PGA Tour: Bethesda Businesses Get Boost from AT&T National at Congressional

The 2013 AT&T National is in full swing at the Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, and local businesses are seeing the benefits of having a world-class athletic event just up the road.

At the Hyatt Regency Bethesda (7400 Wisconsin Ave.), there were only a few rooms left in the hotel that hadn't been booked through the weekend as of Wednesday afternoon, but that could change quickly, Anthony Arbeeny, general manager of the hotel, told Patch.

"Most hotels are sold out," he added.

The golf players are staying at the Bethesda Marriott Suites (6711 Democracy Blvd.), the concierge at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel and Conference Center (5701 Marinelli Rd.) told Patch.

But it’s not just the hotels hosting players and spectators that benefit. The entire region gets a boost. Last year, when the AT&T National was in town, more than 136,000 people attended the tournament, and the economic impact was more than $10.9 million, according to Montgomery County’s public information office.

"We’re absolutely seeing a lot of activity in the whole area," Arbeeny said. 

"It’s something which definitely is considered city-wide for us because it’s so close," he added. Usually, Bethesda hotels are hosting people in the area to visit or attend events in Washington, DC. With the AT&T National, people are visiting Bethesda, so the tournament’s effects on the economy are concentrated locally, Arbeeny said.

"Any event at Congressional is always big for the area. I do hope that they will bring it back" next year, he said, referencing this week’s news that the tournament may not be held at the Congressional Country Club in Bethesda after next year.

Bethesda sports bar Caddies on Cordell (4922 Cordell Ave.), which offers a TV at each table, already was seeing increased business earlier this week. In honor of the tournament, the bar is offering several specials, including $2 non-premium beers, $4 premium beers, $5.50 rail drinks, $14 buckets of non-premium beers, $18 premium beer buckets and all appetizers priced at only two-thirds of usual prices, a server told Patch.

Similarly, BlackFinn American Saloon (4901 Fairmont Ave., Bethesda) has been getting additional customers this week who are in town for the tournament—including two men from as far away as Wyoming, BlackFinn general manager Kam Khazai told Patch.

BlackFinn is offering a 20 percent discount off the price of all food items (before any other discounts are factored in, and not including drinks) to any diners presenting AT&T National ticket stubs or passes, Khazai said.

At Redwood Restaurant and Bar (7121 Bethesda Ln.), chefs and servers are preparing for a "really busy weekend," Mike Barlow, assistant general manager, said. Make your Redwood reservations "sooner rather than later," he advised.

It’s the same story at Mon Ami Gabi (7239 Woodmont Ave., Bethesda), where more diners are expected in the next few days than usual, general manager Adam Murphy said.

"When you get that many people downtown in the area, you can expect business to be good for the entire area. It’s good for everybody," Murphy said.

Potomac businesses also are seeing extra patronage from the tournament. 

"We have certainly seen an increase in [the] late afternoon (happy hour) timeframe business of non-local and non-resident guests, and many of them are very much engaged in golf discussions," Founding Farmers general manager Angela Neri told Patch.

"We believe that because of the tournament, we'll have a very strong walk-in crowd and bar crowd through the whole weekend," she added.

For information on transportation to and from Congressional, read more on Patch.