Business & Tech

Potomac Businesses, Residents Prepare for Tiger Woods Tournament

Restaurants and residents are expecting Potomac to get a little busier this week as the golf tournament begins at Congressional.

With Tiger Woods in town this week for the AT&T National Golf Tournament, Potomac residents and local businesses are preparing for an influx of visitors. 

“The parking lot in Potomac Village gets crazy, I know from previous years,” Potomac resident Rosie Suissa says. “I’ll probably go somewhere else to get a coffee this week.” 

Suissa is referring to the , where she usually comes for coffee. A Potomac resident for the past 10 years, she says the shopping center is usually packed during tournament week with people, caddies, agents, visitors and media. 

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If you’re in the mood for some delicious French and contemporary American cuisine, Eddie Benaim, the owner of , says the Potomac Village restaurant will offer a special deal for golfers and tournament ticket holders. They just need to present their ticket at the restaurant to receive 20 percent off their meal.

The area restaurants do see an increase in business, but considering the popularity and fame the tournament brings, the increase is not as great as you may expect, according to Adam Greenberg, the president of .

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Greenberg attributes the relatively low increase, in part, to attitudes like Suissa’s. 

“During the final rounds, some people avoid the Village, so maybe we pick up a little from the tournament but lose some regular customers,” Greenberg said. 

Murray Berman, president of , a local restaurant and pub, said his business does tend to pick up.

“A lot of locals that might usually go out of town or go to the beach tend to stay and come here to eat,” Berman says.

He added that the restaurant typically sees some new faces throughout the week, including golfers and those coming from the tournament. 

Anna Maria Joyner, manager of , agreed. She says her business definitely gets busier during the tournament, as residents, visitors and even golfers come in to stock up for parties.

“We usually supply wine for the parties, and well, there’s always vodka,” Joyner said.

Joyner says she even keeps a supply of wines by well-known golfers like Jack Nicklaus’ Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, Ernie Els’ Big Easy 2010 and Luke Donald’s Napa Valley collection.


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