Kickoff times shape the rush
At George's Restaurant Bar and Catering, senior manager Wade Canuteson said Baylor fans come in to eat before attending football, basketball and other games. Canuteson, a longtime Bears supporter who has worked there for 14 years, said the team's success helps draw visitors to Waco.
The timing of those visits depends on the schedule. For 2 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. football games, George's serves crowds both before and after kickoff. Evening games bring business throughout the day, Canuteson said, with the restaurant typically emptying about an hour before the game and filling again afterward.
Common Grounds manager Kallie Jones described a similar game-week boost. "Our busiest weeks are going to be less than $15K in revenue, and the weeks when there are games will usually be around $20K," she told KXXV.
Jones said home-game crowds arrive mostly on Saturdays, sometimes every other Saturday, with homecoming drawing the most business. Customers start coming in early, though the timing of the rush varies with kickoff.
A new coach for the remaining five games
Baylor fired Aranda on Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026, after more than six years as head coach and a 40-40 record. The decision followed a 25-24 loss at Kansas that left the Bears 4-3 on the season.
Defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman will serve as interim head coach for the rest of the season. Klanderman is in his first year at Baylor and has never been a head coach. According to Yahoo Sports, the remaining five games give him an opportunity to make a case for the permanent position; Baylor's long-term choice is not yet known.
Baylor student Laney Thompson told KXXV she does not follow football closely but watched the most recent game. She said it "did not look good" and supported the decision to fire Aranda. She also expects winning to encourage more people to attend games and support the team. Despite the change, local businesses and fans told KXXV they would remain loyal to the Bears.
The lift for hotels and vacation rentals
Lodging data offer another measure of the crowds' impact. In its winter and spring 2026 tourism update, the City of Waco reported that hotel performance during the 2025 Baylor football season was, on average, 52% better on home-game weekends than on weekends without games.
Hotel occupancy averaged 75% on home-game weekends, compared with 64% on non-game weekends, while average daily room rates were $183 and $115, respectively. Average hotel revenue reached about $623,676 per game weekend, versus $328,922 on weekends without games. Total game-weekend hotel revenue was $8.7 million.
The same presentation reported that short-term rentals, including Airbnb and Vrbo properties, performed 31% better on average during home-game weekends. Those weekends generated $2.6 million for the 2025 season, with average revenue of $190,109 per weekend compared with $128,048 on non-game weekends. The city attributed the increase to rates about 22% higher and greater demand.
Spending beyond the stadium
The City of Waco estimates that each Baylor home football game brings $875,000 to $1.4 million in spending at local restaurants and retailers. Spending inside the stadium on tickets, concessions and merchandise is estimated at another $1.7 million to $2.8 million per game. McLane Stadium draws 35,000 to 55,000 visitors per game.
The city estimates total state and local tax collections of $300,000 to $500,000 per home game, with Waco directly receiving $100,000 to $150,000. Across a season of six to seven home games, Baylor football contributes an estimated $2 million to $3 million in tax receipts.
A broader, older assessment covered Baylor Athletics as a whole. A 2013 study cited by The Texas Tribune put its impact on Waco's economy at $373.3 million. Economist Ray Perryman, who helped conduct the study, said visitor spending generates "in excess of $25 million in gross product each year in the Waco area and over 337 full-time equivalent jobs" when multiplier effects are included.
The city's dependence on football has also been put in perspective. In 2020, Waco City Manager Bradley Ford said losing football would not be a "substantial hit" to Waco's $14 billion economy.
