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Bars Hope St. Paddy's Beer Sales Bring Plenty O' Green

Tribune File Photo (2008)

Local bar owners hope to squeeze the last drop out of St. Patrick's Day celebrations, such as the annual parade through Ybor City.

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By KEITH MORELLI | The Tampa Tribune

Published: March 13, 2009

TAMPA - With an economy that frowns on the frivolous squandering of cash – such as swilling green beer or stout all day long, perhaps – some local Irish pubs are praying to St. Patrick to pull them out of this bog.

St. Patrick's Day ranks third among holidays that celebrate the brewski. New Year's Eve and Halloween are the top two.

Beer marketers predict that St. Paddy's spending nationwide this year could fall 10 percent to $3.2 billion. Marketing experts with the National Retail Federation say that last year a reveler on March 17 spent about $35 on average; this year, the same partier will spend $32.80.

Saints alive!

Tom White, owner of Whitey's Fox & Hounds Irish Pub in Brandon, will celebrate St. Patrick's Day twice – once on Saturday, what he calls "St. Saturday's Day," and again on Tuesday, the true holiday.

"You have to," he said. "In this economy, it's tough."

The pub has a full complement of Irish drafts and is offering discounts Saturday. On Tuesday there will be a cover charge, mainly to pay for the Irish-themed entertainment, White said.

"We are still expecting a big crowd on Tuesday," he said. "A lot of bars are trying to push this (celebrating on more than one day) to get as much out of it as we can."

He and others are feeling the recession's pinch. Some local establishments are showing a 20 percent drop in business from last year's first quarter, he said.

"For a lot of bars like us," White said, "St. Paddy's Day is a big goose for business."

Colin Breen, owner of Four Green Fields on Platt Street near downtown, said his pub is celebrating St. Paddy's Day only once, although it lasts for four days.

"We're having bands from Ireland, Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday," he said.

His pub also sponsors a 5-kilometer run Monday with personnel from MacDill Air Force Base followed by Irish music at the bar.

"On the day" he said, referring to Tuesday, "we start at noon with music and a lunch buffet."

But the blowout isn't designed to boost lagging business, Breen said.

"We've been here for 17 years and this is the third busiest year we've ever had," he said. "It's crazy busy. Nobody is coming in here moaning about anything."

He said the Super Bowl and Gasparilla helped keep his sales above average.

Bill Gieseking, marketing director for Pepin Distributing, said the economy has taken a slug out of beer consumption so far this year.

"From years past, yes, we are trending down," he said. People are still buying beer, but they are opting for cheaper brands.

St. Paddy's Day displays are up in grocery stores, bars and pubs, encouraging people to partake and have a good time, Gieseking said. "And drink responsibly and get a designated driver."

Many bars are celebrating over the weekend and Tuesday to increase sales, he said.

"Most places," he said, "are trying to stretch it out some."

Reporter Keith Morelli can be reached at (813) 259-7760.

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