The Gator’s national championship win in basketball in April has boosted the economy for Gainesville restaurants this football season as tens of thousands of fans come to town.
Spurrier’s Gridiron Grille and Crafty Bastards are two restaurants whose menu prices, location and typical customers differ, but both have a shared reliance on the consumers brought in for major Gator sporting events.
Spurrier’s, located in Celebration Pointe, is a higher-end restaurant, founded by former Florida football Head Coach Steve Spurrier. Open for four years, Spurrier’s can be popular for Gainesville visitors hoping to see the trophies, championship rings, game worn cleats and other memorabilia on display.
“Every Gator fan, every former player, [Spurrier’s is] their destination when they come to town,” said Freddie Wehbe, a managing partner of Spurrier’s Gridiron Grille.
When there are no football games, Visors, the rooftop dining area, is closed to the public and only reserved for private events. However, for game days, the upstairs bar is open on Friday and Saturday, depending on gametime.
According to Wehbe, about half of the restaurant’s guests come from outside of Gainesville.
This is true for Tac Justi, 66, who came with his family to have dinner and view the memorabilia spread throughout the restaurant.
“We’re four generations here tonight,” said Justi.
According to Alachua County, in 2024, 25% of the county’s consumer spending came from visitors. The visitors who stayed overnight in paid accommodations generated a $766.3 million economic impact. Of that spending, $513.3 million went toward lodging, dining, shopping, groceries and transportation.
While the restaurant is successful throughout the season, Wehbe said he’s noticed a notable difference in consumers in relation to the Gators’ play on the football field and basketball court.
“There’s a bigger demand when we’re winning. People wanna celebrate, wanna eat more, wanna drink more, when we’re winning. When we lose, we tend to go into somber moods, and people try to stay away from doing those things,” Wehbe said.
Spurriers is typically full, but Wehbe said the waitlist is five times greater when the Gators are winning versus when they’re losing.
Similarly, Crafty Bastards, a pub located on 39th Avenue in Magnolia Parke, also notices a difference in guests when the Gators are winning.
“If our football season is doing really well, then we do really well, which is great,” said Crafty Bastards Manager, Brittney Brunson.
Crafty Bastards opened ten years ago by husband and wife Pat and Betty Brunson, and today, it serves north Gainesville with affordable food and 60 types of draft beer.
The restaurant’s dining room and bar contain 15 TVs that play games requested by customers. During football and basketball season, Brunson said big crowds come in to watch the Gators on screen.
According to Alachua County hotel room occupancy data, between December 2023 and March 2024, the average hotel room occupancy was 72.5%. Through last December and March, occupancy reached its highest in five years, at a 75.3% sold out rate.
During last basketball season, Brunson said Crafty Bastards was packed with fans eager to watch the Gators.
“It was probably the funnest time I ever had here,” Brunson said.
Following the Gators’ national championship win, she said she’d noticed a difference in the attitude of fans coming in at the beginning of football season.
“The town is always excited for a new season but [fans wanted] to see if we could carry [momentum] over from the amazing basketball championship,” said Brunson.
She also said more fans had come into the restaurant in comparison to past football seasons.
“It was a great start…hopefully it will carry us through until the end of [the] season,” Brunson said.
After the Gators’ won their first basketball championship in 2006, the football team won their second championship nine months later. Fans hoped the same would happen this year, creating a buzz leading up to the season.
However, because of the Gator’s 2-3 record, it’s unlikely history will repeat itself. Despite this, fans aren’t done with the team yet. For the game versus the University of Texas last Saturday, Brunson said the restaurant was slammed.
“The season has started rough, but this past Saturday was a great turnaround,” Brunson said.
When Florida football is doing well, she said the pub has no problem filling up with guests. Unless the Gators are on a break.
“We have a hard time during the bye week,” Brunson said.
According to Alachua County’s hotel room occupancy data, since 2021 there’s consistently been an increase in occupancy in the fall compared to summer, the only exception being fall of 2022.
However, when basketball season ends and spring turns into summer, the struggle of attracting customers arises. In the past two years, after the college basketball regular season ended in March, Alachua County’s hotel occupancy dropped to 70% in the months after.
“We are barely afloat to say the least,” said Brunson.
In order to attract more customers during football and basketball’s offseason, Crafty Bastards has tried different alternatives. Live music, trivia night, bingo and weekly specials have been ways the pub has adapted to summer lows.
The restaurant also has an adjoining craft beer bottle shop, where customers are allowed to sample different beers every Thursday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m for free. These tastings draw regulars, like Gary Winner, 70, who enjoy the samples and raffles.
“I would say 30 to 40 regulars come in at least once a week, like I could name them off my fingertips, and they have kept us afloat,” said Brunson.
Although Brunson said these events are successful in attracting guests, when summer comes around once again, the restaurant will still face the struggle of filling seats as the pub’s screens have no Gator sports to show.