Square Businesses Prepare for Harvard-Yale Game

Harvard Square businesses are preparing for an influx of new customers this weekend as thousands of alumni and Yale students descend on Cambridge for the annual Harvard-Yale game Saturday.

The contest, which regularly draws tens of thousands of students and alumni, will be hosted at Harvard Stadium this year, and many local restaurants and retailers are hoping to capture a slice of the football crowd.

“It’s a good time for the Harvard community, it’s a great time for Harvard Square,” said Jerry P. Murphy ’73, president of the Harvard Coop.

Bill Bartley, owner of Bartley’s Burgers, the burger restaurant known for its creatively named offerings such as the “Snoop Dogg” and the “Fiscal Cliff,” said that despite the swelled crowds, business will proceed as usual. He added that he didn’t see the extra customers from Harvard-Yale as a particularly difficult accommodation.

“We’ve been in the Harvard-Yale buzz for almost as long as Harvard’s been playing Yale,” Bartley said. “So it’s not really that big of a deal.”

Though the burger shop is prepared for increased capacity, Bartley said in recent years fewer Yale students have stopped by his Massachusetts Avenue location. Indeed, Bartley said he has noticed more new customers for the Harvard-Dartmouth football games than for Harvard-Yale games.

Tzurit Or, founder of Tatte, the bakery and cafe that opened last month in Panera’s former Harvard Square location on Massachusetts Avenue, said she looked forward to the game as an opportunity to learn more about the tradition.

Harvard Square businesses prepare for the arrival of thousands of people for the Harvard-Yale game this Saturday. By Marinda R. Horan

“We’re likely going to learn a lot and come up with some local ideas for next year,” she said.

Some businesses said they were going to be offering special merchandise or offers for the game.

Murphy said the Coop will display special Harvard-Yale merchandise to attract the many alumni and students who use the Coop as a place to meet up on game day. He also said the Coop will have several locations set up around the Stadium for sales during the game.

“We really make sure there’s a lot of merchandise,” he said.

According to Or, Tatte may feature special Harvard-Yale offerings for its popular weekend brunch.

“We’re likely going to include some really special brunch,” she said.

Regardless of the result on the gridiron, where Harvard has won the last nine consecutive contests, Bartley said he’ll enjoy the crowd.

“We look forward to the challenge of feeding them all,” Bartley said.