Tuscaloosa restaurants prepare for UA summer commencement crowds

JEFFERSON COUNTY, Ala. ( WIAT ) — The start of August marks another graduation weekend at the University of Alabama.

An estimated 12,000 graduates will receive their diplomas during UA’s summer commencement ceremony on Saturday at 9 a.m.

Jimmy Hart is the vice president of marketing and communications with Visit Tuscaloosa. He says the city’s restaurants and hotels expect a big boost with so many people in town celebrating.

“Commencement weekends are always great weekends in Tuscaloosa especially for our hospitality partners,” Hart said. “It’s a really celebratory industry that comes into town, so everyone gets to have fun.”

Rama Jama’s owner Mike Hebron is preparing his staff to handle the influx of customers.

“We tell them to buckle up and pull up their bootstraps and hold on. We hope people are patient because it takes more time to get the food to them,” Hebron said. “But the staff looks forward to it. It’s clearly a boost, we will do a lot more business which is great for Rama Jama’s.”

Hart expects an economic impact of nearly $2 million for the city of Tuscaloosa’s economy during graduation weekend.

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