Broad Street Braces for Super Bowl Rush

By Noah Syverson, News Producer

At the same time that the New England Patriots and Los Angeles Rams are kicking off Super Bowl LIII 65 miles to the southeast, Rome’s downtown restaurants will be serving a rush of hungry customers.

It’s a rush that Broad Street business owners expect every year.

feature6 — David “D.J.” Rickman, owner of Giggity’s, said he’s bought 25% more beer in order to be ready for Sunday

David Rickman, owner of Giggity’s Sports Bar & Grill, said they had to increase their standard order of six cases of wings to ten cases in preparation for this Sunday.

“It’s difficult, you just kind of have to anticipate how busy you think it’s going to be and then add extra to it,” Rickman said. “We’re anticipating another $600 to $700 in additional sales.”

Rickman also said he will double his staff on Sunday in order to be able to handle the influx of customers. He figures his bar’s 23 televisions will be a big draw.

Giggity’s will be giving away prizes and offering a beer and wings deal—10 wings and a pitcher of domestic beer for $13.99. They are also offering free delivery on catering orders over $50.

feature3 — Johnny’s is known for pizza, but will sell more wings than slices this Sunday according to manager Shayna Thompson

Shayna Thompson, a front-house manager at Johnny’s New York Style Pizza, said that Johnny’s had been preparing for Sunday’s rush by stocking up on chicken wings.

“I guess you would want to say double? Triple, maybe?” Thompson said of the amount ordered compared to a normal week. “They’re obviously very popular on Super Bowl Sunday.”

Johnny’s has an all-day Happy Hour on Sundays, offering $1 off domestic beers. They have six TV’s that will be tuned to the game.

feature4 — Rome City Brewing Company will host a shuffleboard tournament as part of their planned Super Bowl festivities

Eden Smith, a manager at Rome City Brewing Company, estimated that they have had to order double the usual amount of wings so that they are prepared for increased demand.

Smith said her restaurant, like many others, brings in a second cook and second bartender for busy days like Super Bowl Sunday.

According to a recent estimate published by the National Retail Federation, American adults will spend a whopping $14.8 billion on food, clothes, and decorations related to the Super Bowl.

The same survey estimates that 13 million American adults will watch the “Big Game” from a bar.