DES MOINES, Iowa — Downtown businesses saw an uptick in foot traffic due to the St. Louis Blues and Utah Hockey Club preseason game at the Wells Fargo Arena.
It marked the first ever game for the Utah Hockey Club, which just formed in April.
Court Avenue Restaurant and Brewing Company said any time there are events at the Wells Fargo Arena or Civic Center they see more customers.
“Certain concerts might bring more people than others,” bar manager Josh Ingham said. “Others like a game like this might bring some people, might not.”
The restaurant offered a 99-cent wing special for the large crowds from the NHL game.
“It just brings a lot more people into downtown and closer to the Court Avenue Entertainment District where we're located,” Ingham said.
Management over at Buzzard Billy’s brought on more staff on Sunday just for the hockey game.
“We've been practicing and preparing for this for months,” manager Chad Brown said. “It's always exciting the day of the event.”
Buzzard Billy's is just down the street from the Wells Fargo Arena, which means a lot of business for the cajun restaurant.
“It's a great thing for the neighborhood, and also just for the Des Moines metro in general, and also for hockey fans,” Brown said. “It's a great thing for us because we get to take care of customers that we don't always get to see.”
This was the second time the St. Louis Blues played a preseason game at the Wells Fargo Arena. In 2018 they faced off against the Minnesota Wild.