CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte restaurants and bars are welcoming the return of March Madness.
The annual basketball tournament was canceled last year in the early days of the pandemic.
Sales at Fox & Hound during March Madness are beating 2019 levels, says Laura Nealy, district manager for Kelly Operations Group. She oversees the Fox & Hound locations in North Carolina, including three in the Charlotte market.
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“It’s not just the tournament, it’s the timing,” Nealy says. “People are just ready to get out and have that connection.”
March Madness is one of the biggest months of the year for Mac’s Speed Shop. It had its four largest days of sales ever last Saturday — despite a 50% capacity limit, says Shang Skipper, president of Charlotte-based Mac’s Hospitality Group, the restaurant’s parent company.
It operates eight locations of Mac’s Speed Shop in the Carolinas, as well as Southbound, The Music Yard and Backstage Lounge.
Read the full story here for more from these and other local restaurant owners.
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