Twin Cities Bars Hoping To Get A Feel Of The 'New Normal' During March Madness
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- March Madness is here. The NCAA basketball tournament is in full swing.
Fans have waited two years for this day.
They missed out last year when the tournament was canceled because of the pandemic. Bars and restaurants missed out too. But some are making up for lost time.
Wayne Zacharias and his son-in-law Nate were so excited for the tournament, they filled out a total of nine brackets.
"This is my favorite time of the sporting year," said Nate Morisette.
The same could be said for places like the Sunshine Factory in Plymouth. Last year they missed out on St. Patrick's Day, March Madness and the Master's - events that bring customers in.
Bars and restaurants got a little boost this week when they were allowed to go from 50% capacity to 75% capacity. But social distancing still limits crowds and they are still at the mercy of people wanting to come back to watch these games.
"We'll have to see. We're kind of excited to see people come back in the doors and enjoy this stuff with us. See what the new normal might be," said Brian Hanson from the Sunshine Factory.
Friday afternoon was promising; a bit of a rebound for both basketball and business.
"I'm excited. My family gets really into it and I'm excited to be here. I feel like it's safe with the plastic up and everything," said customer Monica Lyness.
For fans of the Big Dance, this year it almost doesn't matter if your bracket gets busted. It sounds like there is light at the end of the tunnel. Hopefully things continue to progress that way," said Hanson.
The Sunshine Factory was able to add a few more barstools to their bar due to the change in restrictions that happened this week.
