Beset by injuries and bogged down by mediocre pitching, the 2012 Red Sox limped into the All-Star break with a .500 record, tied for last place in the American League East.

But as the home team struggled, restaurants near Fenway Park noticed a strange and unexpected phenomenon: Business was up.

At the Eastern Standard bar and restaurant in Kenmore Square, manager Molly Hopper said that fans who once rushed out the door to get to the game have been lingering longer and returning sooner.

“They’re definitely not running to the game to catch the first pitch as quickly as they would” in the past, Hopper said. “Instead of getting a quick burger or a sandwich or an oyster or two, guests are choosing to extend their dining stay and allow for dessert, which we obviously greatly enjoy.”

The Red Sox’s so-so performance has become a touchy subject at Eastern Standard. Season ticket holders who regularly visit the restaurant before games now prefer to chat about their summer vacations or debate which bottle of wine to get rather than talk about the team, Hopper said. The staff has learned to avoid bringing the subject up.

The story is much the same at the Citizen Public House & Oyster Bar on Boylston Street.

“If anything it’s improved our business,” said bar manager Joy Richard of the team’s underwhelming performance. “People are staying longer before the game and leaving the game earlier to come to us.”

More predictably, the Sox’s performance is undermining sales of team merchandise, especially the jerseys of popular players. Major League Baseball’s licensee for such merchandise, Majestic Athletic, said that while sales of jerseys for all of baseball combined are up nearly 40 percent so far this seasons, sales of Red Sox jerseys are declining at a single-digit pace.