This weekend, several high schools from around the state will bring their teams and fans to Fort Collins for the CHSAA state football championships. As teenagers and their families converge on the Northern Colorado city, many local businesses around Canvas Stadium are preparing for an influx in business.
Nick’s Restaurant and Bar is among the several locally owned businesses preparing to see a spike in business. The restaurant is across the street from the campus and one of the closest sit-down eateries to the football stadium.
“The university, Canvas Stadium and even Moby Arena is great for my business,” owner Nick Doyle told CBS Colorado. “We get a lot of people coming in before and after games, it has been great.”
Nick’s is a popular Italian restaurant by night and dishes out popular sandwiches during the lunch hour. He purchased the property years ago, which used to be a Chinese buffet, and made it into a successful restaurant.
“It is great having high school football here,” Doyle said. “Last year when they had it, we had some good business from it at lunch and dinner.”
Colorado State University has continued to expand the amount and types of events it’s holding at Canvas Stadium, recently bringing in concerts, rodeos, movie nights and the high school football championships.
“The stadium should be used for more things,” Doyle said. “It is a great time for people to see how cool Fort Collins is because it is a great town.”
Some local restaurants, including Krazy Karl’s Pizza, also serve their food inside the stadium.
“It is great for the whole town,” Doyle said.
Doyle said he hopes the football championships will remain in Fort Collins for decades to come, serving as a way to encourage people from around Colorado to visit Fort Collins as a staycation destination in the future.
“I’m excited to have people from Denver and across the state for the football championship games,” Doyle said. “Fort Collins is a great town. It is a good way to showcase it a little more with in-state people.”
