Pedaling toward profit

This weekend's Little 500 promises parties and excitement to students and those visiting IU as spectators to witness the world's "greatest college weekend." But the event also draws quite a crowd to the local scene as spectators and students alike spend money at local restaraunts, bars, hotels and other area businesses.\nNick's English Hut, located on Kirkwood Avenue, said the weekend of Little 500 is one of its busiest weekends during the year.\n"We're at capacity -- at 10 at night there will be a line, usually (the line doesn't form on weekends until) 11 or 11:30," said Nick's manager Kevin Burkett. "It is steady all day."\nBurkett said Nick's begins to pack the Thursday before Little 500, and the restaurant/bar does its best to adequately prepare for the crowding.\n"We have additional people working doors, checking IDs, floating, working the floor, picking up trash, preventing fights," he said. "Stocking beer is big, too. It's so busy bartenders can't get to the cooler to stock."\nBurkett said Nick's stays busy throughout the duration of the weekend.\n"We'll have a crowd from the time we open on Saturday until 3 in the morning," he said "It makes for a long day."\nYogi's Grill & Bar, located on 10th Street, said it experiences a similar increase in business throughout the weekend.\nJoana Segyde, general manager of Yogi's, said the restaurant begins to see a boom in business the Wednesday before the big weekend.\nSegyde said Yogi's expects the abundance of people and prepares for it.\n"We add a little bit more staff, prep a little bit more and order a little more inventory," she said. "(But) other than that, we're prepared for the business."\nSegyde said Yogi's tries to draw in patrons the week before the big race, as it offers different weekday drink specials, such as $1.25 domestic drafts.\n"It's a great weekend, but there's not too much of a wait (to get in)," she said.\nSome spectators who come in to town for the race must find temporary accomodations, which leads to big business for local hotels.\nBeth Smith, a manager of the Indiana Memorial Union Hotel, said although the on-campus hotel does a lot of business, it may not necessarily be related to the big race.\n"We have people staying with us that weekend for a number of reasons, many of which have to do nothing with Little 500," she said. "It's not uncommon to be booked on spring weekends.\n"I'm sure some individuals are here for that purpose, others (are here) for other purposes."\nSmith said the hotel experiences a pick-up in business in the springtime that carries on until the fall, and they're "expected to be prepared at all times for anything going on in the community."\nThough many businesses are at full capacity Friday, Saturday and Sunday of Little 500 weekend, others experience the extra business after the event.\nMegan Collins, a photo lab technician at CVS Pharmacy on Third Street, said the photo lab expects to develop many pictures taken over the weekend.\nCollins said the CVS lab did more than 6,000 rolls of film after spring break, and although it does not expect a turnout quite that drastic, it does expect to see an increase.\n"A lot of people will bring in cameras or film they have from other things that are just added on pictures from Little Five," she said. "I think a little bit more film comes in than usual, (but) I'm not sure how much."\nCollins said to deal with the added business, the lab will usually bring in an extra person or two to help.\nWith the vast amount of out-of-towners the race will bring, for businesses, too, the weekend of Little 500 is much more than just a bicycle race.\n"It's held locally, but we get students from Purdue and Ball State, people come up from Louisville, (Ky.)," Burkett said. "It's the world's greatest college weekend."\n-- Contact assistant copy chief Brittany Hite at bhite@indiana.edu.