Starkville businesses prepare for upcoming football season

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – The Mississippi State Bulldogs kicked off the 2024 Football Season this weekend.

The first game will be at home, and that has Starkville businesses preparing for big crowds.

A football season opener at home is a recipe for large crowds and big business in Starkville.

The crowds making their way to campus and Davis Wade Stadium have to have somewhere to stay and eat.

That has business owners, like Bart Wood of the Little Dooey, stocking up and staffing up.

“This time of year, the first ball game with all the anticipation with the new team and new coach and everything, you have a large group of folks coming to town this weekend. We are ready for the crowd,” said Wood.

The Little Dooey has 38 football seasons worth of experience, so Wood spends the time before opening day laying out his game plan and going over the playbook with his team.

“We go over our different protocols about the increase of products we offer here and make sure we do not run out. Bulldog fans are coming in for our product and so we want to make sure we have plenty of food to service all of them,” said Wood.

Staff is an important part of making game days run as smoothly as possible, so many businesses start building up their rosters before the season begins.

Co-manager of Maroon & Co. Kyle Young said that his team works to be prepared for the crowds.

“Staff is a big deal. Fortunately, we have a great staff. They pretty much know everything that I know. They are able to get everything out, organized, all of it restocked, and have a little backstock in the back. We try to stay 10 steps ahead,” said Young.

MSU’s home opener is Saturday, September 2 beginning at 3 p.m.

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