Beer will flow and the San Francisco 49er colors will flood downtown San Luis Obispo come Super Bowl Sunday's match-up between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Niners.
McCarthy’s Irish Pub is a staple of the downtown bar scene and widely known as a San Francisco 49ers bar but this year, bartender Carson Spencer is making more of an effort to make Super Bowl Sunday a spectacle at the pub.
"When the Niners are playing, that's when it really blows up,” Spencer said. "We'll have six TVs running, all playing audio, and so everyone will have a place to sit and be able to hear the game.”
With a cornhole tournament and festivities planning to begin at 1 p.m. the bar is expecting a sea of 49ers jerseys.
“We'll come in early. We're going to have somebody working the door throughout the swing shift because we know it's going to be busier," Spencer explained. "We'll have three guys on duty during the midsection."
It’s no secret McCarthy’s is preparing for a surge come Sunday but off of Orcutt and Duncan roads, a new beer garden, Ancient Owl, is prepping for its first Super Sunday.
Co-owner Lawrence Duterte says he can see two different scenarios playing out when it comes to the crowd.
“It's one of those days, like 4th of July, where people are either out and about or they're having backyard barbecues,” Duterte said.
Like many other bar or restaurant owners with TVs, they’re preparing for a crowd.
“If the big crowd shows up, we have plenty of staff here and we have no shortage of beer. We'll make sure that we can get people beers quickly and we'll have the game on two different TVs that you can see from every seat in the house,” Duterte said.
While Ancient Owl is not a sports bar, they know games like this are important.
“We know that part of gathering in community is gathering around sports so we definitely make sure that that's an option while you're here.“
No matter which team you’re cheering for, “everybody's welcome here. We're a safe space for all fans.”
The Super Bowl kicks off at 3:30 p.m. but you can expect people to be out and about hours before and after the game.
