June 19, 2022 / 7:23 PM / CBS San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX) -- With hundreds of thousands of Warriors fans expected to crowd Market Street for the championship parade Monday, business owners hope all the cheering will make celebrants hungry and send them to nearby restaurants.

"This is boneless chicken breast. We marinated it with olive oil," said Mohammad Zughaiyer, owner of Oasis Grill on Market Street, as he pointed to a large container.

Zughaiyer spent the day preparing extra food even though the Mediterranean-style restaurant is typically closed Sundays. He was putting his game plan in place to make sure his business can handle hundreds -- maybe even thousands -- of customers before and after the parade.

"We are gonna be here very early in the morning, like 5 o'clock," Zughaiyer said.

Aside from getting the food ready, his biggest challenge was to round up enough cashiers and cooks during this labor shortage.

"My expectation is it's gonna be super busy," Zughaiyer said.

"All hands on deck, all hands on deck celebrating, shouting 'Warriors!'" said Celina Chang Song, the manager at nearby Gai Chicken and Rice. She will bring in two extra cashiers Monday to keep the line moving.

While businesses in the Financial District welcome the one-day surge, what really helps, they say, is a consistent daily flow of foot traffic.

"This parade will definitely help get a lot of exposure since we're a pretty new restaurant in the area on Market Street," Chang Song said.

Gai Chicken and Rice opened four months ago, replacing a previous restaurant that couldn't pay rent and abandoned the spot.

There are a lot of empty storefronts up and down Market Street.

The pandemic also forced Zughaiyer to shut down Oasis Grill for almost two years.

"That was a nightmare. You cannot pay your rent!" Zughaiyer said.

He reopened the restaurant about three months ago but, with most office and tech workers still working from home, he said it's been a struggle.

"There's no way we can survive without the office workers 'cause those are the people we need every day to have a busy lunch hour," Zughaiyer said.

Until the workers return, any major event or convention helps.

After the Warriors parade, the annual Pride Parade will also take place on Market Street next Sunday. Businesses are looking forward to that as well.

Da Lin is an award-winning journalist at KPIX 5 News. He joined KPIX 5 in 2012, but has been reporting the news in the Bay Area since 2007. Da grew up in Oakland, and before his return to the Bay Area, he spent five years covering the news at three other television stations in Texas, Southern and Central California. He also spent five years reporting at KRON 4.

First published on June 19, 2022 / 7:23 PM

© 2022 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.

©2022 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.