DENVER (KDVR) — With multiple sports teams playing this weekend in Denver and even out of town, local bars and restaurants saw a nice boom in business.
“It’s a great time to be a sports bar in Denver right now,” Kyle Hesseltine, the general manager of the Sports Column in Denver said.
Hesseltine stated since the Avalanche have been in the playoffs and winning, they’ve noticed a significant increase in fans coming in to watch the games. He said Rockies and Nuggets over the weekend helped too.
“Just having that flux and attitude with them winning and going forward and we’re hoping to see how far they get in the playoffs,” Hesseltine said.
Even though things may feel like they are getting back to normal, the issue of staffing when it comes to places like bars and restaurants is still being hit post pandemic.
“We have a little bit of staffing issues here and there. It’s an industry wide issue we are seeing,” Hesseltine said.
Under the Colorado Jumpstart incentive program initiated Wednesday, some unemployed people are eligible to receive an incentive of up to $1,600 to support the transition into full-time work.
To be eligible for an incentive, Colorado’s unemployed workers must have received at least one week of unemployment benefits of $25 or more between March 28 and May 16 and have verified their identities via ID.me.
Hesseltine said his bar is hiring new people weekly to keep up with the demand as things transition to normal. He said he imagines other bars on Blake Street are going through the same thing.
“A lot of people took other jobs some place else cause they couldn’t get back into the restaurant industry,” Hesseltine said.
But he’s just happy seats are filled at his spot.
“It’s been a big boost in business just after having business back compared to last year,” Hesseltine said.