The promise of warm weather and visiting alumni make Green Key weekend one of the most anticipated times of the year for local business owners, according to several members of the Hanover community interviewed by The Dartmouth.
Some of the biggest benefactors of Green Key weekend are local restaurants, such as Molly's Restaurant & Bar and Everything But Anchovies.
The eateries see a tremendous increase in sales during Green Key, largely due to the extra foot traffic that comes with the festivities, supervisors at the restaurants said.
"We see a big increase in sales for Green Key, usually by about 30 percent," EBAs owner Maureen Bogosian said.
Molly's general manager Ben Williams expressed a similar sentiment about the weekend, saying that "[Molly's] always sees a dramatic increase in sales."
Several Hanover business owners attributed the increased traffic during Green Key to the influx of alumni and other visitors to the College, which creates a "higher volume of potential customers," Williams said.
Jack Stinson, owner of Stinson's Village Store, said that much of his store's boosted sales come from alumni who have graduated from the College within the past five years.
"A significant amount of our sales are attributed to [young alumni] coming up for the festival," Stinson said.
The increased number of alumni returning this weekend provides an opportunity for the Dartmouth Co-op to display its new spring inventory and graduation items, according to store manager Paul Bouchard.
"Green Key customers typically get the first pick at the new items before they sell out in June during graduation and alumni weekend," Bouchard said.
In anticipation of the surge in sales this weekend, many local business owners said they are making special preparations to ensure they can accommodate the influx of visitors.
"[Green Key] is definitely a more stuff, more food, all hands on deck type of weekend," Bogosian said.
Stinson, whose store generates a large portion of its sales from beer and alcohol, said that he and his staff will be particularly vigilant about preventing the purchase of alcohol by underage customers this Green Key weekend. Groups of customers with even one underage member or customers from cars containing underage passengers are not allowed to purchase alcohol, as per store policy.
"We are very aware that people forget there are liquor laws and they need to be enforced," Stinson said.
There are also some items in particular that Stinson stocks up on in preparation for Green Key, he said.
"We make sure we do not run out of balls and paddles," Stinson said. "That would be a sin."
For many Hanover businesses, the weekend rakes in the biggest sales of the year and produces greater profits than Homecoming or Winter Carnival, several business owners said.
"I would rank Green Key just a little bit above the others, but not by much," Williams said.
Green Key provides a convenient "natural break" in the term that allows students to "push their books away for a little while," which may be the reason for its success, Stinson said.
"I think everything kind of stops at the College studying is done, classes take a break and then people go and drink more beer," he said.
Business owners also cited the typically warm weather during Green Key as one of the main reasons that sales this weekend often outperform those during Homecoming and Winter Carnival.
Sales during Winter Carnival the second biggest weekend according to Stinson are hindered by the winter weather, Stinson said.
The spring weather lets Molly's accommodate far more customers than it can in cooler months since the restaurant can serve diners outside, Williams said.
"Typically Green Key allows us to have our patio available, which adds about fifty extra seats," he said.
Green Key is particularly popular because it is the last holiday weekend for seniors before they graduate, according to Stinson.
"It's a little more exciting than the other events because for seniors, it is their last big event," he said. "And it's in the spring, so the weather is nice."
The Hanover Inn is fully booked for Green Key, according to Carl Pratt, the Inn's general manager.
