{"id":712766,"date":"2026-04-17T22:55:26","date_gmt":"2026-04-17T22:55:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/712766\/"},"modified":"2026-04-17T22:55:26","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T22:55:26","slug":"cavs-playoff-run-already-boosting-business-for-downtown-cleveland-bars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/712766\/","title":{"rendered":"Cavs playoff run already boosting business for downtown Cleveland bars"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>As the Cleveland Cavaliers head into the playoffs, downtown businesses say they\u2019re preparing for bigger crowds, longer hours, and a surge in customers.<\/p>\n<p>CLEVELAND \u2014 Even before the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wkyc.com\/cavaliers\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Cavaliers<\/a> tip off their playoff run Saturday, downtown <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wkyc.com\/cleveland\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Cleveland<\/a> bars are already preparing for an influx of customers, longer hours and increased demand.<\/p>\n<p>Business owners say the shift into playoff mode starts days in advance, with staff schedules, inventory and operations all adjusted to handle the crowds.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019ve done everything you can to get all the product in and get all the staffing, now you just go have fun with everybody else,\u201d said Sean O\u2019Donnell, managing partner of Flannery\u2019s Pub.<\/p>\n<p>That preparation often comes with challenges, especially when game times and details are finalized at the last minute.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou just have to pivot\u2026 be really kind of nimble when you&#8217;re planning this stuff,\u201d O\u2019Donnell said.<\/p>\n<p>Even with an early afternoon tipoff, O\u2019Donnell said businesses are expecting steady traffic throughout the day.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDespite having a 1:00 game on a Saturday, we\u2019re still going to be slammed,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>He added that playoff games bring a different kind of energy to downtown, drawing both local fans and visitors from out of town.<\/p>\n<p>RELATED: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wkyc.com\/article\/sports\/nba\/cavaliers\/cleveland-cavaliers-2026-nba-playoffs-fan-guide-watch-parties-schedule-events-giveaways-toronto-raptors\/95-7e5a0bdd-0672-4174-b1a9-ab9d1c2afa45\" class=\"cms__embed-related-story__link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Cleveland Cavaliers 2026 NBA Playoffs fan guide: Schedule, giveaways, watch parties and more<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ve got to remember our\u2026 enemies just across the pond. So Toronto, they will travel and they will come in force. They do just for a regular baseball series, so for a playoff game, they\u2019ll be here,\u201d O\u2019Donnell said.<\/p>\n<p>Other business leaders say the playoffs are also an opportunity to highlight Cleveland to a broader audience.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJust being ready to welcome everyone downtown so they can have a great time and go back to wherever they came from and tell them how awesome our city is,\u201d said Chelsea Rice, president of operations for Hangry Brands.<\/p>\n<p>Rice said preparation is key to meeting demand, from stocking supplies to making sure enough staff is on hand.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cStock lots of ice so those beers stay nice and cold, have lots of people on board so we can welcome and take care of everybody\u2019s needs, just be ready to go late into the night,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>For some, the excitement brings back memories of past championship runs and the crowds that came with them.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe finally just last week got all the beer scrubbed off our ceiling from when we won the championship in 2016\u2026 people lose their minds\u2026 with this team, I think hopes are high,\u201d O\u2019Donnell said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As the Cleveland Cavaliers head into the playoffs, downtown businesses say they\u2019re preparing for bigger crowds, longer hours,&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":712767,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3772],"tags":[7,306,305,193,3846,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-712766","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cleveland-cavaliers","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-cavaliers","10":"tag-cleveland","11":"tag-cleveland-cavaliers","12":"tag-clevelandcavaliers","13":"tag-nba"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116422515755868128","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/712766","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=712766"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/712766\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/712767"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=712766"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=712766"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=712766"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}