APPLETON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Just like the city of Green Bay during Packers home games or Door County in the summer and fall, the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center’s Broadway season is a major boon for the local economy.
The PAC brings lots of visitors to downtown Appleton. Local business owners say when the theatre seats are filled, so are the restaurant seats.
“Without the theatre, who knows? We probably wouldn’t be here,” said owner of Victoria’s Italian Cuisine, Cresencio Victoria. “But it’s been so good for us.”
As far as his favorite shows ?
“My wife kind of keeps track of that,” said Victoria. “I don’t want to know, so I can sleep good. I don’t want to know who’s coming and what nights because some nights are really, really strong — from Tuesday to Sunday.”
After the PAC announced its next season’s lineup, PAC President/CEO Maria Van Laanen spoke on what she expects it to mean for the surrounding businesses.
“What’s great is that it’s the whole community coming together that makes this performing arts center a success, and part of that is the economic activity that is generated. And we know that, on an average season, we’re generating somewhere between $13 to $20 million of economic activity.”
But Victoria says sometimes extra business means extra challenges.
“We make sure that people get in and get out. We let people know if they’re going to be out on time. Our job is to make sure that people know when there’s going to be a long wait so they can find another place. We don’t want to make them wait and then they miss the show because they got tickets already.”
The past few years have been particularly difficult for Victoria’s to navigate the pandemic and worker shortages. But Victoria says sharing in the spotlight of the PAC helps weather that storm.
“I lived in California, I lived in Utah, I lived in Texas, I lived everywhere. The money in Appleton is definitely the best we’ve been in to do business,” he said.
And it’s not just restaurants downtown that experience some extra traffic on days with showings at the PAC; there are also hotels and bars that enjoy some extra business.
