Restaurants say USBC championships helping sales

The United States Bowling Congress Open Championships have been rolling at the Baton Rouge River Center for three months now, and downtown-area restaurants say the influx of bowlers has created a noticeable uptick in business. Mayor Kip Holden credited the national bowling tournament—which began Feb. 11 and runs through July 9—in part for pushing city-parish sales tax collections to a new record in March: $15.5 million. Over the five-month run, the USBC tournament is expected to draw more than 100,000 bowlers and guests, with visitors staying an average of three to four days at a time, according to the mayor’s office. “Bowling has been very nice to us,” says Fred Taylor, owner of Poor Boy Lloyd’s at 201 Florida St., noting he’s had about 10 to 20 extra customers each business day. “That’s a good shot in the arm.” At Stroubes Seafood and Steaks downtown, Executive Chef Scott Varnedoe says the bowling championships have boosted midweek dinner crowds, with groups of bowlers meeting and dining each evening. “It’s usually big tables, too,” Varnedoe says. By the end of its run, the USBC tournament is expected to have more than a $100 million economic impact on the Capital Region, according to the mayor’s office, which also attributes the filming of a big-budget Tom Cruise movie in the area to strong tax collections in March. This is the USBC’s second visit to Baton Rouge, having held the extended tournament here in 2005. —Adam Pearson