Pasadena’s Restaurants Vie to Court Influx of Tourists

Robert Simon, owner of Pasadena’s Bistro 45 restaurant, has been stumping at high-end hotels since September. He’s not campaigning for votes, but for diners.

Simon and other restaurateurs court the local concierges at Pasadena’s hotels in the hope that they will guide tourists to their eateries this week.

“The only people who are going to send people to your restaurant as a group are the concierges,” Simon said.

Bistro 45 earns 35% of its yearly profit during December, Simon said. “The Tournament is something that we look forward to and relish each year.”

More than 1 million visitors are expected in Pasadena for the Tournament of Roses, which includes today’s Rose Parade and Rose Bowl game between USC and the University of Michigan.

Those who visit the region between now and Sunday will spend an estimated $210 million, according to the Tournament of Roses Assn., and about 20% will be spent at dining and drinking establishments.

To attract attention, some restaurants are offering free valet parking with a ticket stub from the game. Others have forged relationships with alumni associations to host fan parties.

Many restaurants on or near Colorado Boulevard, the city’s main drag, have set up sandwich boards to coax the influx of tourists.

“There’s twice as many signs this year as last year,” lamented Maggie Campbell, chief executive of the Old Pasadena Management District, after a stroll along the boulevard.

Her organization is responsible for marketing the 20-block area and has been working with the city to enforce its sign ordinance, which prohibits such sidewalk ads.

“The restaurants probably realize the windfall almost more than any other” business, Campbell said. “You don’t necessarily have to shop, especially right after Christmas.”

There are five major hotels in Pasadena, offering about 1,700 rooms, according to the Pasadena Convention & Visitors Bureau. And there are about 135 restaurants in the areas of Pasadena that get up to 80% of the tourist business -- including Old Pasadena, the playhouse district and the Paseo Colorado shopping district.

Some restaurant owners said they do nothing special to try to lure in tournament travelers.

“We really function on word of mouth,” said Gregg Smith, co-founder of Pasadena-based Smith Bros. Restaurant Corp., which owns five restaurants including its flagship Parkway Grill. Business bumps up by about 20% during Rose week, especially at his high-end restaurants.

“We don’t advertise, we don’t have any special promotions or any of that.... If we lose a customer to our neighbors that week, that’s OK,” Smith said.

But for restaurateurs like Simon, this week is the show. And he spends a lot of time traveling through hotel lobbies.

“We go to the lobby and say, hi, is there anything the restaurant can do to help them. We always hold two or three tables for that concierge desk,” he said.

That way, when most other restaurants are full, the concierge can pick up the phone and find a table waiting.

“The concierge recommends us, the guest is happy, they give us another reservation and it goes around and around and around,” Simon said. “It’s like the circle of life.”