Aggieville restaurants prepare for Super Bowl, expect varied turnout

When the New England Patriots and New York Giants meet on Sunday, Aggieville is prepared to be packed for yet another game day.

For many, however, Super Bowl Sunday is about much more than football. It means gathering with friends for pregame shows, drinks, finger foods, commercials and, for Aggieville, a day teeming with business.

Samantha Southerland, waitress at Kite's Grille and Bar and senior in apparel and textile marketing, has yet to work a Super Bowl in her waitressing career but said she expects it to be similar to K-State game days.

"It's safe to assume we'll be packed," Southerland said. "For a K-State game, all the tables are filled and people have to wait in line, first come first serve. I would imagine a Super Bowl is no different."

Although she hasn't heard a lot of hype about the event, she said Kite's is still preparing for a busy day of football.

"I'm sure people will start coming in a couple hours early just to block off tables and save seats," she said. "We'll probably have some drink and food specials, too."

Derek Grant, general manager of Buffalo Wild Wings, is taking a different approach. In his five years of experience working with the restaurant chain, Grant is expecting the place to fill up, but nothing more chaotic than that.

"We're expecting mostly takeout," he said. "I'm sure a lot of people will post up for the game, but I'm not preparing for too much of a wait. It's definitely different than K-State games because on those days, all the fans are in here, eat in here and we run a wait all day long."

Grant said that for the Super Bowl, most people enjoy watching at home and hosting their own Super Bowl party, rather than sitting among strangers at a bar.

People need supplies for those parties, however, and Buffalo Wild Wings is ready to provide customers with much-needed party snacks. He said most people come in and get their wings beforehand to take back to their house, an explanation for the numerous takeout orders.

Preston Schotte, senior in marketing and entrepreneurship, agreed and said that if he went to a place like Buffalo Wild Wings on Super Bowl Sunday, he expects to carry out. Schotte said rather than watching at one of Aggieville's sports bars like he would for a K-State game, he plans on ordering wings to take home on Sunday in order to avoid getting caught up in the crowds and other fans.

"It's different for K-State games because on our game days, you're surrounded by fans all cheering for the same team so you'd rather go to the sports bars to watch," he said. "For the Super Bowl, it's a more random crowd so I find it a lot more fun to have my own party."

On the other hand, Chase Stephens, bartender at So Long Saloon, said they're expecting a crowd similar to K-State games and are preparing accordingly.

"I just started bartending, so they'll probably have the veterans work that day," Stephens said. "We're expecting people to start coming in right when we open at 11 a.m. We don't know our food specials until the day of but I'm sure they'll include extra finger foods."

While Aggieville has a wide range of expectations for this Sunday's game, each sports bar knows what the day is all about and is gearing up to satisfy their customers' need for food, drinks and football.