Welcome to 2021 – the year it became legal to bet on the Super Bowl, but it was illegal to watch the entire event in a restaurant or bar.
The new 10pm curfew in Michigan poses a dilemma for bars and restaurants this Sunday. In the past 20 years, 70% of the Super Bowls ended after 10pm.
This century’s Super Bowl average ended at 10:08 pm, according to the leaderboards. The first ended at 9:45 pm in 2010 and the last was at 10:45 pm in 2013 – when a power outage caused a delay in the second half.
What should the restaurant do if Sunday’s game passes a few minutes after 10pm? That’s the question of the week in the industry, said Scott Ellis, executive director of the Michigan Licensed Beverage Association.
“I cannot legally advise you to break the law,” said Ellis. But he expects the police to give restaurants and bars a few “free” minutes if the game goes past 10 pm.
Violations of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services order can be enforced by local health departments, local authorities, the Michigan Beverage Control Commission or the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the MDHHS spokeswoman. Lynn Sutfin.
She did not consider whether restaurants and bars should allow customers to stay until late afternoon, after 10 pm
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Another potential obstacle with the 10pm curfew – there is no time for people to sober up after the game before driving home.
Ellis said the servers are trained not to over serve customers and will encourage drunken customers not to drive home. A Michigan State Police spokesman said that drunk driving is more common in Sunday’s Super Bowl and soldiers will be on watch Sunday night.
The game starts at 6:30 pm on Sunday at CBS. Tom Brady and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are 3-point underdogs against Patrick Mahomes and defending champions Kansas City Chiefs.
Navigating a COVID-era Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is typically one of the top five busiest days for Michigan bars and restaurants throughout the year, said Emily Daunt, vice president of the Michigan Restaurant and Lodging Association.
State restrictions and consumer confidence undermine the normally profitable business day.
Some customers may not venture out if they think they can be expelled before the game is over, Daunt said. In addition, some bars and restaurants have implemented time limits that people can spend at a table – as they are limited to 25% of their normal capacity and pressure to rotate the table.
That can happen on Sunday, Ellis said – since people tend to spend more time in restaurants and bars than usual on Super Bowl Sunday so they can watch the game.
If people monopolize a table for three hours and don’t spend a lot of money – while there is a queue of people waiting for a table – this is problematic for companies.
“If someone is going to be there, we want them to eat, drink and watch the game,” said Ellis. “But at the same time, we want them to know how much they are spending.”
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Industry leaders are concerned that people will avoid bars and restaurants because of the concerns of COVID-19. Leading health officials in Michigan and the United States have warned against Super Bowl meetings.
“Please be aware that we have to do this differently this year, while we still see a lot of viruses in our communities,” said Michigan medical director Dr. Joneigh Khaldun. “Michigan largely avoided a post-holiday increase because we all did the right thing. On this Super Bowl Sunday, avoid meetings and, if you get together, keep it limited to just one other family. “
Michigan has an average of about 1,400 new cases of COVID-19 per day. Although it is much lower than November and December, when the count peaked at around 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 “be quiet and calm down” for this year’s Super Bowl.
“As much fun as it is to be together at a big Super Bowl party, now is not the time to do that,” said Fauci.
On the other hand, industry leaders are pushing for people to go out on Sunday to support their local restaurants – while still masking, distancing themselves socially and washing their hands.
“We would love for everyone to leave,” said Ellis. “Of all the years, if you are thinking of staying at home and are not going to have a party, maybe go to the local bar or restaurant, have some wings and some drinks.”
Internal meetings at Michigan residences are legally limited to 10 people from a maximum of two families. While indoor meals have a curfew at 10 pm, outdoor meals that meet state standards have no limit.
If people don’t feel safe going to a restaurant, Daunt encourages them to order takeout. Some places are offering take-out meal kits and take-out cocktails, she said.
Michigan’s reopening strategy was not based on meeting specific COVID-19 data objectives – a point of frustration for many business leaders. But the February 1 reopening comes just in time for restaurants and bars to try to make up for some losses during the Super Bowl.
Another reason for optimism is the introduction of sports gambling in Michigan, said Ellis.
Bars and restaurants don’t get a slice of the new revenue – but they are partnering with sports betting organizations to show customers how they can place bets using their phones.
“It creates a little fun inside the establishment,” said Ellis. “When someone wins, what does he do? They buy a round of drinks and tip the waitress. “
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