Senior Bowl Brings Boost For Businesses

The kitchen of the Renassiance Riverview Plaza is a busy place as the hotel prepares fried chicken, hot rolls and blueberry cobbler for 150 players, coaches and staff in town for the Senior Bowl.

"It's the one time a year you wish you could build more hotel rooms," said Kent Blackinton, General Manager of the host hotel for the Senior Bowl.

All 373 rooms in the Renassiance hotel are booked for Senior Bowl week, as are hundreds of rooms in other hotels.

Across the street, workers at The Royal Scam are preparing for what is expected to be a very busy lunch and dinner service.

"It's a madhouse in here," said Jeff Brauer, a waiter at The Royal Scam. "Everyone's running around. You can't even think straight."

There is no question the Senior Bowl has a major economic impact on Downtown Mobile, but just how big of an impact is hard to measure.

A 2009 study at the University of South Alabama estimates the direct and indirect impact of the game is between $13 million and $19 million.