The Minnesota Star Tribune
Downtown bars win better business amid Wild and Wolves playoff runs
By Elliot Hughes
May 7, 2026
After a rough winter, establishments are benefiting from excited fan bases in both Twin Cities.
Anthony Edmonds watches the Timberwolves game on Wednesday, May 6, at Tom’s Watch Bar in Minneapolis. Bars and restaurants in Minneapolis and St. Paul are benefiting from the Wolves and Wild playoff runs, with Tom’s saying they’ve had cheerleaders and the mascot, Crunch, at the bar during some Timberwolves games. (Aaron Lavinsky/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Dave Holcomb doesn’t even run a sports bar, but when the Timberwolves host playoff games around the corner from Gluek’s Bar & Restaurant, he said, “They’re definitely my favorite days at work.”
The late-night tipoffs may not be popular among all fans, but they usually give them plenty of time to clock out from work and head to bars and restaurants before the game.
Fans fill up tables, barstools and the spaces between. More people than usual who don’t have tickets hang around to watch the broadcast just to be close to the action. After the games end, fans return, more willing than ever to stay out late, no matter the night of the week.
Even away games are a draw.
“Everyone is so pumped up; everyone is in a good mood,” Holcomb said. “Financially, by far our best days.”
Owners and managers from a half-dozen establishments near the Timberwolves and Wild arenas said much of the same thing, as the two teams make an unprecedented simultaneous push into the second round of the NBA and NHL playoffs, respectively.
The boost for both Minneapolis and St. Paul bars is welcome for businesses that have constantly dealt with challenging times in recent years, from the pandemic and negative perceptions of downtown safety to generational shifts in drinking habits and Operation Metro Surge this winter.
Server Dylan Haugee delivers food to a table of Timberwolves fans Wednesday at Tom’s Watch Bar. (Aaron Lavinsky/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
“At the end of the day, people still love to come together socially to break bread and celebrate things like a favorite hockey team having a playoff appearance,” said Joe Spencer, the president of the St. Paul Downtown Alliance.
He estimated that every home playoff game generates at least $1 million in economic activity in St. Paul.
Several establishments near Target Center in Minneapolis and Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul said business picks up at least 25% to 33% for home playoff games, compared with regular season matches.
Several bar managers described April 30 — the night that both the Wild and Wolves clinched their first round series — as the best night ever, not only for business but for Minnesota sports in general.
“Having a second series is huge,” said Chase Walker, a manager at Tom’s Watch Bar, just a block from Target Center in Minneapolis.
University of Minnesota student Magda Abdalle watches the Timberwolves-Spurs playoff game at Tom’s Watch Bar on Wednesday. (Aaron Lavinsky/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
The good fortune comes after a winter that was rougher than usual. With an aggressive immigration crackdown focused on the Twin Cities, bars and restaurants said fewer people went out. Several said they cut back on staffing and reduced hours.
A survey of 125 hospitality businesses in the state released March 31 by the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis and Hospitality Minnesota found that, during the winter months, more businesses reported declines in revenue and profits than those reporting growth. They noted concerns over the effects of immigration enforcement, along with tariffs and the rising costs of goods and labor.
The survey also noted that Twin Cities businesses were “much more pessimistic” about the future than those in greater Minnesota.
Greg Awada, a co-owner of Zamboni’s on 7th in St. Paul, said during the winter, “It felt like there was a pall over the city.”
His establishment, just across the street from Grand Casino Arena, relies heavily on the Wild, who on Saturday will host a second-round playoff game for the first time in 11 years. He knows fans will come en masse, stay long and feel happy.
“The playoffs are beautiful,” he said.
