Welcome to 2021 – the year it became legal to gamble at the Super Bowl, but illegal to see the entire event in a restaurant or bar.
Michigan’s new curfew at dinner inside is a dilemma for bars and restaurants this Sunday. In the last 20 years, 70% of the Super Bowls ended more than 22 hours later
The average Super Bowl in this century ended at 22:08, according to boxing results. The earliest ended at 21:45 in 2010 and the last was 22:45 in 2013 – when a power outage slowed in the second half.
What should restaurant do if Sunday’s game takes place a few minutes past 10pm? That’s the question of the week in the industry, says Scott Ellis, executive director of the Michigan Licensed Beverage Association.
“I can not legally advise them to break the law,” Ellis said. But he hopes law enforcement will give restaurants and bars a few minutes of “grace” if the game goes beyond 10 p.m.
Violations of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services can be enforced by local health departments, local law enforcement, the Michigan Liquor Control Commission or the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, MDHHS spokeswoman Lynn Sutfin said.
She did not know if restaurants and bars should be allowed to let customers stay when it was past 22:00
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Another possible obstacle with the evening clock of 22:00 – it does not allow people to be sober after the game before driving home.
Ellis said servers are trained not to serve customers and that they will encourage intoxicated customers not to drive home. A Michigan police spokesman said drunk driving on Super Bowl Sunday is more common and that troops will oversee it all Sunday night thereafter.
The match begins Sunday at 6:30 p.m. on CBS. Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are three-point underdogs against Patrick Mahomes and defending champion Kansas City Chiefs.
Navigating through a COVID era Super Bowl era
The Super Bowl is usually one of the five busiest days for bars and restaurants in Michigan throughout the year, said Emily Daunt, vice president of the Michigan Restaurant and Lodging Association.
Government restrictions and consumer confidence jeopardize the normally profitable working day.
Some customers may not dare if they think they can be kicked out before the game ends, Daunt said. Some bars and restaurants have also implemented time constraints that people can spend at a table, as they are limited to 25% of their normal capacity and strive for table turnover.
It could be eligible on Sunday, Ellis said – because people on Super Bowl Sunday usually stay longer than usual at restaurants and bars so they can watch the game.
If people cut at a table for three hours and do not spend a lot of money – although there is a queue at the door of people waiting for a table, it is a problem for businesses.
“If anyone’s going to be there, we want them to eat and drink and watch the game,” Ellis said. “But at the same time, we want them to know what they’re spending.”
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Industry leaders are worried that people will avoid bars and restaurants due to COVID-19. Top health officials in Michigan and the United States have warned against Super Bowl events.
“Note that we have to do differently this year while still seeing so much virus in our communities,” said Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, general manager of Michigan. ‘Michigan largely avoided a boom after the holidays because we all did the right thing. This Super Bowl Sunday, please avoid gatherings, and if you get together, just stick to another household. ‘
Michigan is averaging about 1,400 new cases of COVID-19 per day. Although much lower than November and December, when the count reached about 7,000 new cases per day, it is still higher than the average in May, June, July, August, September or October.
Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said people should ‘cool down’ this year for the Super Bowl.
“It’s just as much fun as going out together in a big Super Bowl party, this is not the time to do it,” Fauci said.
Conversely, industry leaders are urging people to go out on Sundays to support their local eateries – while still wearing masks, social distances and washing hands.
“We want everyone to go out,” Ellis said. “If you’re thinking of staying home and not having a party, go to your local bar or restaurant all those years, drink wings and have a drink.”
Indoor gatherings in Michigan at residences are legally limited to ten people from no more than two households. While indoor dining has a 22:00 evening clock, outdoor meals that meet state standards are not restricted.
If people do not feel safe going to a restaurant, Daunt encourages them to order pick-up for the game. Some places offer accompanying meal sets and cocktails to go, she said.
Michigan’s reopening strategy is not based on achieving specific COVID-19 data goals – a point of frustration for many business leaders. But the reopening of Feb. 1 comes just in time for restaurants and bars to try to recover losses during the Super Bowl.
Another reason for optimism is the introduction of sports gambling in Michigan, Ellis said.
Bars and restaurants are not getting a share of the new revenue – but they are working with sports betting organizations to show customers how to place bets on their phone.
“It creates a little bit of fun in the business,” Ellis said. “What do they do when someone wins? They buy a drink and give a fee to the waitress. ”
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