Long Beach businesses ready for Super Bowl Sunday

Between the Polar Bears Splash and big game, bars and eateries are preparing for a busy weekend

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With thousands expected to descend on Long Beach for the annual Long Beach Polar Bears Super Bowl Splash — and with the Patriots and Eagles, two teams New Yorkers love to hate, set to square off in the Super Bowl — many business owners say that they are gearing up for a bustling Sunday.

“It would be great if the Jets and Giants were playing each other, but the good thing about this is you have two teams who are hated in the New York area,” said James Lynch, a member of the Long Beach Chamber of Commerce’s board of directors. “You couple Super Bowl Sunday with the Polar Bear plunge, and it brings in thousands of people. It’s a big day for Long Beach and the businesses do well.”

Business owners say that turnout for the Polar Bears Splash, followed by the big game, will be a boon to businesses in town, and that the extra revenue will help get many of them through the slower winter months.


“February is always a slower month in Long Beach,” said PJ Kavanagh, co-owner of Junction on Park Avenue. “The Super Bowl depends a lot on who’s in — I hope people want to watch this because of [Tom] Brady — he’s breaking records. We’re expecting a great game with the Patriots and the Eagles.”

Kavanagh said that Junction, like many businesses in town, is preparing for a busy day between catering orders and those participating in the Polar Bears plunge. Junction will be serving a “bottomless brunch” from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Sunday. With temperatures expecting to be in the 30s, Junction will offer hot drink specials such as hot apple cider for those looking to warm up before and after the big dip. And with 40 large, flat-screen TVs, Kavanagh said that Junction is a great place to watch the game.

“I think everyone is going to be looking for some hot drinks,” he said. “We’re also going into the tailgate party with our football specials."

Like many establishments in Long Beach, Swingbellys co-owner Dan Monteforte said, the popular barbecue joint is offering a special Super Bowl menu package beginning at 6 p.m. The business has also been swamped with catering orders, everything from chicken wings to six-foot cheese steak heroes.

“We start with the barbecue two days in advance getting prepared for that, working through the night on the pit,” said Monteforte, adding that he expects to sell more than 4,000 pounds of wings.

“We get a nice early hit and people get a little bit of liquid bravery before they go in the water,” he added. “The Polar Bears has turned into a great community event that brings a lot of people to Long Beach during one of the slowest times of the year. Swingbellys does summer numbers on Super Bowl Sunday — we’re pretty full with reservations for the big game. It’s a big boost for the community and it’s good for morale down here.”

Monteforte’s other business, Long Beach Sandwich Company, which opened on West Beech Street in August, has also been preparing hundreds of catering orders for the big day, and will be serving those stopping in for a bite before and after the Polar Bears plunge.

“One guy has two orders on the same day — breakfast before the Polar Bear splash and party heroes for the big game,” Monteforte said. “Someone ordered a six-foot bacon, egg and cheese for the splash — they’re bringing that down to the beach.”

Megan Casey, the wife of Shine’s owner Brent Wilson, said the historic West End bar, which opened in 1912, has a loyal following on Super Bowl Sunday and is serving mimosas and hot drinks before and after the plunge.

“We’re going to have the best bloody Mary in town,” Casey said. “We are definitely the closest bar to the boardwalk — if you want to come in to gird your loins and Irish up your coffee and get warm, we’re the place to be. The West End comes alive during an otherwise sleepy time of year — it’s the last dash before gearing up for St. Patrick’s Day — or the Shine’s Beer Olympics. It’s definitely one of the busiest days of the winter.”

Jamie Dowling, co-owner of Speakeasy on West Beech Street, said the establishment has offered shuttle bus service to and from the Polar Bears Splash for the past eight years.

“We put out bagels and hot chocolate and coffee,” said Dowling, adding that Speakeasy collects donations for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. “We get 50 people and in the beginning it was just bar people but now it’s kids and families. One year we had a guy who did the plunge dressed as a bagpiper and another guy in a chicken costume.”

Dowling and others said that many of those who participate in the plunge hit the different bars and restaurants in town after the event and stick around for the game.

“Super Bowl is always great, but we have this double header, so we’re busy in the morning and at some point everyone leaves because they’re wet and sandy,” Dowling said. “And then the bar fills up again at dinner time for the start of the game.”

“Every establishment has their own thing going on, and every house has a gathering, so all you see is wall-to-wall Polar Bears,” Lynch added.

And if there's a bit of snow and rain on Sunday?

“It doesn’t make a difference, not to these lunatics,” he joked.