Local restaurants jump on Super Bowl bandwagon with special offers

For sports bars and other restaurants, Super Bowl weekend usually means major sales in the dining room on a Sunday, making it much busier than other days of the year. 

The pandemic has intercepted plans this season, however, and restaurants have been forced to punt and serve their die-hard football fans through curbside takeout and delivery.  

While Morty's Pub's Super Bowl 55 Combo is already sold out, owner Jay Taylor still expects a busy day at the Waterloo restaurant. 

"Traditionally, Super Bowl Sunday is our biggest takeout day of the year," said Taylor. "It's twice as busy as other big-event days."

So, just as restaurants have changed the way they do business during COVID-19, Super Bowl specials have shifted to smaller, more diverse boxes, many of which are designed to serve families, couples and even specials for the football fans watching the game alone. 

While it's impossible to list every restaurant preparing Super Bowl specials, here's a short rundown of a few randomly-selected samples.

(Quantities may be limited and pre-ordering may be required, so please contact individual venues for more information.)

Boxes and home food kits

Home food kits are part of the new norm in food takeout. In uptown Waterloo, Prohibition Warehouse has a pizza and wings package for the game — which also includes a DIY nachos kit.

Neighbouring Ethel's Lounge also has a Super Bowl Box of wings, antojitos, ribs, chili and cheese nachos with re-heating instructions.

Nearby Jane Bond Café has veggie snacks in their Super Sports Cup Party Bowl Box, including antojitos, "beef" and cheese taquitos (remember these are vegetarian), Tex-Mex wontons and cheesy ciabatta garlic bread.

Closer to University of Waterloo, Chef on Call has a few options including a Starter pack with choices of popcorn chicken, mac bites and sweet potato fries, as well as a jumbo dog and mac and cheese. The Culinary Studio, which recently moved to north Waterloo, has created a DIY "sandwich battle" for home cooks. 

Check their Instagram for ingredients and method for the Mahomes Kansas City for the Repeat Burnt-End Brisket Sandwich or the Brady the BUCS Stop Here Porkloin Sandwich.

At Thirsty's Bar & Grill, a sports bar in Waterloo, the special Bucchiefs Box includes wings, spring rolls, mac wedges, mini-meatballs and pogos. "I'm putting together fun football squares for anyone who orders this week for a chance to win prizes," said owner Liz Cunha.

The Munch Box in Belmont Village kicks off the weekend with their Field Goal Munch Box that's hot dogs, burgers, jerk patties, cheesecake slabs and — if that isn't enough — doughtnuts.

Collaboration has become more popular during the pandemic and Kitchener craft brewer Together We're Bitter has teamed up with Gather and Graze Catering to create a beer and charcuterie box combo that's available Saturday and Sunday.

Rookie restaurants

For some restaurants, this year's Super Bowl is a new event and some are participating for the first time.

In Kitchener (and St. Jacobs), casual food purveyor The Crazy Canuck says the game hasn't been "their niche," but in the current circumstances they see it as an opportunity to expand their customer base.

"The Super Bowl gives us a chance to showcase our smoked meats and wings," said co-owner Freddy Hayes.

Their Super Bowl Box-Feast also includes pulled pork, pulled chicken, chili and unbreaded confit wings.

It's the same with Public Kitchen & Bar: they have not participated in a Super Bowl event before, but this year, given business circumstances, they are taking advantage with The Tailgate Box that includes pulled pork fried chicken with maple-mustard glaze and fries supreme with stadium cheese, pico de gallo and refried beans.

Just outside Waterloo, in Conestogo, the new Crowsfoot Smokehaus has The Tailgater box with southern U.S.-style barbecue: ribs, fried chicken, mac 'n' cheese, smoked beans and pickled potato salad. 

In Puslinch, Old Marina Restaurant pulls out a 1970s classic: a football cheese ball with pepperoni or bacon and pretzels, house-made red-pepper jelly and pickles.

"It weighs about a pound and serves three or four people, so it's good for sharing among a family," said co-owner Joel Cook.

The Gator's Tail Sports Shack & Grill in Cambridge has created a Super Bowl Mega Munch box with fried football favourites: wings, deep-fried pickles, lattice fries, and tacos and cheesy-bacon bread. There is also a DIY nachos kit.

Cambridge brewer Four Fathers Brewing will be offering two take-out food specials and specials on several of their beers that can be ordered online for pickup.

Another first-time Super Bowl special participant is Bhima's Warung, in Waterloo, where owner Paul Boehmer says it's traditionally a very quiet Sunday at the popular restaurant which specializes in southeast Asian cuisine. 

However, this year there's The Super Bowl Bocas, a package that includes pok-pok chicken, shrimp in daeng sauce and lemongrass, and pork satays.

"It's tasty snacks for two, dishes I found on the street mostly," says Boehmer. "The word I actually picked up in Costa Rica in the 1980s. We used to make them at the Warung, but I cut them because they were too popular. They're good now for the Super Bowl, however."