Super Bowl crowds boost Bay Area businesses, but some feel left out

By Andrea Nakano

Super Bowl festivities drew a huge crowd in the South Bay on Friday night with the Big Game Block Party with Kehlani. While the big game will be played at Levi’s Stadium, some businesses in the South Bay say they’re only getting a small slice of the economic pie.

Nick Nestingen and his friends flew down from Seattle to watch their Seahawks play in Super Bowl 60. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience, but a costly one.

“It’s a lifelong dream to do this,” Nestigen said. “I remember earlier this year thinking about how I wanted to watch the Seahawks play in the Super Bowl. This was before they were looking as good as they were. I was like ya, maybe in ten years. For it to happen this year is amazing.”

Nestingen says he got a slight deal on the tickets, but he’s doing what he can to save a few dollars here and there.

“We’re still paying $4,000 for our seats,” he said. “Then I have relatives in the area, so I got free lodging. Then we have some friends who are putting us up for the weekend of the Super Bowl so we got to save a lot of money.”

But whether these fans are from out of town or from the Bay Area, they’re spending money. Something Abram Chandler with 6th Street Burgers has been looking forward to. He says Fridays are typically busy but nothing like this.

“Our Fridays are really good but possibly double what’s going on,” Chandler said.

This is a big week for many Bay Area businesses hoping to cash in on the Super Bowl crowd. Chandler just wishes there were more big game events in the South Bay.

“From looking at all the maps and events going on in San Francisco, I feel like there are 20 to 30 different things happening in a day, “Chandler said. “With all the jets flying in and all the athletes. We’re not getting too much of that in San Jose. So, I would say give us half of that at least.”

Zaileen Janmohamed, the CEO of the Bay Area Host Committee, was on the red carpet in San Francisco Thursday night. She talked about the planning that went into making sure the entire region scored big this week.

“It’s something that we were really intentional about early on to make sure that the entirety of the Bay was included,” Janmohamed said. “It’s not difficult but it’s something that has to be coordinated really well.”

The Super Bowl is expected to bring in hundreds of millions of dollars to the Bay Area. Patriots fan Skyler Winkel says he’s enjoying all the festivities, but going to the actual game is not an option.

“Nose bleeds are like $7000,” Winkel said. “It’s out of my range even though it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It’s too much, though.”

Fans say no matter who wins or loses, this experience is worth every penny. It would just be a little sweeter if their team wins.

“I can’t wait to take a picture with my Seahawks jersey with the Seahawks logo painted on the field and just wave and say thanks for hosting,” Nestingen said.