FORT COLLINS, Colo. — A big game this weekend means a big opportunity for Fort Collins businesses to capitalize on the expected surge of customers coming their way.
The Rocky Mountain Showdown is coming to Colorado State University for the first time since 1996, and local sports bars have been busy preparing.
“We've been talking about it since June,” said Nate Haas, owner of Krazy Karl’s Pizza. “We've been having meetings and making sure that we're prepared for this. I think we got the right people in the right spot, and we're going to be ready.”
The feeling around CSU’s campus this year is different. Fans are excited for the matchup and believe the Rams can pull off the upset.
“There’s a huge buzz right now, and everybody just wants us to beat them,” said Benjamin Bomes, owner of Mo Jeaux’s Bar & Grill. “It's the first time it's been here in so long. And I think everybody's just excited to have a Rocky Mountain Showdown here.”
The extra excitement means extra preparations for these local establishments. More customers means more food and more staff.
“It took an entire week to just plan staffing, plan food, and then with the all the X factors,” said Bomes. “We normally go through this amount, but we have to plan on double. And there’s just a lot of math and formulas to try to get it right.”
Bomes estimates that they will sell 2,500 chicken wings this weekend, a 66% increase over the 1,500 they sell in a typical weekend. For Haas at Krazy Karl’s pizza, he knows that the better the Rams do, the better it will be for business.
“When the alumni leave the stadium, if CSU wins, they want to go out and keep the party going,” said Haas. “If there's a loss, there's a little bit of a depression, hangover, and everybody kind of just wants to go home. We see that on every game during the season. I expect it to be even more so on Saturday.”
These business owners aren’t immune to the contagious optimism running through Fort Collins. They believe CSU has a pretty good shot.
“After last year being close, and being at home this year, I think people are little bit excited and think we got a chance,” said Bomes.
“You’ve got to hold their stars down, and if you don't, it's going to be a long night,” said Haas. “We'll see. CSU’s got their own stars, though, so we'll see who shows out.”
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