Super Bowl Sunday may not be listed on most calendars as a
national holiday, but business owners believe it sure seems like
one when it rolls around every year.
Customers crowd into grocery stores, filling shopping cards with
booze, deli platters, chips, dip and the rest of the usual barbeque
and party faire. Restaurants and pubs offer up specials and haul in
additional TVs to satisfy crowds unusual for a winter afternoon.
Golf courses offer special shotgun style morning sessions and
buffets in the afternoon, embracing an afternoon of pigskin instead
of fairways.
“Our industry considers Super Bowl Sunday a holiday,” said Ken
Silveira, owner of Pacific Market in Sebastopol. “It’s on par with
national holidays like Memorial Day when people all get together to
enjoy each other’s company.”
Get-togethers are a blessing in Silveira’s business, and he’s
happy to add a few incentives to welcome in his customers stocking
up for the big game. Last year Pacific Market celebrated the Super
Bowl with a grid–a game that challenges participants to guess the
score of the game by quarter. In many office pools each grid costs
a small fee of $5 or $10, but Silveira acknowledges that charging
his customers would amount to gambling, which is, of course,
illegal.
“So we just give it away,” he said, with a laugh. “You just sign
up and hope you win. It creates a bit of enthusiasm.”
Each winner will get a prize, with the big winner walking away
with prime rib or something else as impressive. “If they don’t eat
meat, we’ll figure it out,” he said. “We’re flexible.”
While the markets appear the biggest winners, restaurants, pubs
and bars throughout the county expect a big business day come Feb.
7. Patterson’s Pub owner Sean Graham said the NFL playoffs, Pro
Bowl and Super Bowl will bring crowds down to his downtown Windsor
restaurant, but said he has to compete with private parties.
“We’re going to bring in a big-screen TV and we’re going to have
some drink and food specials,” he said. “Usually the Super Bowl is
a pretty good day for us.”
Graham also believes the teams involved in the game make a big
difference in how many customers come out for an afternoon at the
pub. “The Cowboys and the Chargers seem to bring us more business
than other teams,” he said. Unfortunately for Graham, both San
Diego and Dallas were eliminated early this year.
While many bars and restaurants, including Jasper O’Farrell’s in
Sebastopol, are planning Super Bowl parties, others have no plans
to convert themselves to a sports bar for the one-day event.
Richard Norgrove, owner of the Bear Republic, said his downtown
Healdsburg pub expects a fairly normal day. “We have purposely not
set ourselves up as a sports bar,” he said. “People will come in to
watch the game, but I don’t expect them to spend anymore than they
usual do.”
The brewery’s keg sales to distributors selling to restaurants
are a different matter all together. Norgrove said each year orders
for bottles and kegs of beer increase as the NFL playoffs and the
Super Bowl near. “The independents and chains usually stock up,” he
said. “It’s a huge weekend for alcohol sales. Our sales tend to
increase fairly significantly.”
Norgrove said the trend of going out to a sports bar is somewhat
in the decline for big holidays as revelers opt for the safety and
convenience of private parties at home. “They tend to go to
organized parties where the event can be more controllable, and I
think that’s a good thing,” he said.
The California Highway Patrol also welcomes that trend. CHP
spokesperson Jonathan Sloat said Super Bowl Sunday is a maximum
enforcement period, similar to Labor Day and the 4th of July. “It’s
one of our busier weekends for us,” said Sloat. “We get lots of
activity, especially after the game. We get DUIs, crashes and
domestic disputes–which are usually alcohol related.”
For those looking for an alternative to the usual pub outing or
house party, golf courses throughout the county are offering
morning golf and, in some cases, a chance to watch the game after
finishing the round. Of course, the weather needs to
participate.
“We’re waiting and seeing,” said Gaylord Schaap, general manager
of the Northwood Golf Club in Monte Rio. “We’re hoping for decent
weather.”
If the weather is good, Schaap said golfers will enjoy morning
specials on the course and the game in the afternoon inside
Northwood’s restaurant. Those who enjoy golfing and don’t plan to
watch the game won’t have much competition for later tee times.
“The good news is, you’ll have the course to yourself,” said
Schaap. “The bad news is, you’re not a football fan.”
The New Links at Bodega Harbour is offering specials for Super
Bowl weekend, including a two-day, $100 package. “We’ll play a
shotgun style in the morning and get everyone out in time for the
game,” said Dianne Lloyd, tournament director at Bodega. “It’ll be
a fun weekend for golfers if the rain goes away.”
Jason Schmuhl, the head professional at the Windsor Golf Club,
expects a rush in the morning and a friendly gathering to watch the
game in the afternoon. “A lot of courses have gone to doing a
shotgun in the morning and everyone’s done in time to watch the
Super Bowl,” he said. “We might consider trying something like
that, but right now the course is pretty wet. With all this rain,
it’s been semi-unplayable.”
Jimmy Stewart at the Healdsburg Golf Club isn’t planning
anything special until the weather improves. “With the wetness,
we’re just not sure,” he said. “We always have our driving range
open. It’s covered.”
While the super markets, restaurants and golf courses hope to
cash in on the Super Bowl festivities, other businesses just
acknowledge the unofficial holiday will be slow. Bruce McConnell,
owner of McConnell Chevrolet in Healdsburg, doesn’t expect much
business that day and is considering closing early.
“It’s not a real busy day,” he said. “It’s a day you’ll probably
see more moms shopping for cars than dads.”
Even so, the day is far from wasted. McConnell isn’t a
professional football fan, and recommends anyone like him try
biking. “It’s a good day to go out for a bike ride because there
aren’t a whole lot of cars on the road,” he said. “You want to be
done by the time the game ends, though.”
He recalls past Super Bowls when he’s went skiing and climbed
Mt. St. Helena, enjoying outdoor activities that are normally
crowded on a Sunday afternoon. “One year I went skiing and there
were only moms and daughters out there,” he said.
