Local sports bars hoping to score big during the Super Bowl

PITTSBURGH — Super Bowl weekend is here and football fans are pumped.

“Go 49ers,” shouted Eoin Kelly of the South Side.

Shawn Baker of Belle Vernon said, “I’m kind of most excited for the halftime show since the Steelers aren’t in it, but I’m kind of rooting for the Chiefs.”

Tom’s Watch Bar on the North Shore is kicking off its first Super Bowl Watch Party since opening in Pittsburgh. There are 101 TVs throughout the entire bar and outside to watch the game on.

Operating Partner Paul Lambert is expecting a 200-plus crowd in the hours leading up to game time.

“This is who we are,” he said. “We’re excited.”

Tom’s Watch Bar opens at 11 a.m. on Super Bowl Sunday with sports trivia starting at 2 p.m.

“If you want to come in early, we’re doing sports trivia,” Lambert said. “We’ve got DJs. We’ve got free shots. We’ve got giveaways. We’re doing squares tomorrow. We’re going to have a lot of fun tomorrow.”

The big game brings in big business for the bar. Lambert said the locations nationwide typically see about a 40% boost in sales.

“It’s bigger than New Year’s Eve,” he said. “It’s bigger than Thanksgiving. It’s bigger than Christmas. This is our day.”

Extra staff will be on hand, including bartender Matthew Wade, who’s a 49ers fan.

“This place is going to be booming,” Wade said. “Tom’s going to have the game on. We have specials. I’m just pretty excited for the game.”

At Verdetto’s, the beer and food will be flowing for its Super Bowl party Sunday at the start of kick-off at 6:30 p.m. Lauren Sena, the owner, told Channel 11, she expects the neighborhood bar on the North Side to be packed.

Melissa Bell of the North Shore and Eoin Kelly are planning on being at Verdetto’s party.

“We’re going to be here bright and early,” Bell said.

Kelly added, “To try to get a good spot at the bar.”

The couple remembers how packed the bar got last year.

“It was a huge crowd,” said Bell. “Everybody was just super excited to be there. It was really wild. There was a lot of food here also.”

Meantime, other sports bar owners told Channel 11, that while they don’t typically get crowded for the Super Bowl, they still score big on take-out orders.

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