Local bars, grocery stores prep for Super Bowl crowds

Bars, restaurants prep for super bowl

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(ABC 6 News) – This weekend, thousands of people across the nation will be watching the Super Bowl. There are a number of reasons fans gather for the game and for many, it’s the food.

According to National Retail Federation, people will spend about $86 between merch and food for the Super Bowl on average. That could be for a party at home, or at a local bar and grill.

$0.69 wings and $0.50 beers are deals that bring people into Townie’s Grill’d Philly Subs and More during the entire NFL season. They’re counting on Sunday being no different.

“The more bodies that are in here, the better. Everybody watches the Super Bowl, right? No matter what teams are in it so you’re always going to see more faces and more people wanting to go out and do something,” said Cody Livingood, the owner at Townie’s Grill’d Philly Subs and More.

He’s not too worried about prepping for Sunday.

“People don’t seem to plan much ahead anymore. A lot of people seem to live off the cusp. We usually start posting stuff on social media four to five days ahead of time.”

At Chip Shots, it’s a months-long process to get things ready. The indoor entertainment center lets fans rent out a game bay to watch the match-up.

As general manager Hannah White puts it: “So, we were still kind of new, so we were trying to figure out what works best. So this year, we’ve tried to really push being a sports bar and doing a lot of exciting things for football games.”

While bars get ready and order extra food, Hy-Vee is trying to balance their stock with another celebration right around the corner.

“The Super Bowl is our second biggest food holiday. It’s a big deal. And so we have all our Valentine’s stuff coming around the same time because that takes a lot of preparation to get the flowers all put together, all the arrangements and all that. So we’re doing a bit of both. Our coolers are filled to the max,” said Michael Hoisington, the store manager at the Crossroads Hy-Vee.

And if it’s not the game, commercials, or Usher’s Halftime performance, there could be one more reason many “newbies” will be watching the game.

“I’m a Taylor Swift fan so of course. It’s kind of the running joke right now. Who doesn’t like Taylor Swift?” said White.

As for Livingood, he’s excited about the potential business increase.

“I think it’s kind of cool what she’s done this year with football and maybe it brings more people in to watch the game.”