How a 100-year-old Queens bar turned marathon day into a business tradition

In his early days as a Long Island City bar owner, Brian Porter arrived at his business on the first Sunday in November to find a maze of road closures and swarms of people on the sidewalks. It wasn't his normal crowd, and it wasn't his regular business hours. But he saw an opportunity.

"I took everything in," Porter said. "People were on the road, early in the morning, and they were playing live music. There were so many things happening here." It was New York City Marathon day, and the race ran right past Porter's LIC Bar — which was closed that morning.

"I sure didn't make that mistake again," he said.

Mastercard Economics Institute research validates what Porter felt in his gut that day: Bars and restaurants along the New York City Marathon route get a 22% spending lift on race day. So just like a runner in training, Porter hit the (proverbial) pavement, experimenting with ways his LIC Bar could capitalize on the foot traffic boom.

Nearly 20 years later, LIC Bar has become a New York City Marathon destination — complete with a three-piece New Orleans band for 2026 — as patrons, families, and (eventually) celebratory marathon runners enjoy one of the city's favorite days together. It's also typically the bar's biggest business day of the year.

Over two decades, Porter has learned that getting the most out of major events like the marathon, seasonal peaks, and high-demand moments requires strategic planning and leveraging the right resources, such as Mastercard's Race Ready Playbook, which helps small businesses prepare for high-demand events and turn increased foot traffic into lasting growth.

Assembling a supportive team

On marathon day, experienced runners have a team of supporters to help with hydration and nutrition hand-offs, handle logistics, and, of course, cheer them on. Small business owners don't always have, or even know to look for, such support when preparing for a big event.

"Some marathon runners probably have a bigger team than some businesses do," said Ginger Siegel, North America small and mid-market business lead at Mastercard. "Small businesses need a team, too. One that, every day, wakes up with the single goal of helping that business thrive."

That's exactly what Siegel and Mastercard did for LIC Bar, through a pre-marathon mentoring session with Porter. They discussed staffing plans, inventory considerations, marketing opportunities, and ways to prepare for the surge of marathon weekend visitors. It's the type of practical readiness check the Race Ready Playbook encourages before any major demand moment, whether that's a citywide event, the holiday shopping season, or a local festival.

"Mastercard — their help, their support — they're a tremendous partner to have alongside us," Porter said. "They got me. It really was a wonderful experience."

In addition to leveraging Mastercard small-business resources like the Race Ready Playbook, Porter leans on the community that has formed around LIC Bar and his long-standing staff to make the push toward marathon day possible.

"Eighteen years ago, I didn't have this staff or that support around me," Porter said. "Now, I can do things. I can lean on them. We've all grown together in this business."

Following the crowd, strategically

LIC Bar itself has grown over the years. Today, the picturesque bar, music venue, wedding locale, and sometimes film-shoot location features a garden patio, canine regulars, poetry readings, and book clubs.

"When we first got here, that wasn't the direction," Porter said. "It was beer and shots. With the changes in the neighborhood, it's morphing into something else, bigger and better."

In the 50 years since the New York City Marathon has run past the LIC Bar's historic Long Island City building, the neighborhood has transformed around it. Just as Porter spotted an untapped business opportunity when he first experienced the marathon, he viewed LIC Bar's changing neighborhood demographics as yet another avenue for growth. "There were different taste buds coming in here, different palates," he said.

Rather than trying to appeal to everyone, Porter has focused on evolving alongside his customers and community. That approach reflects a broader global trend among small business owners: Mastercard's Dreamonomics research found that 61% of SMEs would rather build deep customer relationships than reach as many customers as possible.

One insight from Mastercard's Race Ready Playbook challenged a common assumption: During marathon weekend, consumers often gravitate toward smaller, convenient purchases rather than elaborate experiences. Another finding showed that 68% of UK consumers spend more freely when they're enjoying themselves. For Porter, that translated into a simple strategy: Create an inviting atmosphere with complimentary breakfast offerings, live music, and easy ways for spectators and runners to linger longer.

LIC Bar will offer a complimentary breakfast bar for patrons as they listen to the New Orleans band. Nothing sets the stage for a good time better than free food and live music.

Winning the race, slow and steady

Of course, the best part of race day, Porter said, is the kind of good time only years of preparation can produce.

"It's the most special, to be honest with you, when some of the runners come back in with their family members," Porter said. "The drinks being poured and being bought for everybody … it's like one big happy family."

Time is part of LIC Bar's success, both in the building's beautiful historic features and the nearly two decades of hard work, vision, and adaptability Porter and his team have put into the place.

"I say it to my staff," he said, "slow and steady always wins the race. For a marathon runner, there's strategy behind that. If you get out of the gate going 100 miles an hour, you just start missing things. You've got to be aware of what's around you."

For Porter, success during marathon weekend isn't about reinventing the business for one day. It's about understanding customer behavior, preparing early, and creating an experience people want to be part of.

Those same principles appear throughout the Race Ready Playbook: Know your audience, plan ahead, and make it easy for customers to spend time and money with your business when demand peaks.

Discover how to turn high-demand moments into lasting business growth.

Thissponsored post was created by BI Studios with Mastercard.

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