The Monday morning after the rally, a positive buzz had already started about the outcome of the two-day event.
Brenda Weatherly, the executive director of the Hollister Downtown Association, said while she hadn’t surveyed any of the businesses officially, she had heard positive comments.
“I did go to a few businesses this weekend and people seemed to be really happy, especially restaurants,” she said. “For the most part, they seemed like they fared well.”
She said the HDA was not directly involved in the rally this year as they were busy manning a fireworks booth and preparing for the Hollister Street Festival later this month, but they offered some behind-the-scenes support.
“We were talking with Mark (Cresswell, the manager) the whole time and helping him with what we could,” Weatherly said. “He did a good job pulling off a big event like that in a small amount of time. An event like that usually takes a good year to plan and he was able to pull it off in less than six months. He did a good job – he was the right person for the job.”
Weatherly said Cresswell worked to make sure the event is something that would be supported in the community this year and in coming years.
Chuck Frowein, co-owner of the recently opened Chillin’ and Grillin’ downtown location on San Benito Street, said his restaurant saw non-stop action on Friday and Saturday. He and wife Joanne co-own the restaurant.
“We were very busy from the time we opened our doors until the time we closed them,” he said, noting they had an average 20-minute wait for tables both days.
As with the other restaurants and bars downtown, he hired security to help with the flow of customers and to check IDs for those consuming alcohol.
“It was a fun spot to people watch and enjoy the rally,” he said of the outdoor patio at the downtown restaurant.
Though only open in the downtown location for a few weeks, Frowein estimated he saw 500 percent more traffic than on an average weekend. Their location off Union Road – the original Relax! Grillin’ and Chillin’ – also saw increased foot traffic. The Hollister Hills Brewery and Taproom, on McCray Street, which the Froweins co-own with another family, also saw higher numbers of customers.
“There were a lot of bikers there,” Frowein said.
For the downtown location, he and his staff simplified the menu to make it easy to serve a large number of guests quickly.
“Instead of the 50 or 60 items we offer, we narrowed it down to the top 10,” he said. “We were able to prepare for it and able to handle it fairly quickly.”
The return of the rally was a factor in he and his wife opening the downtown location.
“Downtown is changing because of the biker rally and the street festival,” he said. “We are looking forward to next year.”
