First Posted: 2/3/2013
Baltimore crab cakes and San Francisco sourdough?
Probably not if you’re in Greater Pittston.
Wings, pizza and beer are always on the menu on Super Bowl Sunday, no matter who plays.
Just ask Jeanne Zinkavich, owner of the Town Tavern in Duryea.
Their extensive bar menu is set aside for one day and they concentrate solely on wings and pizza.
And not just a few dozen wings.
In one day, patrons will devour 57 cases of wings. At 40 pounds a case (we’ll do the math here) that’s more than a ton of wings.
All those poor little chickens, Zinkavich joked.
And what’s a ton of wings without 36 gallons of bleu cheese and ranch?
By the end of the night, every stick of celery is eaten, Zinkavich said.
It’s all hands on deck, too.
All of the family is here helping out, she said. Mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters.
Although the bar is hopping for the Super Bowl (17 televisions means you won’t miss a snap), Zinkavich said 75 percent of the business on Super Bowl Sunday is from takeout.
By kickoff we’re winding down, she said. Most of the food is picked up by kickoff. The rest they’ll pick up at halftime.
The place is so busy on Super Bowl Sunday, they have to close on Monday to clean up.
We steam clean the entire kitchen, Zinkavich said.
Despite it being Super Bowl Sunday, at Sabatini’s Pizza in Exeter it doesn’t match the traffic the restaurant does on Fridays, especially during Lent.
A lot of people have it into their weekly pattern to get Sabs on Fridays, said Lindo Sabatini. Super Bowl Sunday is a good day, but not a great day. Fridays are great days.
Sabatini will be slammed for takeouts between 3 and 6 p.m., and it will slow down until halftime.
Then we’ll get another round, he said. It’ll pick up again.
He said while many places have dozens of sauces, Sabatini’s specializes in six.
Sabatini said he’s proud of the restaurant’s takeout beer selection.
We have over 500 varieties of craft and import beer, he said. Super Bowl Sunday will be a very good beer day.
He calls the beer takeout menu the beer bible. The majority of the beer is kept in the back coolers because there isn’t enough room in the front display coolers.
Pat Lizza, of Lizza’s Mezzo Mezzo, called Super Bowl Sunday huge. Pizza, wings and stromboli are his specialties.
I’ve been in the business for 30 years and it’s always been that way, he said.
Jim Ruby, one of the six owners of Bo Brothers on Wyoming Avenue in Wyoming, said it’s one of the busiest days of the year.
He said all of the owners, himself, his wife, Marlene Ruby, Joseph and Jeannie Suchocki, and Vince and Maria Sicconne will be working.
We’re a pizza and wings place, so on Super Bowl Sunday, we’re slammed, he said.
He said Super Bowl Sunday is especially busy if there’s a local team playing, such as the Philadelphia Eagles or Pittsburgh Steelers.
Mike Savokinas, owner of Savo’s Pizza in the Pittston Plaza, said he’s ready to make 400 to 500 pizzas.
He has five drivers on the road delivering food.
It’s a day for all your loyal customers, but it’s also a day you pick up a lot of new customers, he said.
We’re now on the second and even third generations, he added.
Savo’s has been in the area for 49 years in April.
People hear about us and come from all around, Scranton, Tunkhannock, Wilkes-Barre, Falls, Savokinas said.
Savokinas said he prefers not to pick a team to root for in fear he may alienate some customers.
I’d hate to say I’m for San Francisco and have a loyal customer get mad because he’s a Baltimore fan, he said. It’s just a game, but people take football very seriously around here.
Savokinas said he’s had wings now for 18 years and they’re just as popular as pizza on Super Bowl Sunday.
People order 80-100-120 wings, he said. Larger orders are usually made in advance.
We’ll go through thousands and thousands of wings, he said. People really like them.
Mike Savokinas, owner of Savo’s Pizza in the Pittston Plaza, said he’s ready to make 400 to 500 pizzas. He has five drivers on the road delivering food. ‘It’s a day for all your loyal customers, but it’s also a day you pick up a lot of new customers,’ he said.