Metro Businesses Looking To Cash In On Thunder Playoffs Run

With the proximity to the arena, Bricktown has long felt the economic boost during the Thunder games, but they aren't only area benefiting from this playoff run.

Flags outside businesses, giant banners on buildings mean the Thunder are still hunting for the NBA championship, and the longer we see these signs of support, the more businesses see it too.

Thunder gear continues flying off the shelves as the team pushes deeper into the playoffs, and the economic boost hits many sectors in the metro.

"These little neighborhood areas like automobile alley and midtown, and I would even imagine the plaza district, see a lot of an impact from the Thunder games," Iguana Mexican Grill General Manager Rebecca Daley said.

At Iguana Mexican Grill, they play up Thunder home games to get the crowds in.

After some good food and drinks, they can hop aboard the black pearl, as she's known as, and get a ride on down to the Thunder game.

Daley said the longer the Thunder season, the better weeknights tend to be, especially with Playoff games on Mondays and Thursdays.

"We probably would see a couple of thousand extra dollars coming in, maybe two or three hundred people that wouldn't come in," said Daley. "You know, the restaurant seats about 140, so we'll fill up a couple of times before the game. So, it is a big impact. It gets us close to what our sales would be on a Friday or Saturday night."

And as many of us know, the parking lots become a cash cow as fans pay top dollar to park close to the arena. Parking lot operators tell me it's simple, the more home games, the more money they can make.