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It’s like the Quad Cities hits a $54 million jackpot every year.
That’s how much money the John Deere Classic brings here in one week. It equates to packed hotels, restaurants, and a lot of extra money for local businesses.
“We’ll sell 10 times the beer, easily,” said John Stopoulos.
Stopoulos owns
The Doc’s Inn in Silvis, Illinois. He says getting ready for the JDC is a ton of work.
The restaurant is less than two miles down the road from TPC Deere Run, and they do everything they can to capitalize on their location. Stopoulos is
putting up two big outdoor tents, hosting live music, and making sure the restaurant has plenty of extra people to handle the tournament rush.
“On Saturday, we have 30 volunteers lined up, plus our own staff. On Thursday, we have about 15 volunteers. They’ll help with the parking, serving beer, checking ID’s,” said Stopoulos.
For people like David Hawk, the craziness is also worth it.
He and his family own
AAA Rents, the company putting up the tents at The Doc’s Inn. He says it takes about half a day to set up this event alone, but getting to experience the JDC makes working in the sun all day just a little less draining.
“It’s one of those events the community around here looks forward to. It brings a lot of names you don’t hear about, gives you a chance to get up and close with people you don’t normally see,” said Hawk.
As for the The Doc’s Inn, despite the tournament madness, Stopoulos says, “I promise we’ll have beer Monday.”
