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Prep and pride off the field

Football fans make their presence known at these bustling businesses

Charles Ludeke

Missouri football fans celebrate and tease a Nebraska fan after a Mizzou touchdown. With the rainy Thursday night football game, Campus Bar & Grill saw a larger number of customers than a typical Thursday.

By Lisa Appleton

October 22, 2009 | 12:00 a.m. CST

A hot cheeseburger straight from the grill lies in front of you, an ice-cold drink in your hand and Tiger fans decked out in black and gold are getting pumped for the game around you. But you’re sitting at a table with friends, avoiding the parking chaos at the stadium and the downpour outside. A cook prepared your food, and a server brought it to you. A loud din fills the room with conversations that go beyond the game. There is a sense of anticipation, but tensions are more relaxed than at the stadium. On game day, restaurants are as much a home to fans as Faurot Field.
Players aren’t the only people who prepare for football games. Restaurant kitchens are hustling when the Tigers take the field. “We prep probably five times as much food than we would prep for any other day,” says Matt Hudson, a manager at Campus Bar & Grill. Liquor orders are also massive. For game day the bar has about 45 kegs in the cooler and goes through about 25 during the day. MU alum Willie Springer went to Campus Bar & Grill before the Nebraska game for drinks and a bite to eat. “It’s very enthused right now, and there’s an M-I-Z chant by the bar because there are Nebraska fans here as well,” he says. But it’s not just drinks that draw customers. About 70 percent of sales at Truman’s Bar & Grill come from food, owner Russ Fischer’s says. Football Saturdays mean 15 percent more on the food order.
Not all Tiger fans at these game day hot spots are partying; many are cleaning spilled beer and grilling burgers. Bengals Bar & Grill hires new staff for the football season to work in addition to their current staff in order to tackle the increase in business, says general manager Jay Rader. At times, even with extra tables and chairs, it’s standing room only. But David Rowe, owner of the south side establishment D. Rowe’s, doesn’t increase his staff. “After seven years, I’d like to think we’ve come to a science of it,” he says. His philosophy is that there are only so many tables, so there can only be so many servers.
Servers relish game day as much as the fans. Campus Bar & Grill waitress Courtney Laux loves the extra money from football season, despite the hassle. “People get hammered, and then they forget their tab or who their waitress is,” Laux says. “But you have to expect that when you’re working at a bar, so I don’t get really upset about it.” Heidelberg server Britney Buck makes at least twice as much in tips on football Saturdays as any other Saturday. She says patrons who watch the game stay longer, which makes for a larger check. Other tables turn faster as fans travel between the field and downtown.
With all the extra food and alcohol, some fans might expect game-day specials. Fischer says Truman’s keeps the normal Saturday specials, but they are one of the few football hangouts to offer a discount. Dennis Harper, an owner of Harpo’s, says, “For the away games we might have happy hour or something, but on home games we add on to prices.” No matter what price, it’s the MU football tradition that keeps people going back to Harpo’s. “I’m with my dad and his friends, and they used to come here,” says MU junior Cory Koehn. “This is the Mizzou place to tailgate.” Even with higher prices, Harpo’s is accommodating on game day. Bartender Ben Brown says they’ve opened as early as 6:30 a.m. to serve biscuits and gravy and bloody marys to the football faithful.
Some restaurants change their hours depending on game time, but you can still expect to wait at Columbia favorites. At Shakespeare’s Pizza before the Nebraska game, 10 people stood against a wall clutching their slices because they couldn’t find seats. After the Furman game, waiting customers swarmed the Flat Branch Pub & Brewing patio. Tables were full inside and out, but wait or no wait, the game goes on.
Restaurants are willing to shell out for the pay-per-view game when the Tigers aren’t broadcast. Buffalo Wild Wings has six big screens and about 45 regular TVs, so any where you look football will be staring back at you. On game day, a sea of black and gold drinks beer, savors the wings and watches the game. But if you want the ultimate big screen experience, head to Bengals. For night games with fair weather, Bengals shows the game on an inflatable movie screen in its parking lot. The only thing missing is the bleachers.

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