Eagles to generate $1.2B economic impact with Super Bowl, parade, season

PHILADELPHIA (WPHL) –When a team wins, fans spend money. On Friday, one million fans will line Broad Street, and local merchants are looking forward to those fans turn into customers giving extending the boost in business Philadelphia has experienced. The Philadelphia Eagles are projected to generate $1.2 billion in revenue, according to a study by Xavier University. Local restaurants, bars, retailers and hotels in the Greater Philadelphia Area will piggy-back off the success of the Eagles after a winning season, a Super Bowl championship win and a city parade.

“We’re expecting busier Friday than normal,” said Taylor Weldon, Culinary Directo at P.J. Clarke’s. “We do expect with the parade and so many people coming to the city, especially people parking in this area and heading to Broad, that we should get a lot of people coming in for Happy Hour.”

P.J. Clarke’s is kicking off Happy Hour early on Friday. Discounts on cocktails, beer and some food items will begin at 3 p.m., about an hour after parade festivities wrap up at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Like many restaurants and bars, employees remember the energy Philadelphia fans brought with the Super Bowl parade in 2018 after the Eagles beat the New England Patriots in their first Super Bowl win. Local eateries are stocking up on food and alcohol with the expected influx of customers. While some restaurants along the parade route are selling tickets for a seat in their venue to watch the parade, others are hosting private parties.

As the parade coincides with Valentine’s Day, many restaurants, like P.J. Clarke’s, were already prepared with a special dinner for couples dining in.

“We’re serving a three-course tasting menu, a bunch of different raw bar and seafood options to start,” Weldon said. “We’re serving a roasted salmon on a cedar plank, and then couple of dessert options, crème brûlée and chocolate mousse.”

Retailers are also banking on the Eagles’ success. Sporting goods store selling Eagles gear began seeing a boost in sales when the Birds won the NFC Championship in January.

“Anything Eagles gear just flies out the door,” said Donald Flocco, fifth-generation owner of Flocco’s Discount Shoes and Clothes in Conshohocken. “We’ve been here for 99 years, which makes a big difference. We take care of people with great prices, great selection.”

Fanatics reported Eagles fans broke the 24-hour record in sales after a championship across all sports. When Philadelphia won the Super Bowl during the 2017 season, merchandise sales nearly broke the record set the by the Chicago Cubs when the MLB team won the World Series in 2016.