DOWNTOWN (KGTV) — The San Diego Padres are in the playoffs for the third consecutive year, and downtown business owners say the excitement is translating directly to their bottom lines.
Randy Wagener, owner of Smoking Gun and neighboring Spill the Beans, said the playoff atmosphere has brought a noticeable surge in customers.
"We've seen a lot more traffic come in with the playoffs, we're hoping to emulate 2023 but go further. 2023 was that famous season where they went in the playoffs and beat the Dodgers," Wagener said.
Wagener said customers have already been coming in early on game days, dressed in their Padres gear, stopping at Spill the Beans before heading to the ballpark.
"So we've already seen a lot of business and Spill the Beans of people coming down early for the Padres game today in their gear," Wagener said.
Fall and winter are traditionally slow seasons for downtown San Diego businesses, but Wagener said the playoff run is giving local owners a financial cushion heading into those quieter months.
"A lot of the businesses downtown will gather all their nuts for the Padre season and eat them over the wintertime," Wagener said.
He said the timing of the playoff run is a welcome surprise on the business calendar.
"Tourism does slow down in the fall and the wintertime and having this just kind of unexpected in the calendar really does give us another leverage to just continue having fun," Wagener said.
While some businesses may look to capitalize on playoff crowds with higher prices, Wagener said he has no plans to follow suit.
"A lot of places will raise the prices on stuff just get that extra money. I'm, I'm not. We have no playoff tax," Wagener said.
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