Restaurants will see a sales pop of nearly $1 billion this weekend as a result of pro football’s return without crowds in the stands, according to a just-released projection from a data analytics company.
“The decrease in live event attendance and spending is a huge boon to restaurants and grocery & liquor stores,” says PredictHQ. “No fans or limited fans at games means we’ll see Super Bowl-caliber consumption of pizza, beer, wings, chips & dips every Sunday.”
The company foresees a half-billion-dollar bump from Thursday night’s game alone. While the Kansas City Chiefs battle the Houston Texans in the first NFL contest of the 2020-21 season, consumers will be munching on delivered and takeout pizza, wings and sandwiches worth tens of millions of dollars. The specific sales projections by product, as indicated by a survey of 2,500 football fans:
Food Share of all orders Total sales (mil.)
Pizza 25% $61.3
Wings/fried chicken 22% $31.6
Fast food 11% $27.8
Barbecue/ribs 11% $31.6
Deli sandwiches 9% $14.8
Burritos/tacos 6% $10.1
Source: PredictHQ
“Americans are definitely ready for the joy of watching the NFL with their friends and family,” said Campbell Brown, CEO of PredictHQ. “This will cause a huge surge in demand that food providers and restaurants need to be ready for.”
Many NFL stadiums will be closed to attendees this season because of the coronavirus pandemic. Others are open to fans at limited capacities. Some are themselves offering takeout and delivery.
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