NFL stadiums are big generators of pre- and post-game visits to nearby restaurants and bars, but retail analytics firm Placer.ai found that some venues have more drawing power for those neighboring establishments than others.
For example, using monthly stadium attendance data and other tracking points, researchers said 5.2% of visitors to M&T Bank Stadium, home of the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens, made pre-game visits to nearby dining venues in 2023, and 6.9% made post-game stops at those establishments.
On the higher end for dining visits, AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, home of the Dallas Cowboys, fueled pre-game dining stops by 14.2% of attendees and post-game stops by 20.6%.
Placer.ai said traffic trends near all of the NFL’s 30 stadiums can have a significant effect on restaurant operators’ location decisions as well as service and menu offerings. They can also influence the choice of food vendors that stadium operators put in place to vie with those off-site competitors.
With the NFL playoffs now underway, just a few stadiums will be generating football-centric crowds at nearby restaurants in coming weeks as the remaining teams compete to play in February’s Super Bowl at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
Restaurant and bar crowds are likely to be increased around Allegiant Stadium, home of the NFL’s Raiders near the Vegas Strip, come Super Bowl Sunday on Feb. 11. Placer.ai data showed 9.2% of visitors to that venue made pre-game stops at nearby restaurants during 2023, and 12.6% stopped by after the game.
Restaurant operators may also get varied foot traffic and spending results based on customer demographics for the sport being played in nearby stadiums. Citing its own 2023 attendance data and other sources including STI PopStats, Placer.ai reported that Major League Baseball stadium visitors have the highest median household income among the major U.S. sports at $87,500. NFL stadium attendees come next at $83,300, followed by NBA arena crowds at $83,000.