PITTSBURGH \u2014 Some downtown businesses say the NFL Draft brought fewer customers than they had anticipated, despite high expectations.<\/p>\n
At Mamma Lucia Pizzeria, owner Bucky Griener said he extended hours and stocked up on inventory ahead of the weekend. Instead, he described the event as a disappointment.<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing, just a ghost town,\u201d Griener said, adding that business appeared to decline as the weekend went on. <\/p>\n
He said the restaurant sent staff home early and is now trying to salvage thousands of dollars of unused inventory.<\/p>\n
Griener also said the restaurant\u2019s regular weekday customers stayed away during the draft.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere were a few people downtown that are always down here, but the usual Monday through Friday crowd was not here,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
At Ruckus Cafe, Peter Spang said the draft brought some additional customers, but not a major increase.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs far as the draft goes, we saw a little bit more business, but not so much more,\u201d Spang said.<\/p>\n
VisitPittsburgh still expects there will be long-term impacts. The agency said in a statement: <\/p>\n
\u201cWhile not every area experienced the same level of foot traffic during the event itself, the long-term impact extends citywide through infrastructure improvements, increased civic and charitable investment.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s important to recognize that the NFL Draft is a highly centralized event\u2014fans travel here primarily to experience the Draft footprint itself, which was concentrated on the North Shore and Downtown. That pattern is consistent with what we\u2019ve seen in other host cities as well.\u201d <\/p>\n
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