Wisconsin-owned restaurants inside the NFL Draft footprint in Green Bay served thousands of people. April 27, 2025. PC: Fox 11 Online
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — The NFL Draft in Green Bay is long over, but some local businesses say they’re still feeling the impacts of the massive event.
“The draft actually saved my business, because it was a rough year,” says Derron Wilson, owner of Lil Jamaica in Green Bay’s Shipyard District.
For the restaurants and food trucks that were lucky enough to be featured inside the NFL Draft’s campus, it was easily one of the biggest events they’ve ever worked.
“I didn’t know what to expect, so I overprepared,” Wilson says. “I think I was happy with the result of how I prepared.”
For businesses like Lil Jamaica — which was featured at the draft’s local “restaurant row” — the impacts of the draft didn’t end when the draft ended. Wilson reports that they’ve seen a boost in business in the months since.
“I’ve seen where there’s a lot more people from out of town that’s just popping up to discover what Lil Jamaica is, and what the whole hype was from the draft, because that gave us a lot of exposure outside of Green Bay,” he says.
Along with more out-of-towners, he’s also seen a bump in local catering events for his business.
Because of the revenue from the draft and in the months since, Wilson says he has been able to buy the building his restaurant is in, do some remodeling inside and add a third food truck to his rotation.
“I could almost speak for a lot of business owners that the economy is shifting all over the place, so when [the draft] happened, I got a chance to keep my business going and had a lot more exposure,” he adds.
All in all, Wilson says the long, hectic, unpredictable days were worth it, and he knows he’s lucky he was chosen to be inside the campus.
“The NFL Draft put Lil Jamaica on the map,” Wilson says. “To tell you the truth, I wish there was a draft next week!”
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