Despite a rough start following drastic roster changes made during the off-season, the Phoenix Suns are providing a much-needed boost to local business in downtown Phoenix just nine home games into the new season.
“Having the Suns has been extremely positive for downtown in terms of attracting people here,” said David Roderique, president of the Downtown Phoenix Partnership, a nonprofit organization that seeks to improve business in the area.
The Suns, Arizona Diamondbacks, Phoenix Mercury and Arizona Rattlers all help bring in business in a way that has changed downtown Phoenix tremendously, Roderique said.
“They have been an important part of the renaissance of downtown,” he said. “Twenty years ago it was barren, the sidewalks literally rolled up at night.
“Now having these major sports and cultural events brings people, life and activity,” he said, “and the Suns were one of the first ones, with the U.S. Airways center.”
The U.S. Airways center has been home to the Phoenix Suns since 1992, when the team’s owner opened what was known as America West Arena.
“A lot of people thought Jerry Colangelo was crazy for building downtown, but it really changed things,” said Roderique about the former Suns owner. “It has been a big proponent of downtown redevelopment.”
An example of what the Suns have contributed to downtown revitalization can be seen through the Phoenix Hard Rock Cafe, which moved from its prior location to be closer to U.S. Airways ten years ago, said Brent Rumph, the restaurant’s general manager.
“The original was on 24th and Camelback, and that area just was not ‘Hard Rock.’ We want to be in the epicenter, on main and main,” he said. “There is only one Hard Rock in each city, so you have to be in a very high-profile area.”
In the current location, the Suns are the biggest influence on the restaurant’s business, Rumph said.
“When I write the budgets it’s the only thing I budget against,” he said. “Not the Diamondbacks, Mercury or Rattlers because those sales and demographics are unpredictable.”
“But the Suns have been sold out for four years, 16,000 people a game,” he said.
Having thousands of people in the area seriously affects the already limited dining in downtown Phoenix, Rumph said.
“The thing about being so close to the venue is it goes from zero to 1,000 in an hour,” he said. “And when the game starts it clears out, from total chaos to crickets. We play the game on the bar monitor and wait for the second push.”
On game nights the restaurant staffs many more employees than usual, and it often extends the kitchen’s normal closing hours in order to capture the sales, he said.
The Suns’ home games can make or break the restaurant’s budget, he said.
“Having two Suns games one week and none the next is exponential,” Rumph said. “It’s the difference of hitting budget by 100 percent or missing it by 50 percent.
“If I didn’t have the Suns, this probably wouldn’t be a good location for Hard Rock,” he said.
Not only do the Suns affect business and retail but the amount of fans they bring in has also helped changed the perception of downtown to be much more positive,” Roderique said.
“It certainly has helped attract people to downtown and to bring a good diversity in terms of the fan base,” he said. “It gives people a sense of pride in the community.”
Contact the reporter at kbwhite1@asu.edu
