Call it the Lawrence Depression.

The defeat dealt to Kansas University’s men’s basketball team Friday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament didn’t just mean a loss for the basketball team.

The loss has been a blow felt by local bar and restaurant owners and some area retailers — financially and emotionally.

“I would say we are down, compared to last year, probably 20 to 30 percent as far as revenue goes for those times that KU was playing,” said Fee Monshizadeh, general manager at JB Stout’s Sports Bar & Grill, 721 Wakarusa Drive.

Some people stayed after Friday’s loss, he said, but many left the TV-heavy bar and grill with heavy hearts and low morale.

Customers still come in to watch other games, but the crowds are small in comparison.

“It was a big loss,” Monshizadeh said.

The same goes for Set ‘Em Up Jack’s, 1800 E. 23rd St. Dan Koehn, owner of the bar and grill, said employees usually had to bring in extra chairs and tables to handle people coming in to watch games.

“But we weren’t even half full Sunday,” he said. “I would say we would have done at least three times the business if the Jayhawks were still in the tournament. It’s depressing.

Sports Dome owner Brian Hoffman says he believes his store has lost some business because of Kansas University's early exit from the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. Lawrence retailers and bars count on KU basketball to bring them business, and when the team loses so do they.

“Losing the business hurts, but it’s the pride of being a fan and losing in the first round that was really difficult to take.”

This weekend also would have been good for business at Sports Dome, 1000 Mass., owner Brian Hoffman said. And it would have been even better had KU won Sunday.

Hoffman said it was difficult to know how people would react.

The store did sell some KU merchandise Saturday, he said, but sales lagged Sunday and had picked up only somewhat by Tuesday.

Hoffman had prepared to buy 5,000 Final Four T-shirts, but canceled the order after KU’s loss. His pile of Big 12 Conference Champion T-shirts now sell for $10 each.

“Normally, those are $18,” Hoffman said. “We did have them at two for $25. I think we’ve sold four of those shirts.”

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Sales at area grocery stores also are down slightly — both because of KU’s loss and because the university is on spring break, said Jamin Nally, assistant kitchen manager at Hy-Vee Food Store, 3504 Clinton Parkway.

“We expected some decrease in business after the Sunday game because of spring break,” Nally said. “But when the team lost Friday, people left early. There wasn’t a game to stick around for on Sunday.”

Hoffman said people may be disappointed with KU’s early loss in the tournament. But he said most customers in his store have said KU would always be their team.

“That’s good to know,” he said.