Some local restaurants see Super Bowl business despite pandemic

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Despite the COVID-19 pandemic and the restrictions that go along with it, some Wilmington restaurants and bars welcomed sports fans to watch the big game Sunday night.

The action in downtown Wilmington was quieter than years past, but some still decided to go out and take in the action surrounded by others.

Under state COVID-19 restrictions, restaurants and bars must stop serving alcohol by 9:00 p.m. and must close their doors by a 10:00 curfew.

WWAY visited several businesses in downtown Wilmington and other parts of the city. Some were busy, but none allowed us to film inside.

Some patrons on the street shared why they chose to come out and how they feel about the restrictions.

“Well I don’t have cable number one, and it’s just a good time,” said Kansas City Chiefs fan Lisa Deaver. “You hang out with your friends at the bar, you have a couple drinks and you just enjoy the game.”

“You know, the laws are set in place for a reason, to keep everything safe, so we’re just following the laws until North Carolina says that everything is safe again,” said Rob Gronkowski fan Chad Davis. “We’re having fun within our limits.”

“I don’t like the curfew,” said Davis’s friend Dylan Lynch.

At one point the Husk in downtown Wilmington reached capacity and had to turn customers away.

The curfew went into effect before Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers secured a victory, leaving many forced to leave businesses and watch the rest of the game in the comfort of their own homes.