Florida State Homecoming not quite as happy for local merchants

Even though the opponent is rarely a huge attraction, Florida State's Homecoming weekend typically means big business for Tallahassee merchants.

During that October or November weekend, operators of hotels, motels, restaurants and stores know they will be slammed for two or three days as alumni make their way back into town for the annual parade, football game and other events.

It's the kind of weekend that can help small businesses make their annual budgets.

This year is a little different.

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With the FSU football team struggling for the third consecutive season and attendance expected to be the lowest it has been in three decades, businesses are bracing for a less-than-happy homecoming.

"We have four or five hotels within walking distance, so we get a lot of walk-up traffic when the hotels are packed," said Bill Hayes, who owns the Corner Pocket Bar & Grill and the 7th Hill Taproom on Apalachee Parkway. "But I've been driving around, and the traffic today (Friday afternoon) wasn't really what you'd expect from a Homecoming weekend."

Hayes' Corner Pocket did see a strong turnout Friday night, but he said that likely was because he booked a show by popular Florida-based rockers Tobacco Rd Band. They are always a strong draw, he said, regardless of whether it's a football game weekend.

According to a report by the Tallahassee Democrat on Friday afternoon, FSU had only sold about 50,000 tickets for Saturday's game against Syracuse (3:30 p.m., ESPN2). If those projections are anywhere close to accurate, it will be the smallest Homecoming crowd for the Seminoles in at least three decades.

The last time Florida State saw a crowd of less than 60,000 for a Homecoming game was when Cincinnati came to town in 1990. That 70-21 blowout was witnessed by just 59,678 fans ... of course, Doak Campbell Stadium's capacity back then was 60,519.

The stadium now seats nearly 80,000, but crowds have been nowhere close to that level in any home game this season. The N.C. State game drew 60,351 fans, and that was the best turnout of the year. One week earlier, FSU played Louisville before just 46,530 -- that was the smallest crowd at Doak since 1983.

"There's definitely a lot less people coming in from out of town," Hayes said. "There are friends I normally see two or three times a year that we don't see anymore."

Guy Moore, longtime owner of three Garnet & Gold stores, which specialize in Florida State merchandise and apparel, said he was disappointed to drive up to his Governor's Square Boulevard location Friday morning and see only a few cars in the parking lot. Moore was hopeful business would pick up throughout Homecoming weekend, but he wasn't overly optimistic.

Perhaps more than any other Tallahassee business, there's often a direct correlation between Garnet & Gold's sales and the FSU football team's successes or failures. And with the Seminoles now at 3-4 on the season -- following a 5-7 campaign in 2018 and a 7-6 mark in 2017 -- Moore said he can tell many fans are dejected when they enter his shops, so he tries to remind them that the team needs their support.

Sales this year have been particularly "dreadful" at his campus location on Pensacola Street, Moore said. That store has faced the double whammy of the football team's struggles and a city stormwater drainage project, which has blocked off a portion of the road right in front of his business for long periods of time.

The road is open on game weekends.

"Sales are down 81 percent," Moore said. "How much is the road closure and how much is [disappointed] fans, I can't say."

Few people are going to feel sympathy for Tallahassee hotel operators, who draw the ire of FSU fans every fall when they jack up their prices on game weekends and require two-night minimums. But the drastic price reductions at those establishments provides an idea of what other business owners might experience this weekend.

Downtown properties like Hotel Duval, Doubletree, Four Points by Sheraton and Aloft all had rooms available for Friday and Saturday night this week with no two-night requirements. The prices for Saturday night stays were as follows: Hotel Duval ($284), Doubletree ($277), Four Points ($319) and Aloft ($303).

One week from now, when Miami comes to town and the Seminoles are expecting a crowd of around 60,000, Duval's lowest rate will shoot up to $427 for Saturday, Four Points will soar to $589, and Doubletree will go to $504. Aloft is currently sold out for that night.

The story is very much the same at Tallahassee's more affordable properties: The Best Western Downtown goes from $144 a night this weekend to $239 next weekend; Holiday Inn and Suites jumps from $149 a night to $307.

And that's with a Miami game crowd expected to be about 20,000 seats short of a sellout.

Like Moore, Hayes said he wishes Florida State fans would continue to stay optimistic through these tough times on the field. But he also understands that it's tough for out-of-town fans to justify spending all that money on travel, tickets and accommodations, only to see the Seminoles lose more often than they win.

"We had a great crowd here for the Wake Forest game on the road [last Saturday]," Hayes said. "People were excited and having a good time. Then the place cleared out right after the game because we lost. ...

"It's like anything. If people are in a good mood, they'll spend their money. If they're not, they won't."

Here's a look at FSU's attendance for Homecoming games over the last decade:

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