Suspended MLB season hits stadium vendors hard

SEATTLE -- It's the kind of evening that's just perfect for a baseball game -- a warm summer night -- yet you could likely hear a pin drop outside of the stadiums in Seattle's SoDo neighborhood.

This weekend, the Mariners would've been hosting the Kansas City Royals at T-Mobile Park, but coronavirus and a stalemate between players and owners have delayed the start of the season.

"It's unthinkable for me to see this, it's a ghost town," says Albert Griffin of Al's Gourmet Sausages.

Al's been serving fans for over 26 years, and he says it's all about the season.

"You can look at it now, we totally depend on the games," he says.

For many, staying afloat without baseball season is near impossible.

Last month, Pyramid Alehouse permanently shut its doors after serving Seattle for more than 30 years.

"My income now is probably at 30%. It's not even comparable, but I'm not complaining because I'm surviving," says Al.

Farshid Varmini, owner of People's Burger food truck and Pioneer Grill hot dogs stands, feels Al's pain. Farshid opened up his restaurant, Gantry Public House, across the street from the stadiums just two weeks before having to shut down.

"We're probably down at least 85% so its a big drop," Farshid says.

Unlike most eateries in the city, entering phase 1.5 or phase 2 doesn't really help. It's the stadium traffic these restaurants rely on.

"So we could be in stage 3 and we'll be in the same situation. Until we're in phase 4 and stadiums allow fans, we'll be hurting a little bit."

"I feel for the ones who just started out, they're the ones really having  a very, very, very hard time. I just found out there's a couple food trucks that are gonna go down, so that's the hard part ... I was once there at that point starting out, too," says Al.

If you want to check out Al's Gourmet Sausages, his truck is now parked at REI park each afternoon. Gantry's Public House will be open on Fridays starting June 19.