Friday, February 11, 2000
Merchants expect to cash in
BY JENNY CALLISON
Enquirer Contributor
Ken Griffey Jr. wearing Cincinnati red means lots of green for Tristate merchants.
As news trickled out late Thursday afternoon that the Seattle Mariners and Reds had agreed to a trade sending Griffey to Cincinnati, adding machines were being fired up at local restaurants, hotels and other tourist attractions.
The prediction: Junior brings extra jingle to the bottom line.
“Having Junior on the team will significantly impact our business,” said Tim Ragan, general manager of TGI Friday's at Covington Landing.
“With the Reds being more than a local interest, I think you'll see people coming from Kentucky, Indiana, all through Ohio.”
Officials at area hotels also are bracing for more out-of-
town fans. They're expecting fans like John Combs, a Brookville, Ohio, resident who began making plans to purchase Reds tickets Thursday after hearing about the big trade.
“Last year, I went to five or six games,” Combs said. “This year, I most definitely plan to attend more and take my 9- and 7-year-old sons. There's more of an electric atmosphere now.”
Hotels are counting on those out-of-town Reds fans, said Gordy Snyder, vice president of Commonwealth Hotels, which owns and operates seven prop erties in Northern Kentucky.
“When the Reds are in town, our hotels tend to do well because they are along the riverfront, but we actually do feel the impact all the way out to Florence,” he said.
Jim Thompson, general manager for the Mike Fink restaurant in Covington, said Griffey's arrival will be a “tremendous win” for hoteliers, restaurant owners and other merchants.
“The Reds will draw on a regional basis. People will come from Indianapolis, Dayton, Louisville, Lexington,” Thompson said. “They'll come not only to see the game, but to go out to dinner and maybe stay in a hotel. Now it will be much more of an event.”
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