You might not think of restaurants as a sports-related business, but for many in the neighborhood of TD Garden, the business cycle and even existence of some depend very much on the success of local professional team sports like the Boston Bruins and Celtics.
With the coronavirus pandemic continuing to crush the service industry, such businesses are often especially hard-hit, as even the delivery options being turned to by some are met with limited success.
Given sports-themed bars and restaurants in the vicinity have made their business model as more of a place to meet and watch or congregate after a game, turning to curbside pick-up or delivery hasn’t produced much business.
One such restaurant, the Fours, was recently profiled by the Athletic’s Jared Weiss.
Today at @TheAthletic we go local.
The Fours is in trouble, having had to lay off about 70 employees. @JaredWeissNBA takes a look at the impact the shutdown of the sports world is taking on people in regular corners of the world
🔓https://t.co/sHBQ6aYeFe
#supportlocal pic.twitter.com/nuMiARilSs— The Athletic Boston (@TheAthleticBOS) April 8, 2020
Within eyeshot of the entrance to the Garden, the restaurant was forced to shutter temporarily on March 15th, with general manager Jim Taggart relating how — unlike other branches further away from the Celtics’ home court — delivery and related service hasn’t been enough to stay afloat.
“We tried that for the first week, but it really didn’t work for us,” he began.
“[In this area], all the restaurants and bars live and die by the cycle of the Garden … anything going on at the Garden brings business. We were fortunate that we had a really good lunch business for a lot of years and a weekend business, as a lot of government agencies used to be located in that area of Boston because the rent was cheaper. So we had a pretty thriving lunch business.”
“But of course, that has all come to an abrupt end,” he offered.
Noting how there’s no real functioning businesses of any kind nor neighborhood population in the immediate area, Taggart explained how the local demographics have forced hard decisions.
“We tried because we wanted to keep the kitchen guys working, but it just wasn’t working out … We’re closed right now, so there’s about 70 people who are not employed. It’s a big deal,” he added.
The sudden suspension to professional sports isn’t just hitting pro teams and the businesses that depend on their play directly hard, either.
COVID-19 testing likely critical for NBA return, economy writ large https://t.co/3KR9i8CVuS
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) April 6, 2020
The far end of the development curve that feeds the NBA with new prospects is suffering as well — sometimes even affecting former Celtics involved with them, such as former Boston point guard Dana Barros.
Interviewed by the Boston Herald’s Mark Murphy, Barros related how the pandemic has closed down his youth basketball camps, which he has held going all the way back to the 1989-90 NBA season.
“Any business will have to deal with the things we are going through,” said Barros.
“Any business will be affected immensely if it goes on for five or six months, absolutely, I don’t care what business you are. Every business is holding their breath. I don’t know if the whole season will end for AAU, but it’s going to be close if something doesn’t change pretty soon.”
Barros is not alone in that regard, either. In fact, very far from it — the impacts of the COVID-19 shutdown are far-reaching, as the former Celtic explained.
Boston's Jayson Tatum gives update on quarantine via conference call https://t.co/CtxjJxL1Vz
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) April 6, 2020
“his is a peak season for us — for everyone, all basketball programs,” related Barros.
“This is AAU. March and April programs. I have 35 teams, and there’s probably 5,000 teams in this state, and some of those teams were year-round basketball programs that rely on the income from AAU. It’s difficult for all the businesses, definitely, and I was the main facility for most of the tournaments.”
Whether service industry or sports or countless other fields and industries, the impact of the pandemic is wide and deep already, and will likely be felt for a long time even once things begin to return to normalcy.
But it’s far too soon to even begin to estimate how it will change the economic landscape of many if not all industries throughout the Massachusetts area and world writ large.
“The ancillary effects are just enormous,” offered Barros — effects that may be with us in some form for quite some time.
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