ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — The Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs don't play until Sunday afternoon, but there's already one big winner this weekend: local businesses.
While every game at Highmark Stadium provides an economic boost for local business owners, this game will be a little different, with the potential for more out of town fans.
From people working at parking lots to restaurants, and hotels to transportation services, Western New York is expected to stay busy this weekend.
"We sell so many chicken wings on a football Sunday, it’s insane. We're prepared for it. We're ready for it," Mark Ebeling, the owner of Danny’s Restaurant in Orchard Park, told 2 On Your Side's Chelsea Swift. "The help in the kitchen has been here forever, so everybody is excited about football Sundays."
Ebeling has been serving Bills fans for years. He knows that game days offer a surge in sales, particularly when the Bills are on a winning streak. He anticipates this Sunday’s game will be no different.
Jason Anderson, a bartender at O’Neill’s Stadium Inn, echoed those sentiments.
"A lot of preparation goes into getting ready for Sunday, but again, we’re seasoned vets around here," he said. "Vendors drop off anywhere between 50 to 70 cases of beer each."
Then, there's the game itself, with the Chiefs entering Highmark Stadium at a perfect 10-0 and eyeing home-field advantage in the AFC playoffs. A Bills win would narrow the gap and apply some pressure in that race.
And of course, there's the potential appearance of Taylor Swift. She's dating Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, and has six concert dates scheduled in Toronto over a 10-day period.
"I wish she would come over to Danny's and just walk around a little bit for us and help us out," Ebeling joked.
"But anyhow, that's besides the point. It's always good to see people support other people, and that's the whole name of the game here."