Playoffs may pay off for city
December 13
Charlotte Observer
"After two seasons without a winning record, Carolina Panthers fans are thrilled about their team's playoff push.
Cheering just as much, though, are uptown Charlotte restaurants, bars, hotels and other businesses that otherwise have been battered by a year-long recession.
Ask anyone where they're saving money in these tough times, and cutting down on meals, vacations and optional expenses is a popular answer. For many restaurants and pubs, that's meant more quiet nights, smaller lunch crowds and a big dip in parties and group events.
Amid that slowdown, game days have offset the damage, some managers say. The Panthers play their last regular-season home game Sunday, and at 10-3 could earn a home playoff game.
Between the team's surge and the economy's funk, "the Panthers are winning that tug of war," said Jamey Cabell, general manager of Stool Pigeons at Church and Sixth streets. Sales are "up every game," he said, "whether it's home or away."
Never was the fan fervor more evident than Monday, when the home team played in primetime.
From Picasso's to Cans to Fox
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