The borough of Oakmont has been running like a broken clock twice a day this week.

Before and after U.S. Open competition started each day, traffic was at a standstill on Hulton Road as players and fans made their way to Oakmont Country Club.

Aside from those times, however, Oakmont and neighboring Verona have been quiet, business owners in both boroughs told TribLive this week.

‘Down to a science’

USGA staffers who organize the tournament know how to do their jobs, said Oakmont Bakery owner Marc Serrao.

“They really do have this down to a science,” he said. “The traffic’s really crazy only twice a day.”

Some of the pros have stopped at the bakery, and fans from out of town have replaced or supplemented the bakery’s regular crowd, Serrao told TribLive.

Among those spotted at the bakery: Paige Sprianac, a former professional golfer who failed to make the LPGA tour about a decade ago and who now works as a model and social media influencer; YouTube golfing influencers the Bryan Bros; and Paula Creamer, an LPGA golfer who won the 2010 U.S. Women’s Open that was played at Oakmont.

As the golfers worked to make the cut during a hazy but mild Friday afternoon with more sunshine than rain clouds, Oakmont and Verona restaurants and businesses were trying to lure people.

One could walk down the middle of Allegheny Avenue without fear of getting hit by a car about 2 p.m.

Traffic on Allegheny River Boulevard was light headed toward Verona, and the road didn’t get congested until Pennsylvania Avenue headed toward Hulton Road.

Business owners were cheery and most had time to talk Friday because there was not a steady stream of foot traffic.

Only Carnivores Sports Bar and Grill — which appeared to be the busiest establishment in Oakmont on Friday afternoon — declined to comment for this story, but the tournament was on more than a dozen televisions inside the full, but not packed, restaurant.

Great expectations

“A lot of the new businesses, they had some high expectations,” Verona Chamber of Commerce treasurer Sherry Kai said.

She owns Hula Bar & Grill with her husband. And although they opened early to try to entice customers in, she wasn’t surprised by the nearly-empty bar early Friday afternoon.

“The U.S. Open is not helping Verona at all,” she said.

What has helped is better communication between Oakmont and Verona’s business leaders, Kai said.

Windows in both business districts proclaimed this message: “The rest of US are still OPEN” as they promoted 40 businesses within a square mile in what’s marketed as the “Twin Boros.”

Inner Groove brewpub owner Kelle Melle booked rotating food trucks each night and activities to draw people in.

“We have things for people to do other than just come and drink beer,” Melle said.

A difference this year from previous Oakmont Opens — in 2016, 2007, 1994, 1983, 1973, 1962, 1953, 1935 and 1927 — was most fans were directed to park in lots 20 minutes away from the course and then take shuttles to town.

And fans were not allowed to leave and reenter after arriving at the country club.

Former resident Paulette Bakes figures both policies hurt Verona and Oakmont. So it made for a quiet visit Friday.

“It’s dead right now. Deplorably dead,” said Bakes, who now lives in Wilkinsburg.

Staff of the popular Hoffstot’s Cafe Monaco, where Bakes and her companions dined, told Bakes they were slow even after the golfing ended each day, she said.

“What’s up with that? Usually, everyone would come down and utilize all of Oakmont,” Bakes said.

Residents Ronald and Michele Brusco love living in Oakmont, enjoy attending the Open and support the businesses there.

They watched some second-round action Friday before retiring to Michael A’s for a midafternoon drink.

“It’s just a great time for the city,” Michele Brusco said. “We’re blessed.”

Reality bites

The USGA projected the tournament would have a $200 million economic impact for the region, but economists handicapped that forecast before the tournament started.

“It’s very hard to get to that big of a number,” Victor Matheson, economic professor at College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass., told TribLive.

Stefan Szymanski, sports management professor at the University of Michigan, and Michael Leeds, professor of economics at Temple University in Philadelphia, agreed with Matheson.

They told TribLive that in some cases hosting a large event can actually hamper business.

Locally, PennDOT message boards warn people about the U.S. Open on Interstates 79, 279, 376 and 76 and Route 28. A motorist with a wandering eye can see the traffic stopped on Hulton Road from Route 28 to make them think twice about exiting at Harmar to visit Oakmont.

It proves true the Yogi Berra maxim “nobody goes there, it’s too busy,” Matheson said.

Even if the $200 million comes close to being accurate, it would be a trickle — about 0.1% — of the region’s annual economy. Pittsburgh’s gross domestic product — that is, the total market value of the goods produced and services provided here — was $194.2 billion in 2023, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.

“A lot of that money flows in and then leaves,” Matheson said. “It goes home in the winning golfer’s pocket.”

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