Labor Disputes Put Businesses in a Big Slump : Business: Baseball strike and hockey dispute have hurt restaurants and motels.

Instead of advertising drink or dinner specials this week, the marquee outside The Catch Seafood Grill and Sports Bar reads: “No Angels, No Ducks, No Bueno.”

The popular eatery, which opened its doors across the street from Anaheim Stadium 16 years ago, has been hit hard by the cancellation of the Major League Baseball season.

And things don’t look to get much better now that the Mighty Ducks’ home opener, originally scheduled for Sunday at the nearby Pond of Anaheim, has been postponed until at least Oct. 17, and possibly later, because of the National Hockey League’s labor dispute.

“We’re at wits’ end,” said restaurant manager Scott Gerbasi. “What can you do? You get frustrated and you experience a little bitterness. We rely on a lot of fans coming in here before and after games.”

Other restaurants, bars, hotels and motels near the stadium and arena also are feeling the pinch. In addition to a loss in profits, the dwindling crowds also have resulted in fewer hours and tips for bartenders, servers, maids and other workers.

“Everyone is crying in their beer,” said Ben Harris, managing partner of the Angels Inn, a 72-room motel within walking distance of the stadium. “A significant portion of our business comes from activities at the arena and stadium.”

Jim Maresca, manager of Charley Brown’s restaurant, agreed that “it’s major, major dollars lost. Our business is very much influenced by those sporting events. From baseball season alone, we’ve lost so much bar business. People like to come in an hour or so before the game and have a beer because it’s a lot cheaper.”

Charley Brown’s and El Torito, which are next door to each other, offer their patrons free shuttle service to and from arena events, an arrangement that proved lucrative for both restaurants last season.

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“Having the Ducks here last season was a godsend,” Maresca said. “Every night they had a home game, our restaurant and bar were filled.”

Maresca is further disturbed about talk that the National Basketball Assn. could strike, jeopardizing the seven Los Angeles Clippers games scheduled for the arena this winter.

“Are they trying to put us under?” Maresca asked incredulously. “Thank God the Rams aren’t on strike, even though they want to leave.”

The Catch, which continues to do booming business during Rams games, will lose an estimated $8,000 in business for each hockey game that is canceled. The restaurant also lost between $2,000 and $7,000 for each canceled baseball game, Myers said.

The restaurant, which is popular with both hockey and baseball players, installed a new $120,000 kitchen in its bar area to serve appetizers because business was so swift last hockey season.

“We just couldn’t keep up with the demand, so during the off-season we built this kitchen,” Myers said. “Now, there might not even be a season. I don’t think we’ll see hockey at least until January.”

El Torito’s associate general manager, Ruben Preciado, said the postponement of the hockey season has him downright nervous. “Right now, we’re discussing what’s going to happen with the Mighty Ducks,” he said. “We’re afraid because we’re losing sales.”

Pointing to a poster-size California Angels schedule posted on the wall of the restaurant’s bar, Preciado said: “For every baseball game canceled, we lose about $1,400 in liquor sales. The cocktail servers and bartenders (each) have lost about 10 hours a week of work.”

All of the restaurants said they hired and trained extra staff in anticipation of the upcoming hockey season.

“The problem is, this has been a last-minute deal,” Don Myers, managing partner of The Catch, said of the hockey dispute. “If they decide on Oct. 15 that there’s no hockey, we have to adjust. Instead of needing 60 employees, we’ll only need 40.”

The situation has forced businesses to seek more business from tourists, convention-goers and locals.

Harris said his motel still manages to fill almost to capacity on most days, but he has been forced to lower his prices. During baseball season, he said, he charges as much as $69 for a room with two beds. This week, his marquee offered a $29 room special.

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Rooms are also cheaper at the Anaheim Stadium Travelodge, next to Harris’ motel.

“Things are slow,” said Ron Robles, the Travelodge’s front office manager. “Business has dropped about 15%, so rooms are about $6 cheaper.”

The Doubletree Hotel Orange County, which is down the street from the stadium, was also hit hard by the baseball strike. The hotel houses nearly all the visiting teams and many of their fans.

The abrupt end of the baseball season meant a $75,000 loss in revenue, said Mike Kelleher, the hotel’s director of marketing.

“It’s had a pretty big impact on us,” Kelleher said. “Right now, we’re just happy we’re not in the hockey business, because we would have continued to lose revenue.”

The Ramada Inn Anaheim-Disneyland, on Katella Avenue, depends largely on tourists for business and has not been hit too hard by the strike. But the hotel’s sports bar has experienced a big dip in the number of customers who come by.

“What’s next to go? The NBA?” asked Mike Von Flatern, a bartender at CC’s Sportsbar, which is run by the hotel. “Pretty soon, all that’s going to be left is roller hockey.”