LEXINGTON, Ky. — The KHSAA Boys’ Sweet Sixteen Basketball Tournament returns to Rupp Arena this year March 16 through March 19 and the city of Lexington has business owners thankful for the increased business it will bring throughout the four-day tournament.
Robert Stull, a longtime friend of Marcus Randolph, greets every customer at Sam’s Hot Dog Stand in downtown Lexington with a warm welcome.
Randolph bought the Lexington staple in September 2021 after being in the restaurant industry for nearly 15 years. Stull started working with his friend Randolph shortly after in December 2021. The two practically feed off of each other during high-traffic times. Stull rings up customers while Randolph puts together people’s hot dog orders.
“Did you want spicy or mild? Did you want cheese with those?” Stull asked.
Of course, Stull is making sure people don’t forget the cheese on the dogs. Randolph has seen ups and downs because of the COVID-19 pandemic but he’s glad to see the increase in business with more events returning in person like the KHSAA Boys’ Sweet Sixteen State Basketball Tournament.
“Well, we were sad to see that the St. Patrick’s Parade didn’t happen downtown this year, but we definitely have seen some increased traffic from the Sweet Sixteen Tournament. With the nice weather, more out and about in general, it’s been a marked change,” Randolph said.
Nice weather and the return of the KHSAA Boys Sweet Sixteen Tournament is a recipe Randolph and many downtown Lexington business owners hoped for. Just two weeks ago, he extended his hours for a late night bite in downtown Lexington until 1 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
“There’s been sort of baby step increases for us here, and there’s definitely been a lot of demand for those late night hours from us. We’re phasing into that and it’s been really great so far,” Randolph said.
Randolph is hoping buisness gets greater as the more than century-old tournament brings more traffic to Lexington. Stull is more than happy to help out a friend in need as foot traffic picks up as well and helps keep everyone in good spirits with his jokes.
“You’re the one [Marcus Randolph] doing most of the work. I just get to stand here and talk to people and every once in a while grab a bag of buns,” Stull said.
Randolph knows without Stull’s help he wouldn’t be able to make people's bellies full and happy during the big weekend. If you want to purchase tickets for the 2022 KHSAA Boys’ Sweet Sixteen Basketball Tournament, you can click here.