THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, March 10, 1995 TAG: 9503080222
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 13 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
SOURCE: BY JENNIFER C. O'DONNELL, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 75 lines
OUT-OF-TOWN visitors attracted by the Virginia High School League's state wrestling tournament at Oscar F. Smith High School last weekend gave a mid-winter boost to Chesapeake businesses.
The increase in sales came at a good time, according to the operators of several Greenbrier area hotels and restaurants.
``Normally, the winter months are tough on restaurants,'' said Katrece Hyde, assistant manager at the Black-Eyed Pea on Greenbrier Parkway.
But the wrestlers and their families and fans changed that this weekend.
``We had a really good Saturday,'' said Hyde. ``Business was steady all day and our sales for Saturday night were about $1,000 over the norm for this time of year.''
And the Black-Eyed Pea wasn't the only area restaurant that noticed an increase in sales. It appears as though wrestlers were all thinking the same thing Friday night - pasta!
``We had three parties of 30 or more on Friday night,'' said Bob Forcht, general manager of the Olive Garden. ``We're always pretty busy on the weekends. But the wrestling crowd made up for the tax season, which tends to take some of the customer base away.''
Maria Belanger, a manager at the International House of Pancakes, said she had about 200 extra customers on Friday.
``We were caught off-guard because we weren't told about the event. But we made sure we were prepared for Saturday and Sunday's crowd.''
Paul Storey, manager of the Holiday Inn at Greenbrier, said the tournament brought the extra business he had expected. He said the hotel reserved more than 180 rooms for wrestlers and their families, which increased the hotel's occupancy rate by 30 percent.
``We're very pleased,'' he said.
Other hotels experienced a similar increase in room occupancy.
``We think 25, maybe 30, rooms were rented by wrestlers and their parents,'' said Shannan Harrigan, manager of the Wellesley Inn at Greenbrier. ``If only we had an event like this every weekend.''
Jim DeLutis, general manager of Martin Screen Prints, said business also went well for his company. Martin Screen Prints sold T-shirts and other printed apparel at the tournament.
``I think expectations were met if not exceeded,'' he said.
According to Wayne Martin, tournament director, the Virginia High School League broke records this weekend by taking in over $15,000. The VHSL will keep those profits, but the high school's athletic department will keep the proceeds from the concession stands.
Many area businesses were told about the tournament several months ago and a few beefed up their staffs to accommodate additional guests. It appears as though visitors noticed the extra effort.
``Everyone's treated us so well,'' said Seaver Miller, a sophomore from Herndon High School in Herndon.
``You could tell there was a lot of support from the business community,'' added Linda Dixon of Reston. Dixon's son, Michael, a senior at South Lakes High School, walked away with the title for the 140-pound weight class.
Businesses are already hoping the Virginia High School League will decide to let Chesapeake host the tournament again next year.
``The event is a real shot in the arm for local businesses. Especially at this time of year,'' said Storey. ``If we get the tournament next year we'll know what to expect and can better plan for the event.''
Martin said it's not unlikely that the event will be repeated at Oscar Smith.
``We're sure the VHSL was impressed with what they saw this weekend. We've already submitted a verbal bid for next year's event.''
No decision will be made about the site of next year's tournament until summer, he said. MEMO: [For a related story, see page 12 of The Clipper for this date.]
by CNB