Bears playoff run offers rare January boost for Chicago businesses
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Chicago Bears fans at the NFC Wild Card Playoff game against the Green Bay Packers. Photo: Patrick McDermott/Getty Images
The Chicago Bears' playoff run continues Sunday night at Soldier Field and local businesses are very happy about it.
Why it matters: January is always tough for local restaurants and small businesses, so a playoff run is helping offset the usually slow sales.
By the numbers: While it's too early to measure data from this playoff run, the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce is happy to see foot traffic and more sales in the downtown area.
What they're saying: "The Bears' playoff run is a win for Chicago's economy," Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce CEO Jack Lavin tells Axios. "Big events like playoff weekends bring visitors into our restaurants, hotels and local businesses, supporting workers and driving spending across the city."
Zoom in: The Bears' wild playoff ride has been an economic windfall for local sports bars, like The Staley in the South Loop, just blocks from Soldier Field.
- "Business during this Bears' playoff run is on a completely different level for us — higher traffic, longer stays, and a huge lift in food and beverage sales," The Staley's Adrian Vasquez tells Axios. "All of that energy translates directly to the bottom line and reinforces why playoff football is such a win for sports bars like ours."
The other side: While sports bars are jam-packed, restaurant reservations usually suffer, especially at places without TVs.
- "During playoff games, Lettuce restaurants see a slight downturn in dining," Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants CEO RJ Melman tells Axios. "But on the flip side, carryout and delivery orders pick up among fans watching at home."
- "Overall, the positives for the city far outweigh any dip in foot traffic for us — we're hoping for another Bears win this weekend."
Zoom out: Merchandisers, especially a foam hat purveyor, are also seeing a big jump in sales for hats, jerseys and other Bears paraphernalia.
Between the lines: As the Bears flirt with leaving Chicago for the Northwest suburbs or Northwest Indiana, their city stadium received much love from the Prime Video broadcasters Saturday night, marveling at the crowd noise, the beautiful skyline to the north and Lake Michigan to the east.
- It's unlikely the Bears will stay on the Museum Campus long-term, but this playoff run is reminding fans about what's special about playing downtown.
The intrigue: While all eyes are on this playoff run at Soldier Field, Indiana Gov. Mike Braun delivered his State of the State speech last night, saying he was "working hard" to get the Bears to build a stadium in his state.
- Gov. JB Pritzker is saying he may be open to supporting infrastructure improvements for the team to build a stadium in Arlington Heights.
The bottom line: Winning isn't everything, but it helps with the bottom line.