PITTSBURGH — Some downtown businesses say the NFL Draft brought fewer customers than they had anticipated, despite high expectations.
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.
“Nothing, just a ghost town,” Griener said, adding that business appeared to decline as the weekend went on.
He said the restaurant sent staff home early and is now trying to salvage thousands of dollars of unused inventory.
Griener also said the restaurant’s regular weekday customers stayed away during the draft.
“There were a few people downtown that are always down here, but the usual Monday through Friday crowd was not here,” he said.
At Ruckus Cafe, Peter Spang said the draft brought some additional customers, but not a major increase.
“As far as the draft goes, we saw a little bit more business, but not so much more,” Spang said.
VisitPittsburgh still expects there will be long-term impacts. The agency said in a statement:
“While 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.
“It’s important to recognize that the NFL Draft is a highly centralized event—fans 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’ve seen in other host cities as well.”
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