Slumping Attendance Is Hurting Concessions

A slump in big league baseball attendance this year is casting a shadow over business beneath the grandstands and at the sports bars, restaurants and souvenir shops near the ballparks.

The recession, fan resentment over rising ticket prices, poor play by some teams and cold weather also have hurt.

But attendance appears to be a key to the fortunes of many of these businesses which usually rely on spur of the moment purchases.

“If they have a poor crowd, we have a poor crowd,” said John Butsicaris, a co-owner of Lindell AC, a bar near Tiger Stadium in Detroit.

Major league baseball attendance was off 0.6% through June 17 at just over 21 million, according to figures from the commissioner’s office.

The decline would have been much worse without huge increases for last year’s World Series opponents, the Minnesota Twins and Atlanta Braves, and for the Baltimore Orioles, which is playing in a new park.

The attendance increase for those three teams is a combined 1.15 million. Without them, major league attendance would be down 6.7% from 1991.

Sixteen of the 26 major league teams have posted attendance declines.

At Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs, attendance is down about 11% and food sales are off by about 15%.

Don Crank, general manager for Wrigley’s concessionaire ARA Services, said cold weather hurt, too. “We sold four times more hot chocolate this year than last year,” he said.

Across the street from Wrigley, business is down 20% to 30% at the Cubby Bear bar. But owner George Loukas is optimistic.

“The weather is kicking into high gear and that alone will help us--it won’t matter if the Cubs are playing poorly,” he said.

Performance on the field had an impact in Kansas City, whose Royals started the season with a 1-17 record and attendance was off 15%.

“During that big losing streak our business was down 30- to 40%,” said Pat Sanders, owner-manager of S.A. Sanders, a restaurant and sports bar directly across from the stadium. “But since then, they’ve been playing good and looking good, and our crowds have been looking up.”

Souvenir sales at Anaheim Stadium where the California Angles play are down about 10%, said Sam Maida of concessionaire Ogden Services.

He blamed the decline on a 6.6% drop in attendance and the economy, but said the team’s losing record hurt. “That affects everything the most, the play of the team,” he said.

At Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, food sales were off 3.6% as attendance was off more than 8%, said Carlos Bernal, general manager of the food concessionaire Marriott Sports and Entertainment.

The concession holder for the two New York ballparks, Yankee Stadium and Shea Stadium, said business is off 30%. Attendance is down 12.5% at Yankee Stadium and 20.8% at Shea, which is home for the Mets.

The declines come despite efforts by both teams to make themselves more competitive and attractive with the costly signings of superstars Bobby Bonilla by the Mets and and Danny Tartabull by the Yankees in the off-season.

“The economy is still soft and people coming to ball games are not spending as in past years,” said John Morley, vice president at concessionaire Harry M. Stevens.

Stan Martucci Jr. operates three souvenir shops and a sports bar and restaurant near Yankee Stadium, and said business is a little weaker than a year ago when sales were “nothing to brag about.”

He blamed neighborhood deterioration near the park, the recession and ticket prices.

“Bring a family of four and you’re spending $300 at the game. It’s ridiculous, and you don’t want to bring your family to this area anyway, so you’re staying home and watching on TV,” he said.

People are drawn to winners, though, and that has been a tonic for businesses near the ballparks in Minnesota and Atlanta.

Attendance is up nearly 300,000 in Minnesota and 434,000 in Atlanta.

Dome Souvenirs Plus, located across the street from the Metrodome in Minneapolis, expanded fivefold last month because of the influx of fans.

“The people are just piling in here in droves,” store owner Ray Crump said. “We’re ahead of last year at this time for sure. The big key is winning.”

At the Ramada Hotel Capitol Plaza, across the street from Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, reservations are nearly sold out through the summer, said rooms division manager Ian Bonair.

Attendance is down 19% at mammoth Cleveland Stadium and business is off at its Alvies Stadium Cafe as well.

Manager Andy Yanak said competition from basketball’s Cleveland Cavaliers during the NBA playoffs hurt business as did the poor start by the Indians.

Attendance is only off slightly at County Stadium where the Milwaukee Brewers play, and business is up at nearby Stadium Sports-Stuff, a sports apparel store. But owner Michael Pavlovich is worried about the future.

“Myself and a number of fans are fed up with the big salaries,” he said. “I’m concerned with people getting detached from major league baseball.”