Sandy » Jim and Georgia Bournakis have been piling plates high with steak and spaghetti at their family diner for three decades.

So when they learned that Real Salt Lake would build its new soccer stadium right behind their State Street café, they didn't pop open any champagne in celebration.

As expected, Jim's Diner did see a slight increase of customers on game days -- enough that the proprietors had to add some extra wait staff to accommodate them. And the May 9 Eagles concert was definitely a boon.

"It was packed in here before and after," Georgia said. "And it was even busy in here during the concert. Some people came in to eat and listen to the music, because it was so loud you could hear it from here."

But she wouldn't go so far as to say that the stadium has improved business in any significant way. She said the extra stadium traffic has simply helped the business stay afloat.

"We've been here a very long time," Georgia said. "Things change. We don't."

Local land and business owners had hoped that the new stadium would stimulate growth in the area. But although the stadium does loom large on the horizon, it's nothing compared to the gloomy backdrop of the slumping economy.

Real estate agent Tyson Moore had hoped the location would be a strong selling point when he started listing a 5,000-square foot building just a goal kick away from the stadium.

"It would be great for restaurant use," he said. "But you'd have to put a lot of money into it to convert it."

And right now, he said, money's simply hard to come by. He said the building is more likely to be used as retail or commercial space -- uses that don't really take advantage, like a restaurant would, of the proximity of the stadium.

"Right now we have a couple of groups pursuing a lease of that building and it does look optimistic, but it looks like they're going to lease instead of purchase, at this point," he said. "It's just that the current climate for financing is extremely difficult right now."

One factor that may be holding back further development in the stadium area is the expectation that the new $115-million facility has significantly improved surrounding property values. That might be true in a good economy, he said, "but that's not where the market is right now."

At least for the time being, one of the biggest winners has been a location that was already doing just fine.

Blake Anderson, general manager for the Jordan Commons, just across State Street from the stadium, said the restaurants at the complex "do see an increase in business on game days because service is fast, and we offer quality meals."

Perhaps not surprisingly, he said, there's no evidence that soccer fans are also taking in a movie at the center's Megaplex theater.