Donavon Epps anticipates a busy Christmas Day on Pittsburgh’s North Shore.
As front of house manager at Bar Louie, he said the Steelers’ 1 p.m. home game against the Kansas City Chiefs should bring in a good amount of fans — despite the holiday.
Bar Louie will operate from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday, closing earlier than a normal day, which usually wraps up at 2 a.m.
“We’re expecting a decent rush at the beginning, and then maybe a nice little rush after,” Epps said.
Most North Shore bars and restaurants that spoke with TribLive plan to open on game day. Steelers fans always pack the bars to soak in the atmosphere before and after the game. Some watch the game from the bars instead of going into Acrisure Stadium.
Epps expects Christmas Day to go well despite being a little understaffed. Some were eager to work the holiday, hoping to pocket some extra cash, he said.
“We have a lot of staff members who actually live out of town,” Epps said.
Just down the street at Jason Aldean’s Kitchen Bar, general manager Bobby Hornick said his staff members are prepared for a typical influx of Steelers fans.
On Christmas Day, the restaurant will be open from 9 a.m. to midnight, which are the usual hours Jason Aldean’s operates during a 1 p.m. home game, he said.
Hornick said, however, that if it weren’t for the home game, Jason Aldean’s wouldn’t be open because the staff typically is off for Christmas.
It wasn’t hard for Hornick to find employees to work the holiday.
“We’ve got a pretty good crew,” he said. “As soon as we found out the schedule, we communicated with everybody.”
Jason Aldean’s typically “staffs up,” meaning they have more staff members than usual, for Steelers games, and it will be the same Wednesday, Hornick said.
“We’re hoping it’ll be a typical Steelers game where it’s a big crowd — lots of fans out and about,” he said. “People need places to go on Christmas, and with other places closed, we think it should be a good day for us.”
For Abbey Larotonda, store manager at Rally House North Shore, the Christmas Day home game is exciting.
“Typically, the company is closed on Christmas Day … but because there is a home game, we’re right next to the stadium, and we are just an awesome spot for fans to go before the game for gear,” she said.
The location on General Robinson Street is typically open until 6 p.m. Christmas Eve, and this year it will be open from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. at kickoff Christmas Day, according to Larotonda.
“We are going to be open for a few hours but still making sure staff gets time with families,” she said.
The morning will just be a fun time for the staff, Larotonda said, as there’s going to be a potluck, and she’s bringing gifts.
“I have a great team of people,” she said. “I am giving them all Santa hats with their names on it, so we’ll easily be identifiable.”
Rally House’s staff size will be about the same as normal for a Steelers game, Larotonda said.
“Everybody is really, truly excited to work on Christmas Day,” she said.