Local bars and restaurants reap the benefits from the Battle of Alberta
Well, the Battle of Alberta is over.
After a 31-year wait since the last Calgary versus Edmonton series, it was a sad day for Flames fans and an incredibly happy one for fans of the Oilers.
However, it wasn’t all competition and heartbreak.
The real winners (besides the Edmonton Oilers) were local bars and restaurants that benefitted in both cities, with fans flocking to watch the games.
There was a massive uptick in sales for these local businesses, especially those closest to the arenas.
- You might also like:
- "Mouse droppings, urine and nesting materials" forced Calgary restaurant to close
- Massive multi-level golf and entertainment venue opens next month in Calgary
- Popular food items at The Keg Steakhouse ranked from worst to best
Moneris, Canada’s largest payment provider, examined spending trends from the Battle of Alberta playoff round. Moneris found double-digit growth in overall spending, and often even more than that.
With the Red Lot and Moss Pit, free watch parties, pubs, bars, and restaurants were even super busy even for away games.
View this post on Instagram
Even in round 1, spending went way up in both cities.
When Calgary played Dallas, money spent on food and drink near the arena went up 32% in Game 1. In Edmonton, even when they lost to the LA Kings, food and drink spending doubled.
In Edmonton, money spent at bars near Roger Place went up over 1,600% and even reached higher than 200% in the rest of the city.
In the Battle of Alberta series, in the hectic game one where both teams combined for 16 goals, Moneris found it was high spending and high scoring. Calgary and Edmonton saw an increase in spending near the arena, just over 30%.
Game three showed a huge increase in spending in both cities as well.
Food and drink spending was up over 200% for Edmonton businesses close to Rogers Place and nearly doubling at 90% for Calgary businesses near the Saddledome.
View this post on Instagram
Moneris continued to monitor the Battle of Alberta for every game and will provide data for those dates as well. It’s likely the trend for spending more to enjoy the series continued.
The battle is now over, but hopefully, both cities will see a significant resurgence in people continuing to go out and support local bars and restaurants after such a difficult stretch.
Hopefully spending in Calgary stays high even though their time in the playoffs is now over, and it’ll be great to see the Edmonton Oilers continue to find success this post-season — on the ice and in the bars.
Good luck, Oilers!
Follow Channels and Categories