ATHENS, Ga.—For Athens’ Restaurants and Sports Bars, football is a big pull for customers, but this Sunday was one like none other. Restaurant employees say that it is typical to have a substantial flow of professional football fans on Sundays, but reported that with their home-team competing in the Super bowl, capacity reached an ultimate high. Gabriel Evans, a frequent cook at “The Rail” said, “We had three to four times the amount of people here than on a regular Sunday,” and “it was honestly the biggest day I’ve ever worked.”

With the surge of customers came the increase of sales.  Pauley’s Crepe Bar employee Ashley Allen reports that “the food just kept going, appetizer after appetizer.”

Allen adds that it’s no doubt a four-hour game would keep the food and drinks coming, but the customer’s attitude determined the volume of the tips. Employees from both restaurants report that although the sales were high, the tips didn’t seem to increase.  Evans and Allen blame the disappointing outcome of tips on the intensity of the final half and the ultimate loss. Evans even claims that “if the Falcons won, and everyone won their bets, they would’ve tipped a lot more.”

The employees report that the Falcon’s loss left customers deserting the restaurants frustrated and disappointed, but that restaurant owners ended the game with steep sales.

By: Maddie Corley

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