Super Bowl means business: Restaurants prep for the big game

Chris Sehman isn’t rooting for either team in Super Bowl XLVI on Sunday. He just hopes for overtime.

“I want triple overtime; let’s have everyone eating a lot and drinking a lot,” said Sehman, who owns Helen Back on Okaloosa Island.

For some, preparing for the Super Bowl means dusting off the jersey and grabbing the TV guide listings to check on kickoff time. For restaurants, it means extra wings, extra beer and getting ready for the crowds weeks in advance.

Helen Back will feature specialty drinks and give away prizes during the game between the New York Giants and New England Patriots.

“My No. 1 thing is my pizza,” Sehman said. “The minute we open we’ll be slammed with to-go orders and in-house orders. We’re not doing anything out of the ordinary. We’re just focusing on making really good pizza.”

Sehman said people who arrive close to kickoff will be out of luck if they want a seat. He said large parties should get to his place by 3 p.m. before kickoff at 5:30 p.m.

Fokker’s Pub in Fort Walton Beach will trade the traditional game-day food for something a little heartier, said co-owner Laura Avery.

An all-you-can-eat buffet will feature items such as red beans and rice, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie. However, she said the traditional menu also will be available for visitors wanting some grilled wings with their football.

“We wanted to give people something they would really like, since they’ll be here for a few hours,” Avery said.

Fokkers will have all 12 televisions turned to the game and will give patrons the option of purchasing the all-you-can-eat buffet and an all-you-can-drink option.

“We just want to have fun,” she said. “We’ll have prizes and it’s great for the family because we’ll have games for them if they get bored.”

Over at Angler’s Beachside Grill, manager Cindy Fowler said every time a customer walks through the door the party just gets better. For the Super bowl, the sports bar will have a game-day buffet, drink specials and a hot wing eating contest.

“When you come here it’s always an event,” Fowler said. “We’ve got 45 TVs, lots of beer options and the party starts as soon as you get here.”

Buffalo’s Reef owner Mike Hanley said his staff will begin cooking wings at 10 a.m. Hanley said this is his 21st Super Bowl, so he knows what to expect. Hanley said the peak selling time is between 4 and 5:30 p.m., but folks will begin picking up wings about 10:30 a.m.

“We’re anticipating making about 500 to 600 wings every 15 minutes. Usually we have three cooks, but for this we’ll have seven,” Hanley said. “I don’t think we’ll sell any more than this past Super Bowl. Last year, we sold 40,000 wings. That’s a bunch of chickens.”