Now that the Final Four is over, Westgate prepares for summer slowdown
Apr 4, 2017, 4:30 AM | Updated: 8:41 am
Final Four viewers stand outside of McFadden's at Westgate. (Photo by Nailea Leon)
(Photo by Nailea Leon)
The Final Four brought lots of customers for businesses at Westgate Entertainment District in Glendale to enjoy.
“Outside of the Super Bowl, this has been the second-busiest weekend we’ve ever had here,” said Scott McIntire, general manager of McFadden’s Restaurant and Saloon at Westgate.
There were probably a good 100,000 people in the area on Saturday for the Final Four, with 65,000 at the stadium and probably another 20,000 hanging out, partying and watching the game, he said.
Monday — for the championship game — was no different, since McFadden’s was the official Gonzaga bar, and had a line out the door for most of the evening.
“A lot of people are moving into Westgate and this place has tripled since the first Super Bowl [in 2008], he said.
But now the Super Bowl, the NCAA Football Championship Game and Monday night’s Final Four are over, it’s about five months until the Cardinals kick back into gear, and businesses at Westgate are preparing for a long summer.
“It’s typical — summer season, I think every bar/restaurant, depending on where you’re at anywhere in the Valley, the hot summer season, [it] dies down a little bit.
“We try to prepare as much as we can with our staffing, extra marketing, bringing in celebrities. Anything to keep a good crowd coming.”
He added that additional events being booked at Gila River Arena and University of Phoenix Stadium can help business.
“The arenas have been doing a really good job this season booking out concerts,” he said “As long as they keep booking some events at the arenas — you know, Westgate, [the] City of Glendale keep some of the concerts to supplement our non-football and event season, it’s huge.”
