Bars on Pittsburgh\u2019s North Shore were packed Sunday night with loud and passionate Seahawks and Patriots fans, but with just 73 days until the NFL Draft, many businesses were also using Super Bowl Sunday as a preview of what to expect in April.<\/p>\n
Inside Jason Aldean\u2019s Kitchen and Bar, nearly every eye was glued to the game.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re excited. We love the Super Bowl. We\u2019ve been hosting Super Bowl parties for years,\u201d said Elizabeth Vitali.<\/p>\n
For one group of friends, the night was not just about football.<\/p>\n
They organized prop bets for the game, donating half of the winnings to the Beaver Humane Society.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve been doing prop bets for years and years, so we put them together,\u201d one person said.<\/p>\n
Some business owners say Super Bowl Sunday offered one of the last major stress tests before the draft arrives.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the last big things that\u2019s going to happen in our area until the draft,\u201d another customer said.<\/p>\n
Over at Tom\u2019s Watch Bar, Billy Smalls, an operating partner, said the crowd gave his staff a first real look at the logistics they will face during draft weekend.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think Pittsburgh has seen anything like this before. I don\u2019t think it\u2019s so much preparing for it as making sure you\u2019re fully staffed and make sure you have a plan,\u201d Smalls said.<\/p>\n
Still, Smalls admitted it is hard to fully prepare without knowing exactly what draft weekend will bring.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re just kind of nervous about what the area is going to look like and the space that we are going to have with this many people,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
From a customer standpoint, many said they are confident the city is ready.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think Pittsburgh is going to show the world how awesome it is,\u201d one fan said. \u201cEverybody comes out like they said, and it\u2019s going to be fantastic.\u201d<\/p>\n
Just last week, the NFL released the first official renderings of the 2026 draft.<\/p>\n
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