Restaurants, bars benefitting from Jets playoff hype

You can certainly feel the Jets’ playoff fever around Winnipeg. There’s an undeniable buzz around the city, especially for local bars and restaurants, which see a major boost in business during postseason runs.

“It’s amazing. We’re seeing full houses, so that’s an uptick in business on days where we normally wouldn’t see a full house,” said Leslie Kidd, the manager of Smitty’s on Kenaston.

“People are super excited, we supply them with little towels like what you get in the arena. And so they’re really involved, our staff is involved, everyone is in Jets gear, and we’re just excited and having a great time.”

Sean Gerbasi with Boston Pizza on Kenaston says the trickle-down effect is benefitting his staff in a big way. 

“Everyone is happy, you know guests are happy, servers are making a bit more money, sales are up, and it’s just a great atmosphere for everyone,” he explained. “I’m hoping for a real deep run this time.”

And it isn’t just chains that are enjoying a sales hike, locally owned bars like Underdogs say their staff are also reaping the rewards of the playoffs.

“They’re definitely making some good tips, customers are coming in happy, service is going very well, very busy, but the servers are doing really good, good team here,” said Frank Fiorillo, the general manager of Underdogs.

When asked if they’re hoping for a run to the cup final, the consensus among restaurants seems to be the same.  

“If the Jets make it to the finals, we’re actually giving away two tickets to the Stanley Cup Final, so yeah, we’re hoping they make it deep,” Fiorillo explained.