ASHWAUBENON (NBC26) — A typical Monday Night Football at The Pancake Place means lines out the door and down the sidewalk and tables full of customers clad in green and gold.
Theresa Barlament, owner of the famous Green Bay spot, says game days would bring people from all over to her restaurant. But this morning, she headed into work not even knowing if the Packers were playing at Lambeau or not.
"The vibe is just excitement and unfortunately we don't have that today," said Barlament. "It didn't even matter if it was home or away because business is just down so much."
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, fans are still not allowed inside Lambeau Field. This has brought business at The Pancake Place down 45 percent, said Barlament.
"Not only my business but many of the local businesses rely on the Packer games to bring in that extra money for the community," said Barlament.
It's not just restaurants and bars that are hurting this season. Guests aren't staying in hotels, tailgaters aren't purchasing supplies at grocery stores and travelers aren't filling up their tanks at gas stations.
"The reach of that spend goes throughout our entire community," said Brad Toll, President and CEO of the Greater Green Bay Convention and Business Bureau.
Each home game brings in around 15 million dollars, Toll said. But aside from the economic impact, Packerland has been extremely quiet this football season.
"It's just a normal Monday in Green Bay today which is very very strange."
