Jamestown restaurants gearing up for big crowds from state tournament

Feb. 28—JAMESTOWN — Restaurant staff are gearing up for the influx of people coming into Jamestown over the next few weekends, including the North Dakota Class B Girls Basketball State Tournament Thursday through Saturday, Feb. 29-March 1.

Jon Beyer, owner of Jonny B's Brickhouse, said it is important for his staff to make a good impression to the out-of-town visitors. He said the staff needs to make sure everything goes well so the out-of-town visitors want to come back.

"These tournament weekends tend to be the bread and butter of our sales for the quarter," he said. "We look forward to doing our best in producing some great experiences for everyone coming to town."

Beyer said he is scheduling extra workers to work the busy weekends and making sure they are well trained. His staff held a meeting over the last weekend to make sure everyone is on the right page.

After the North Dakota Class B Girls Basketball State Tournament, three other events are scheduled for Jamestown. The events are the NAIA Women's Wrestling Championship, the Runnin O' the Green and the North Dakota USA Gymnastics State Championship.

The state basketball tournament this week is expected to bring an extra 3,000 to 5,000 people, said Emily Bivens, executive director of the Jamestown Area Chamber of Commerce and Jamestown Tourism. When those people shop, eat and stay in Jamestown, that supports local businesses, and the extra sales tax generated helps the Two Rivers Activity Center pay off its bond or the Jamestown/Stutsman Development Corp. with economic development, she said.

For the state basketball tournament, Bivens said the Jamestown Area Chamber of Commerce and Jamestown Tourism staff have called every restaurant in town to check if they are offering any specials or staying open past their normal hours.

"Really the overall message that we are trying to get out there is: We want everyone who comes to Jamestown whether it's for a big event or not to have the best experience possible because that would entice them to come back and explore even more of what we have to offer and especially when our tourism season is in full swing from Memorial Day to Labor Day," Bivens said. "We have all these great things that we offer right here in town. We want people to come and visit and explore those things and discover Jamestown."

She said when the chamber knows about upcoming bigger events in Jamestown, staff calls restaurants and lets them know about the potential for larger crowds so they are staffed accordingly.

"It helps them prepare," she said. "We've had some say they are anticipating a big crowd so they might do a limited menu to make it easier for their staff or maybe they are offering a certain special or something like that."

Bivens said the community needs to be very welcoming to the out-of-town visitors.

"It's not about this one time they are coming to town," she said. "It's about if they are looking in the summer to go on a day trip they are well within our range and maybe they will think Jamestown and they will come back because they had a good experience here."

To help the state tournament visitors, the chamber and Jamestown Tourism made an "Eat, Play, Stay" flyer that will be included in the tournament welcome packet for visitors. The flyer includes restaurants, any discounts being offered and their hours, phone numbers and addresses. The flyer also includes a few bars to get drinks and businesses for shopping and activities.

Buffalo Grill is one of the restaurants and bars on the flyer offering a discount for athletes and free meals to coaches. Buffalo Grill will also stay open at least until 11 p.m. instead of closing at 10 p.m. in case people want to get food and drinks after the state tournament games, said Jay Boyd, marketing and technology manager.

Boyd said extra staff have been scheduled for the weekend. He said the banquet room at Buffalo Grill is available for any team meetings or meals.

He said it's important for the community to help the out-of-town visitors find local food establishments and places to shop. He said it is important for the community and its businesses to make a good impression to the visitors so more bigger events can be held in Jamestown.

"This is a big deal for Jamestown," Boyd said, referring to the state basketball tournament. He added that the Buffalo Grill staff is looking forward to seeing some new faces in Jamestown.

Drift Prairie Brewing Co. is also on the flyer and offering discounts to participants in the tournament, including coaches, staff, and referees.

"We are super excited to invite all the people from out of town into Jamestown," said Nick Bruns, co-owner of Drift Prairie Brewing Co. "We think it's a great opportunity for the community and we're staffing up for it."

Bruns said Drift Prairie is only two blocks away from the Jamestown Civic Center so there is no need for visitors to find a different parking spot.

"They can leave after the game, walk over to the brewery and head back to the next game and use the north side of the railroad tracks as a parking lot and go back and forth," he said.