ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) – Restaurants all across South Georgia and the nation have been impacted by COVID-19 and inflation on some popular food items.
Now, as they are preparing for Super Bowl Sunday, they are hoping to get a return on their investment.
Jason Priest, the owner of River City Grille and Pizzeria tells me that things are improving. They aren’t as bad as they used to be.
They still hope that Super Bowl Sunday gives them a boost in the right direction.
Priest says he’s getting charged more than twice what he did last year for things like chicken. Supply chain issues have continued to cause these problems.
“COVID has definitely hit the restaurant industry harder than anybody. We live with it every day in here,” Priest says.
He tells me he might even run out of wings at his Super Bowl event this weekend. For last year’s Super Bowl, he dealt with a completely different problem.
“It was pretty rough. We were limited to what we can do in here, spacing people out,” said Priest.
Like many others, his business had to adjust. He started to offer takeout but he noted that there’s nothing like the atmosphere of being there in person.
“This year we’re kind of wide-open. Were able to accommodate more people. Should have a good crowd tomorrow for the Super Bowl. We’ll have music going on inside the bar so people can sit back and relax,” Priest says.
They are ready, like many restaurants, to offer up deals. Although the prices still may be higher than what you’re used to.
“We were able to lower prices a little bit. But of course, we still have to make money.”
Not just the owner, the bartenders would also enjoy a few more people coming in than last year.
“We’re starting to pick back up and I hope it continues to get better,” says Hannah Lee, a bartender at River City Grille and Pizzeria.
They will open earlier to accommodate Super Bowl fans with deals on beer and food.
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