MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Super Bowl LV is set to kick off on Sunday evening, and a day that has evolved into a national holiday will be celebrated this year unlike any other in the past. While most years feature large crowds and rowdy fans, restaurants across the country are preparing to watch the big game in accordance to COVID-19 guidelines.
Kegler’s Sports Bar and Lounge has a unique feature that will allow it to draw extra business for the Super Bowl. The restaurant has a bowling alley attached to it, and customers are able to rent a lane for the evening.
Big screens are being put up along the back wall above the pins, so people can bowl and enjoy the game. Kegler’s had never done this before, but thought to take the approach since the restaurant itself is only able to operate at 50% capacity. That leaves lots of takeout orders from hungry fans which, as general manager Doug Moore explained, can be overwhelming to the kitchen.
“Some people that have ordered through us before, they’ve placed it on Monday, they’ve placed it on Tuesday. And that’s where it gets tricky. We’re going to have to turn people away on those wings,” Moore said.
While customers are in the restaurant, masks must be worn at all times aside from when sitting at tables, which are spaced six feet apart. Moore said that nearly a year into the pandemic, most people know how to play by the rules.
He said that every Super Bowl, he takes notes on what went well and what could be done better as far as the restaurant’s performance. This year, Moore thought his notes will look very different, and he had already been taking an out-of-the-box style of thinking over the course of the last 11 months.
