Monday night’s primetime game marks Bill Belichick’s collegiate coaching debut.

Excitement has been building for months, especially for local and small businesses along Franklin Street.

The ‘Bill Belichick Effect’ is already being felt Labor Day weekend, leading up to the home opening game Monday night.

“I’m feeling excited,” said Lindsay Watson, Assistant Manager at Shrunken Head, a UNC Tar Heels fashion, merchandise, and accessory store. “There’s like a buzz in Chapel Hill around this time of year with students being back and football season coming up, of course. It’s going to be a really awesome season.”

Their two stores on the busy strip have been packed with customers this weekend from all over the country, now putting their brand on the map.

“It’s been insane,”Watson added. “After a pretty quiet summer, I would say we’re so happy to have all of the customers back, especially all the restaurants on Franklin as well. People have just really been engaging with all the businesses.”

Employees at restaurants like the Sup Dogs agree this football season will have an impact like no other.

“I think it’s going to drive a lot of business here. I think I think Chapel Hill is already doing really great, but the fact that Bill is here, it’s going to make it even better,” said Joseph Batta, a cook at the restaurant.

The owner said in a statement:

“Game days are generally twice as busy as a regular weekend day. For us, we are packed from 11 a.m. to 3 a.m.

If we win, people eat more and drink more, so we are hoping for a great start to the season!”

“I mean, it’s packed. You have people constantly coming in,” Batta added. “We’re getting slammed in the kitchen. The servers are making drinks. There’s no time to rest.”

Merch stores like Shrunken Head have been creating new Chapel Bill gear and trinkets for months in anticipation of cheering them on.

“It’s just always so cool to see the ideas that we kind of all collaborate together come to life and translate into game days,” Watson said.

From winning six Super Bowl wins in the NFL, the spotlight is now on this town. Locals believe it’ll play a big role in UNC’s and Chapel Hill’s legacy.

“I think it really empowers small businesses to be able to kind of remind us of like why we’re here and what we add to the UNC landscape,” Watson said.

A 2024 report analyzing visitor spending in NC found 71% of the state’s counties saw growth in visitor spending, and seven of the state’s 100 counties had double-digit increases. Orange County’s percentage increase ranked 27th out of 100 counties and 30th in total visitor spending.

The data comes from an annual study prepared for Visit North Carolina by Tourism Economics. Visit North Carolina is a unit of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina.

“This record-breaking $280 million in visitor spending is fueling jobs, strengthening businesses, and boosting our tax base,” said D.R. Bryan, Chair of the Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau Advisory Board.

“From UNC athletics to international soccer, from festivals to business gatherings, Orange County is on the national stage—and more people are choosing our communities as places to visit, live, and convene for business.”

Kickoff between North Carolina and TCU is set for 8 p.m. Monday at Kenan Memorial Stadium in Chapel Hill.