in before and after games or gathering to watch the Rays on television.<\/p>\n
But the excitement surrounding the team’s playoff run comes with a looming change. The Rays are eventually headed to Tampa, taking thousands of potential game-day customers with them.<\/p>\n
For businesses that have built their customer base around Tropicana Field, the move could present a significant challenge.<\/p>\n
Eddie Allen, who handles marketing for businesses around the Trop and previously owned a restaurant in the area, said the team has played an important role in the local economy.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey were kind of what held the businesses together,\u201d Allen said.<\/p>\n
He said some of his clients were forced to close when the Rays temporarily relocated to Tampa after hurricane damage to Tropicana Field.<\/p>\n
Now, with a permanent move on the horizon, he worries about what will happen to businesses that rely heavily on baseball crowds.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll see after the Rays leave whether or not the businesses are going to be able to sustain,\u201d Allen said.<\/p>\n
At Bodega, employees expect to feel the impact but believe the restaurant’s business outside of baseball season will help soften the blow.<\/p>\n
\u201cOther than those few months, I don\u2019t think we\u2019ll be as affected by it because we have our different busy season from other things that go on, but it will be a little damaging,\u201d employee Isabella Garcia said.<\/p>\n
Despite the uncertainty, Allen said businesses are focused on making the most of the team’s success while the Rays are still playing in St. Petersburg.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have to enjoy the moment, enjoy the now,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
And at least one longtime St. Petersburg business may eventually follow the team across the bay.<\/p>\n
When asked whether fans could see another Ferg’s at the Rays’ new stadium site in Tampa, Ferguson suggested it’s a real possibility.<\/p>\n
\u201cMost likely you will probably see something over there, but we\u2019ll have to take a look when the plan\u2019s done,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
For now, though, his attention is on Saturday’s playoff game and the crowds expected to fill his bar.<\/p>\n
\u201cI’m just living in the moment, taking care of today. We just want the Rays to win Saturday night. That\u2019s all we\u2019re hoping for,\u201d Ferguson said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Businesses around the Trop are preparing for a busy playoff weekend, but the Rays\u2019 eventual move across the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":415376,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[202,204,203,199,201,200],"class_list":["post-415375","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-st-petersburg","tag-st-pete","tag-st-pete-headlines","tag-st-pete-news","tag-st-petersburg","tag-st-petersburg-headlines","tag-st-petersburg-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/415375","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=415375"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/415375\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/415376"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=415375"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=415375"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=415375"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}