'We’re very excited': Detroit bars prepare for Lions vs. Rams on Sunday
DETROIT (FOX 2) - Downtown Detroit bars are gearing up for the Lions' first home playoff game in 30 years.
Sweetwater Tavern, Hockeytown Café and the Tin Roof are all within walking distance of Ford Field. No matter the weather on Sunday, all three bars are ready for the Lions' game against the Los Angeles Rams.
"We’re very excited," said Darryl Powell, the general manager at Sweetwater Tavern. "We’ve been waiting on this day for a lifetime."
Sweetwater will have special menu items for fans to enjoy.
"We’ve got what we call the ‘Go Blue Kool-Aid shots,'" Powell said. "Every time the Lions score, we will be throwing shots out to the crowd."
And to prepare, they've got extra staff coming in.
Anna Anderson, a bartender at the Tin Roof, says the bar will be like a block party on Sunday, with a food truck and a DJ playing live music.
"I’ve been bartending in downtown Detroit for 20 years, and we’ve never had a home playoff game," Anderson said. "And that it’s a night game, it’s such a big deal. I’m so excited."
The Tin Roof boasts plenty of room for patrons – with three bars, a heated patio, and a heated tent.
Chris Spurbeck, Hockeytown Cafe's general manager, said he is "super pumped" for the game.
"It’s going to be great," he said.
A winter blast is hitting metro Detroit full force, starting Friday and continuing well through the weekend.
However, "football fans don’t really care about weather," Spurbeck said. "I learned that the first year I was here. I learned that with Green Bay. Green Bay fans – they came up, they filled up the rooftop and some of them, by the end of it, were even taking their shirts off."
Spurbeck said he expects the same energy on Sunday. Hockeytown Cafe's rooftop is enclosed and will feature a DJ and a photo booth.
"We’re going to be doing a lot of really fun stuff for the game," Spurbeck added.
Powell, Anderson, and Spurbeck all encourage fans to come early, come hungry, and come ready to have fun.
Detroit bar bans Matthew Stafford jerseys ahead of Lions-Rams game: ‘Use some common sense’
When the Detroit Lions play the Los Angeles Rams, a Detroit bar is banning all Stafford jerseys.
"We love the fact that Matthew Stafford is coming back home, and we get to showcase how a better team we are without him," Powell said.
The Lions traded Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams in March 2021 after the quarterback asked for a trade following 11 years of leading the team. He led the Rams to a Super Bowl win the same year and, at the time, some Lions fans admitted to rooting for their former QB.