'All hands on deck': Local businesses prepare for influx of fans during Jets whiteout parties

Some businesses are preparing to make more green during the upcoming Winnipeg Jets' whiteout parties, which are likely to draw thousands of fans to Winnipeg's downtown.

"We're very much looking forward to looking at how downtown is going to come alive," said Jessie Cuthbert, assistant general manager of Elephant & Castle, a pub on St Mary Avenue.

Games three and four of the Jets' first round of playoffs on Apr. 22 and Apr. 24 are already sold out at Winnipeg's Canada Life Centre, but downtown street parties, or whiteout parties, are making a comeback.

The parties will close down Donald Street between Portage Avenue and Graham Avenue during the team's home playoff games. Five thousand tickets will be on sale Monday for the parties on Donald, and another 1,000 are being sold for a party in True North Square.

"Everybody's just ready to be all hands on deck," Cuthbert said.

Sales have been good during regular season games, so Cuthbert's expecting each playoff game to draw business like a "regular Jets game on steroids," she said.

"We are packed here with a wait on the door both before and after the game every night," Cuthbert said.

And with hikes in grocery prices and day-to-day costs, more customers means less financial strain for her staff, she added.

"It's amazing for our servers and our cooks who, you know, rely on tips to … deal with things like inflation," she said. "An uptake in business is an uptake in their tips."

Another nearby restaurant, Capital Grill & Bar on Broadway, is also hoping to see more sales.

"This would help immensely," said Greg Gunnarson, co-owner and manager.

Gunnarson said the restaurant hasn't seen as many customers during the regular season matches, nor has it seen many customers in the evenings this past winter and spring. He said he's hoping the playoff energy will drive up traffic by 50 to 60 per cent.

"Any kind of excitement like this is sure to bring down more customers," he said.

At least that's what happened in 2018, Gunnarson said, when nine street parties brought an estimated crowd of 120,000 to downtown.

Even though the restaurant is a few blocks away from the arena, Gunnarson said they still had quite a bit of spillover of fans

"2018 was a great year for us," he said. "We're hoping to replicate that."

Fans are already on the hunt for whiteout gear, with about 10 to 20 a day heading to Royal Sports on Pembina Highway to secure some, according to Rowan Shymko, floor manager.

"Lots of people would want to buy whiteout gear — jerseys, T-shirts, a bit of everything," he said.

Shymko said fans come in the store excited about the playoffs and hoping to make it into one of the whiteout parties.

"It just seems like they're all in a great mood."

While white Jets' jerseys have also been popular, Shymko said the store still has a lot of gear left.

Tickets for the whiteout parties range from $10-20 and go on sale Monday at 10 a.m. on Ticketmaster.