As Hawks keep winning, business booming for local restaurants

ATLANTA — While the Hawks’ Game 7 win wasn’t a guarantee, it was a guaranteed win for restaurants in the metro Atlanta area.

The owner of the Hudson Grille in downtown Atlanta told Channel 2′s Audrey Washington that since the Hawks made the playoffs, business has increased by 20%.

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For Hawks fans piling into sports bars and restaurants across the metro area, they had just as many nerves as they had appetite.

“After the Super Bowl, it’s been like, ‘What are we doing, Atlanta?,’” one woman told Washington.

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But Hudson Grille manager Brandon Brooks says the playoffs have been nothing but a positive for his business.

“It’s been great. I can’t exaggerate it any more because we were going from the fast casual service to the service we’re at now, which is almost full service,” he said.

Like many other businesses, Brooks said their profits tanked during the pandemic.

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“During the pandemic, it was not pretty. When we first came back, it wasn’t pretty as well. So it’s starting to slowly get back to the normal numbers we were doing before COVID,” Brooks said.

The Hudson Grille was just one of many restaurants packed Sunday night. Many owners say restrictions being loosened have helped increase their bottom lines.

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