Nearly three weeks after UT played in the Sugar Bowl in its first-ever College Football Playoff appearance, Austin businesses are still reaping the benefits.

The fan turnout around Austin on New Year’s Day provided a strong business boost to start the new year, despite January typically being slower for restaurants and bars.

“During the winter break, with UT being out, we slow down a lot,” said John Needham, the night manager at Posse East. “Having extra business provides a nice little cushion to get us through those lean weeks until school starts back up.”

Needham said home games typically are busier than away games, but, despite the Sugar Bowl being held in New Orleans, the kitchen and bar were near capacity throughout the game.

“About half an hour before the game, people just start pouring in,” Needham said. “We actually had some folks that came in after the game had started and could not find a place to sit.”

Kiki Banks, general manager of another bar around campus, also noticed a huge boost due to the Sugar Bowl. 

“It’s definitely a good start, and I think that especially for the staff, it’s the energizing boost they needed after it being so slow around the holiday times,” said Banks, who works at Victory Lap in West Campus. “The first half of January tends to be really slow for us. Having those bowl games did help break up that slow time.”

Victory Lap, which opened in August, has established itself as a hotspot for fans to watch UT games, Banks said. When the team plays in anticipated games, like the Sugar Bowl, Banks said she and the rest of Victory Lap’s staff expect their outdoor field to be packed with fans.

“I love that we can garner a sense of community (with) everybody that’s coming here and enjoying the game,” Banks said. “It’s cool because it’s a group of positivity. Everybody is just cheering and having fun with good moods, so I feel like it adds to the feeling of us being that social hub during those games because people know when they come out here, it’s only going to be good vibes.”