ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A month and a half into the season, businesses around Tropicana Field are already feeling the impact of the Tampa Bay Rays' return — but the team's future in St. Pete remains an open question.
Bill Georgiou has owned The Burg Bar & Grill on Central Avenue for 17 years. He says the difference in foot traffic on game days is significant.
"It's gonna be probably a 30% difference of more customers, and that's a big difference for small businesses," Georgiou said.
Even as business picks up, Georgiou is watching closely as the Rays' potential move to Tampa continues to develop. He says he understands the possibility, but his loyalty to the team isn't going anywhere.
"I'd rather be a city with the Rays than without them. You know, having Tampa have the Bucs, the Lightning, and the Rays, I see it a little bit unfair, but you know it's OK. I mean, you know, I'll support them no matter what," Georgiou said.
On game days, The Burg draws regulars who have made it a staple of their gameday routine. Tracy Hood, who lives in Tampa, says she has been coming to the bar for at least 10 years.
"I started coming with my brother-in-law and his wife. Found the place, introduced us to it. It was great. And, so we kind of made it our pregame stopping point," Hood said.
The Rays' strong start on the field isn't the only storyline this season. A new memorandum of understanding was recently agreed to by the city, county, and the team regarding a potential move to Tampa. City and county leaders could vote this week to keep the process moving forward.
Glenn Morris, who lives in South Tampa, says he has no objection to the current location or a move, with one condition.
"I'll go wherever they are, but I don't have a problem with it being down here. So long as it's a dome and air-conditioned. Last year, I think was a wonderful learning experience on why we should never have an open-air stadium here in Tampa," Morris said.
But fans who frequent the neighborhood around Tropicana Field acknowledge what could be lost in a move. Patrick Kuberry, who also lives in South Tampa, says the area around a potential Tampa stadium doesn't offer the same experience.
"Where they're looking to put it, you don't have things like the Berg. You don't have this neighborhood with all these restaurants and bars and great places to come and hang out. You know, we come here every time we come to a game, we stop by the Burg before we go to the game, so. That will be a big drop," Kuberry said.
Hillsborough College is set to vote to approve a lease for the Rays to use part of their Dale Mabry campus for the stadium project in Tampa. Still, many hurdles remain before any decision on if and when the Rays could leave St. Pete is finalized.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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