It’s a football game that restaurant owners prepare for — weeks ahead.
“This is something that we actually look forward to,” says Cristina Drake, a server at St. Louis Bar and Grill. “It’s kind of also like a neighbourhood restaurant, we have a lot of people that are regulars and asking, ‘What time are you showing the game? What are you serving?'”
Whether it’s getting the colour just right for your decorations, swag or planning the Super Bowl menu, it’s a big deal for restaurants to be ready for the fans.
“We have about two pounds of fresh French fries here,” says the operations manager at Amsterdam Brewhouse, Trevor Brodie.
They also carry out another tradition during the Super Bowl at the popular brewery/restaurant on Toronto’s waterfront: a poutine eating contest.
“Every Super Bowl for the past 10 years or so, we’ve been running a poutine eating contest at halftime,” says Brodie. “It’s a huge portion of Ontario russet potato french fries, with cheese curds and our homemade gravy.”
It was the battle of the red and green between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles.
For some fans, it’s just about getting out and enjoying the game, but Tim Hannah and Allie Weekley might be an exception. They are Chiefs fans from Kansas City, Mo., and just happen to be in Toronto.
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“This is definitely a little different,” Hannah says after being asked about the irony of not being in Kansas City.
Hannah and Weekley, who just recently got engaged, were in Toronto for a business trip. Weekley works for a company based in Toronto. The couple were the only ones donning red at the Amsterdam Brewhouse, but back home it would be different.
“We have friends back at home that got to the bar at 8 a.m. to get their seats. People have been camping out at restaurants, it would be a sea of red at the bar,” Hannah said.
But they say it’s been interesting while here, with a lot of Buffalo Bills fans living in Toronto.
“We’ve gotten some trash talk on the street. People would stop us, say, ‘You ready for the game?’ ‘Yeah, who you rooting for?’ ‘Not you,’” Hannah said.
“Yeah, not feeling the love.”
They got the last laugh, though, as the Chiefs snagged the Super Bowl for their third championship win.
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