WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — With inflation cooling down slightly, business analysts predict consumers will spend money this football season but still be frugal.
At Duffy's Sports Grill in downtown West Palm Beach, it's all about football right now.
"[I'm] always ready for football," Scott Payne, a Duffy’s customer, said. "It's been a long, hot summer. I'm sure I'm not the only one."
Joe Webb, the president of Duffy's, is also reigning in the season.
"In Florida, during the summer months, you always see a dip in sales," Webb said. "So, the fact that sales come back with football season. That's why we're so excited."
Last season, Webb said inflation affected business slightly as consumers slowed their spending.
"(This season), I think you'll see people going out, but they'll spend a little bit less when they go out," Carl Gould, a business analyst who founded 7 Stage Advisors, said.
According to a report by the U.S. Commerce Department released Thursday, consumer spending increased 0.8% in July. That was the largest increase of the summer.
Gould expects that to continue during football season.
"I think you're gonna see as many people, if not more, watching it," Gould said. "I think it's how they watch it, how much am I willing to spend to watch it."
For the folks at Duffy's, that's good news.
"We're ready to go," Webb said. "We're ready to rock and roll."