MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Twins, Vikings and Gophers all have huge games coming up that will certainly bring people downtown, and businesses hope to cash in.
Dermot Cowley owns O'Donovan's Irish Pub. He said before the pandemic his hours were consistent.
"We were open 365 days a year until 2 a.m." he said. "And we never closed early."
He was closed on Thursday because some days aren't worth it.
"It costs more to turn on the lights," he said.
His current hours depend on what's on the downtown calendar.
"It's like we're operating an event center right now," said Cowley.
Down the street at Kieran's Irish Pub, general manager Dani Rauton says those big downtown days make a big difference for them, too.
"It makes it worth pushing through those real painful days, because I truly believe downtown's coming back in a really beautiful way," said Rauton.
She says she's looking forward to the next week but a shot at a championship could be what brings the crowds back for good.
"It would be an explosion of like," said Rauton. "An influx of people coming to the city, which every single one of us needs."
But for now, they'll hope for more of those big opportunities.
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