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Bars, restaurants prepare for unprecedented Bills home opener

Sports bars that would normally get traffic on game day have a new strategy in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — This year’s Bills home opener will look a lot different than previous years.

Fans are not permitted inside the stadium. Tailgating is not permitted, and state regulations mean restaurants and bars must operate at half-capacity. 

McKenzie Cerrone's parents own O'Neill's Stadium Inn on Abbott Road. She tells 2 On Your Side's Karys Belger that take-home orders have helped a little, but they’re going to miss the rush that comes with crowds coming to see the team play.

"We usually have lines waiting for the full game," she said. "It’s usually a quarter of our yearly revenue just for those eight games throughout the year."

The restrictions for game day coupled with the state regulations because of the pandemic mean Cerrone and her family had to come up with another solution.

"We are doing a reservation where you can call and make a reservation and put down a deposit, and it goes toward your bill," she said.

With custom dividers at the bar and spread out tables, O’Neill’s will be at half-capacity on game day. 

But even without a large crowd, McKenzie and her family are ready to keep people fed and cheer on the home team. 

  

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