SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — And on Opening Day, it is not just the fans that are excited, but local businesses who are expecting record-breaking sales.
All-day Thursday, there have been swarms of Friar Faithfuls on J Street. This means constant foot traffic and fans looking to spend.
“Exposure is great, brand is great and the Padres are great," shares Ryan Dehu.
The Owner of the Blind Burro, which sits a block away from the park, hopes to capitalize on today's home game.
“Month of preparedness, from training new staff, hiring 10 to 15 new people just for baseball season and make sure they feel comfortable with the volume we are about to do," explains Dehu.
The restaurant opened new decks, extended its hours, and consolidated its menu. He's expecting sales to be at their highest, “It’s going to be up there with Garth Brooks concert which was a record for us.”
Across the street is Lucky's Counter. The Chef, Ivan Munoz, makes food for the sandwich shop and its partners, Moonshine Deck and Moonshine Flats.
“We are even open later hours than we normally do, just for today," he shares. "So it’s going to be a lot of fun.”
They have been working with these crowds for 10 years. Munoz says on Thursday they offered $3.94 specials for fish tacos and beer. He hopes they sell out, “A small venue like Lucky’s is, we still do about three times our normal sales on a day like today easily.”
While these businesses cater to the fans outside the stadium, they hope to celebrate a win in more ways than one.
“Everybody is on the same team today," shares Dehu. "Everybody is a Padre fan. Staff is happy, everyone having a little extra money in their pocket today, seamless afternoon.”
For some stores like Off the Bench, Thursday will be their first day experiencing sales in baseball season.
“We just opened at noon and we’ve already seen a ton of foot traffic so it can only get better from here," shares Owner Anthony Binno.
The shoe store has only been open for four months, and has already been getting requests from Friar Faithfuls.
“We are actually working on a collab with some Padres colors for our Off the Bench tshirts," explains Binno. "Which will be here in the next few weeks, we couldn’t get them before the game but you know we will get them soon.”
They hope the sneakers will sell off the shelves.
Across the block, Throw it!, hopes their axes keep flying.
“We do typically get way busy after the games," shares Owner Negar Sarbaz. "It’s a little slow at the beginning but it all depends on how the Padres are doing, they either trickle in after the 5th inning or they come in at the end.”
Throw it! has been open for 3 and a half years. They offer 10$ discounts to ticketholders to redeem before or after games.
“It is going to get pretty packed for a lot of popular games," Sarbaz says. "Like the Dodgers and stuff was already sold out.”
And selling out is what they hope for, as revenue from just a home opener could impact the year.
“During the off-season it’s a struggle, during baseball season we do really good and it does pay for half of our year and that’s a lot," she explains.
These businesses hope that the momentum of customers they see Thursday continues throughout the season.
“We are just excited for all the foot traffic from the baseball games," says Binno. "You know glad to have them back in town.”
