Bricktown Businesses Score Economic Slam Dunk Thanks to Playoffs

By Dave Jordan, NEWS 9

OKLAHOMA CITY -- The Oklahoma City Thunder's strong showing in the playoffs isn't just limited to the hardwood. Restaurants and businesses in the Bricktown area are seeing a spike in sales and foot traffic.

"It has been absolutely amazing," said Greg Powell, manager of Bricktown Brewery. "The numbers we saw Saturday were on par with what we saw during the NCAA tournament."

After five years of the Bricktown Brewery, four of which he served as manager, Powell was stunned by the number of fans who showed up.

Without the Thunder game-- you know Saturday's always a good night. But this was well beyond. We did almost twice what we would normally do in sales on Saturday," said Powell.

Mickey Mantle's Steakhouse has also reported a similar boost in recent weeks, staffers said.

"Clearly, the Thunder has been great for our bottom line," said Brittany Devero, Director of Private Events. "We see a lot of the players here after the game, a lot of who's who in the bar. We've definitely benefited from the Thunder."

Both restaurants say they're anticipating the Thunder's return to Oklahoma City Friday for Game 6 of the playoffs.

Even businesses not tied to sports saw a boost in foot traffic and sales during the Thunder home playoff games.

"We had a very good Saturday and also a very good Thursday," said Chad Huntington, with the downtown Water Taxi.

Water Taxi got some free publicity when the network showed cutaways of these vessels.

"This introduces more people to Bricktown. There are people who haven't been to Bricktown in year and they get an opportunity to come down and interact, see how fun it is," Huntington said.

Lorne Montgomery flew in for the day on business and already likes what he sees.

"We were just talking about bringing the family back, so yeah, that's why we're looking around. We got two of us here just here walking around and checking out the sights," said Montgomery.

If people like Montgomery return, many believe the economic impact will be felt long after the games are played and the season ends. The Bricktown Association is hoping for just that.

Get the latest on the Thunder and the playoffs at OKBlitz.com.