For restaurateurs in downtown Puyallup, the holiday season has been very bright.

Several businesses have experienced an increase in patronage, and many say there is a direct correlation between that and the recent opening of the old Cornforth Campbell lot to customers for free parking.

“The more customers hear about it and know about it, the more they are aware,” said Brian Gelston, owner of Bumpy’s Bar and Grill on East Main. “Patrons spread the word to others, and more come.”

Gelston remembers before the Cornforth Campbell lot opened that many said they didn’t want to go downtown because they feared they wouldn’t find any parking.

“Customers absolutely love the new free parking,” Gelston said. “It used to be they had to move their car.”

Charlie’s Restaurant has experienced a significant uptick in business, and co-owner Janice Carter has embraced the parking changes. She’s leveraged it by putting a map on the restaurant website that lays out where to find free parking.

“I feel really strongly that there needs to be good parking in downtown Puyallup,” Carter said. “I really liked the idea of giving back the Cornforth Campbell lot to customers and employees. If people can’t find parking within a reasonable area, they’re going to move on, so it’s important to provide parking.”

Carter said her restaurant has received more bookings for large parties since the change took place Oct. 1. Lunch and dinner crowds have swelled, she said.

“We have hired an additional three people in the past few months — one full-time and two part-time,” Carter said.

She added that she hasn’t seen a drop in business as a result of Sound Transit commuters leaving the downtown area.

Yet Carter said some tweaks could be made to the city parking plan in 2012.

“I have always thought that the Cornforth Campbell lot could be divided into a third for commuters, a third for customers and a third for employees,” she said. “As the downtown becomes more of a destination, more people will shop here. My hope is we need all those parking spaces for customers.”

When Shaun Brobak entered the Puyallup market with Trackside Pizza six years ago, he said the downtown area was literally a ghost town.

“I view parking as a positive problem to have,” he said. “Because there is now more activity. It’s great for the downtown.”

Since then, Brobak opened Crockett’s Public House on East Stewart last February, and he added 20 to 25 full-time jobs to the area. Trackside Pizza is doing equally well, with a small increase in sales this year over last year, he said.

“What I’m finding is that, despite the uproar about parking, I think there is still demand for these businesses in the downtown,” he said. “I think people are willing to go a little more out of their way to get to where they want to go.”

Brobak said he, too, has not seen a decrease in business from commuters who leave the area.

“I’ve never been one to think that Sound Transit brought a lot of business to the downtown,” he said.

Bryan Purdy, a co-owner at the Twisted Kilt Irish Pub on South Meridian, said it’s been a case of Catch-22. Commuters used to come in for a cocktail, he said, but now he’s seeing an increase in lunch traffic during the holidays, and he attributes that to the additional parking capacity.

Purdy said his business has experienced about a 25 percent increase in business since October.

Mazatlan Restaurant on Meridian has done equally well, owner Alfonso Quiroz said. To meet demand, he has hired an additional cocktail waitress and plans to increase hours for other employees.

But Quiroz said there’s one thing the city needs to focus on.

“I would like to see the city eliminate the chain parking,” he said. “If they can eliminate the chain parking, things can get even better.”

Reach Puyallup reporter Andrew Fickes at 253-841-2481 Ext. 313 or email at andrew.fickes@puyallupherald.com.