Local businesses brace for a boost in customers from football - WKOW 27: Madison, WI Breaking News, Weather and Sports

MADISON (WKOW) -- Downtown bars, restaurants, hotels and stores may all be expecting a boost in business as football season gets underway.

Stadium Bar General Manager Tom Harberg says they see anywhere from 4,000 to 8,000 customers during Badger home games. They've been preparing for months.

"The home football games are huge for the businesses down in this area," Harberg says. He tells 27 News,"It's just a matter of trying to get the staff prepared, trained to make sure we can take care of all the guests coming in here."

Just down Monroe Street, HotelRed says it's completely booked for the weekend.

"We actually just set the rates for 2013 and we've already been getting calls for that," General Manager Jason Ilstrup says. The hotel opened almost exactly one year ago. Ilstrup says business is going as planned.

"We saw students coming in with their parents in mid-August, orientation and all that sort of stuff leading right into football it's great -- this comes into some of our busiest months," Ilstrup says.

Back at Camp Randall, some Badgers fans are gearing up for the game. "Football season is our busiest time, seconded only by Christmas if they go to a bowl game, which they should," said Bucky's Lock Room store manager Matt Kellermann.