INDIANAPOLIS -
The impact of the Super Bowl is expected to extend well beyond downtown with outlying communities hoping to share in the wealth.
But so far, the Super Celebration sites haven't exactly seen a super uptick in business. While Super Bowl Village was elbow to elbow Thursday and Friday, Mass. Avenue was wide open and had plenty of parking.
Diane Copeland, a native New Yorker who now lives in Indianapolis, shrugged. "They're not coming this way. They're going the other way. Right now it's quiet. They want to be at the JW Marriott and the stages."
Michele Corbett, in from Boston, strolled down Mass. Avenue with her husband glad to have some breathing room.
"A woman said this was a great place to take a walk. It's nice to be away from the hustle and bustle and see what Indianapolis is all about," she said.
But more hustle and bustle is what bars and restaurants would like to see. Ben Morrow, a bartender at Bazbeaux, said, "It hasn't picked up as much as I thought, but we are seeing more business, especially at night."
The Ball and Biscuit, which opened earlier Thursday and Friday, was also hoping to see bigger crowds.
"'We haven't seen too many fans, which is surprising considering we're only four blocks north," said owner Zach Wilks.
Wilks, who was setting up for a Super Bowl party Friday, said he ordered extra food and drink and added staff. "We've spent a lot of money," he said.
A check of bars and restaurants in Broad Ripple and Fountain Square found a similar situation. While two of eight businesses contacted reported a bump in sales, the remaining six reported no change or a decrease in sales.
The Mass. Avenue and Fountain Square merchants teamed up on a shuttle service running from downtown to their areas and back Thursday through Saturday. Eyewitness News took a shuttle to Mass. Avenue Friday afternoon. It was empty except for the two guides.
The shuttle back was full of Indianapolis people headed to Super Bowl Village. They had parked in Fountain Square.
"It's a great place to park and grab a shuttle," one rider said.
The Super Bowl Host Committee made a pitch for the celebration sites during its morning briefing, noting that there was "no wait" at several restaurants just outside the Village perimeter.
Street Team volunteers walking along Mass. Avenue worked to steer people there.
Ollie Fowler said, "We just sent word that there were a lot of taverns with extra beer waiting for people to come in."
Stuart Robertson, the owner of MacNivens, a Scottish theme bar on Mass. Ave., said while the numbers weren't quite what he expected, it was okay. Robertson said Indianapolis was "really shining."
