Marguerite’s Cafe in Dunedin, Fla. was unusually quiet on Friday as owner Marguerite Allison patrolled the dining room, greeting a few regulars by name and stopping by tables for a brief fret over the lack of patrons.

A few decorations and a couple wearing Lansing Lugnuts T-shirts were among the only signs of baseball at the family-style restaurant in the spring home of the Blue Jays.

It was the day after Major League Baseball postponed spring training and delayed the start of the regular season because of the coronavirus pandemic. Players and team staff weren’t the only ones hurting.

Allison choked back tears as she explained what the annual influx of fans means to her business in a town of 36,000.

“It means everything,” she said. “It actually makes our whole year, I’d say a good 50 per cent (of revenue).”

Marguerite’s sits about 300 metres from the entrance to newly renovated TD Ballpark, and Allison has seen hundreds of patrons walk through her doors on Grapefruit League game days, a steady crowd from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Business had been at least as brisk as previous springs, if not moreso, despite the lingering threat of COVID-19.

On Wednesday, attendance at the Jays’ final official spring home game was announced at 5,223. The five home dates scrapped from the remaining schedule would have been the most lucrative of the season for Marguerite’s because they would have been played around March break.

“I’m upset,” said Allison, whose cafe opened 19 years ago. “It’s not just me. It’s the downtown area. Every business in Dunedin is being affected by this.”

The $102-million (U.S.) stadium revamp added 3,000 seats, opening up the possibility of an increased flow of tourists in safer times. It’s a far cry from just a couple of years ago, when the Jays’ lease was up and they were reportedly considering a move.

At the time, Allison was on an advisory committee intent on keeping the Jays in Dunedin.

“They are our hometown team,” she said.

The financial commitment has been significant: $41.7 million from Pinellas County, $13.7 million from the state of Florida and over $6 million from the city Dunedin, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

“There are many people from Toronto and Canada who live here a good portion of the year,” Allison said. “They’re key to our financial stability in this area. For them to leave this area would have meant a big deal, and would have been not good for our economy.”

And now they’re dealing with financial stress all over again, for an entirely different reason.

Rebecca Sisson had just started work as a bartender at the Philadelphia Phillies complex, about 10 minutes south of Dunedin, when she was told her services would not be needed for the final two weeks of spring training. Sisson was juggling three jobs — the other two are at Dunedin restaurants — to support herself and her boyfriend, who is unable to work after suffering back and hip injuries in a car accident. With less income, she isn’t sure she’ll be able to make ends meet.

“There’s no reason for people to come now ... It’s almost like, ‘What’s next?’” said Sisson, who has lived in Dunedin for a year and a half.

Baseball wasn’t the only popular sport to be cancelled or postponed in the area. The PGA Tour called off the Valspar Championship at nearby Innisbrook, and IndyCar cancelled Sunday’s scheduled season opener, the St. Petersburg Grand Prix.

“Our lease is up in February and we’re like, ‘If this is a really bad season, we may need to go,’” Sisson added. “We don’t know if we’ll be able to financially stay where we are … Obviously things will pick up next season, but can I hold on until then?”

At the same time, short-term rentals in Dunedin are facing stricter regulations, including a 90-day minimum lease unless the property is in a designated zone.

As for the serious health risks, Allison and Sisson both said they weren’t overly concerned about contracting COVID-19 while following hygiene guidelines. But some restaurants in the area are considering closing down altogether, for at least a couple of weeks, which could impact livelihoods even more than the reduction in visitors already has.

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“A lot of our local community is older, so they’re going to be a lot more cautious,” Sisson said. “With most of our clientele being over 50, it’s like, I wouldn’t go outside.”

As professional sports organizations pledge funds to employees who work in their stadiums, Allison can’t help but feel local businesses are being overlooked. She won’t be holding her breath waiting for help, but staying afloat without baseball won’t be easy.

“We bank on this,” she said. “Literally.”