JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The University of Notre Dame and University of South Carolina football teams face off at 3:30 p.m. at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, Florida for the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl on Friday.
>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<
Now, local businesses are preparing for the customers it may bring.
“There’s definitely a huge difference in business during football season,” Alex Sears, an employee of Underbelly, a live-music venue and barbeque restaurant in downtown Jacksonville told Action News Jax. “If we have a home game, absolutely a difference in what happens here for sure.”
[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]
Although Sears said it’s difficult to predict the exact impact the game will have, the college football bowl game in Jacksonville’s hometown stadium is expected to bring out customers decked in their favorite team’s gear. Sears also cited how it provides a unique opportunity for a boom in business compared to Jacksonville Jaguars home games.
Read: Hop on the River Taxi for the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl and New Year’s fireworks cruise
“I would say because it’s a college football team, and neither teams are local one way or another somebody’s, either way, someone is winning so someone’s going to have a good time,” Sears explained.
One fan already looking for a spot to wind down or celebrate after the game is David Smith, a South Carolina Gamecocks fan visiting town for the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl.
“See where we need to go and see what restaurants are available. It seems like they got a good culinary atmosphere down here,” Smith said.
[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Win or lose, it seems Notre Dame and South Carolina fans will be hitting the streets of downtown Jacksonville come Friday night.
