Silver lining: Daytona 500 rain-delays gave welcome boost to One Daytona restaurants
DAYTONA BEACH ―The rainy weather that pushed this past weekend's Daytona 500 and Daytona Xfinity races at Daytona International Speedway to Monday may have frustrated NASCAR fans, but it proved a godsend to restaurants across the street.
"Excellent decision by NASCAR to push the races (to Monday)," said Kabir Bhakta, owner of the Burger Ten & Chicken Too restaurant at One Daytona and the Dahlia Mexican Kitchen eatery at the Shoppes at One Daytona next door. "It created an extra day for those customers to come in."
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Roxanne Ribakoff, president of the NASCAR-owned One Daytona "lifestyle and entertainment center" and adjoining Shoppes at One Daytona said tenants at both centers saw an overall increase in visitors, thanks to the rain delays for the two races this past weekend. "We're glad to provide them a safe and fun place to wait while the on-track action returns."
What is One Daytona?
The 70+-acre entertainment/retail complex across the street from the Speedway was built by NASCAR a few years ago as a complement to its $400 million "Daytona Rising" makeover of the "World Center of Racing."
NASCAR spent more than $100 million on One Daytona as well as several million more dollars to revamp its existing Shoppes at One Daytona retail center next door to combine with the Speedway to become a year-round attraction, not just for race fans, but for other visitors as well as locals.
The city of Daytona Beach and Volusia County also contributed $20 million each to help pay for infrastructure improvements including the creation of new roads and the installation of new electric, water and sewer lines.
The property was previously home to a General Electric plant that closed in the early 1990s.
Today, One Daytona and the Shoppes at One Daytona offer an array of restaurants, shops and entertainment venues, including the CMX Daytona 12 Luxury Theatres and Bass Pro Shoppes, as well as two hotels and several hundred luxury apartment units.
The complex includes Victory Circle, a plaza that is used throughout the year for special events including free concerts and car shows.
Restaurateur reports visits by celebrities
Bhakta said his two restaurants at One Daytona and the Shoppes at One Daytona were busy throughout race weekend. The customers included a couple of celebrities: the newly crowned Miss America, Madison Marsh, and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.
Marsh dropped by Burger Ten & Chicken Too to grab a bite on Sunday after NASCAR announced it was delaying the Daytona 500 to Monday.
Ramaswamy dined-in at Dahlia Mexican Kitchen with his family on both Saturday and Sunday and visited on Monday to pick up a takeout order.
"This was my highlight this weekend," wrote Bhakta in a text message sent to The Daytona Beach News-Journal on Monday along with a photo he had taken of himself next to Ramaswamy. He also texted a photo of Marsh with his sister Gilda Bhakta, the assistant manager at Burger Ten & Chicken Too.
Stoked Poke also saw an uptick in business
Eric Jackson, owner of the Stoked Poke restaurant at One Daytona, said he enjoyed "a small increase in business because of the rain" on Saturday and Sunday. "The NASCAR fans were definitely out and about exploring One Daytona and the surrounding restaurants and activities."
Jackson also operated a Stoked Poke food truck and a stand selling wood-fired pizza in the FanZone area in the infield at the Speedway during race weekend as well as on Monday.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Daytona 500 rain-delays gave welcome boost to One Daytona restaurants
