CHARLOTTE — While more than 70,000 fans packed Bank of America Stadium Saturday night for the Carolina Panthers’ Wild Card game against the Los Angeles Rams, others packed bars and restaurants around the Queen City.
And while those businesses benefited in the short-term, local leaders say the city will benefit in the long term.
Charlotte is in the exclusive club of 30 NFL cities, and Channel 9’s Evan Donovan found that the unexpected playoff game at home makes a difference at a crucial time.
The Milkshake Factory, for example, just opened on Church Street near Romare Bearden Park last summer. The extra business from Saturday’s game was a big boost.
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“Around maybe like 3 [p.m.] to the whole game, everyone was coming in here, we was packed out,” said Khaleiah Durant.
It’s pretty obvious there were more people in Uptown Charlotte than on a normal Saturday, even compared to usual Panthers’ gamedays. But exactly how many people filled the streets will take a few days to figure out.
“So we know how many people were in Bank of America Stadium, how many people were around [the] stadium,” said Moira Quinn with Center City Partners.
The group has a tool that counts people in Uptown, and Quinn says the Panthers’ playoff run helps businesses in January, which is typically a down month.
Quinn said it’s not just the short-term gain -- these games can help recruit businesses, which means more jobs.
“So being an NFL city is a real economic development driver, and it’s something people don’t always think about,” Quinn said.
Data from the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority shows that 33 million people spent $9.1 billion in the city last fiscal year. About one in nine Charlotteans work in leisure and hospitality, meaning those dollars have an impact on local jobs.
For Durant, the hope is for more Panthers playoff runs in the future.
“I love the energy with the city, I’ve never seen so many people in here with that same energy. We had the passion for the Panthers to win,” Durant said.
It’ll take a few days to get the estimate of Uptown’s economic impact. The CRVA says it should have the data by mid-week.
(VIDEO: 101-year-old Panthers fan cheers for Carolina’s return to playoffs)
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