Oxford Bars Gearing Up For Double Decker "Super Bowl" Effect

Watering holes on and off of the Square are preparing their staffs for the upcoming Double Decker Festival.
The Library, a favorite bar for Oxford locals and visitors, expects to pull in crowds that rival the biggest weekends of football season. 
“To be honest with you, it’s like a big football game, it’s what we call our Super Bowl,” said manager Paul Radigan. “Double Decker, everyone is on the Square and it’s non-stop in and out, over and over.”
At Round Table, manager Paul Terner says they will be adding a cover charge, but he doesn’t expect that to keep many people out.
“These bartenders have the opportunity to double or even quadruple their sales easy. They can make some serious money working a weekend like that because there are just so many people coming through,” Terner said.
Bars and restaurants on the Square aren’t the only ones gearing up for the Double Decker crowds.
Buffalo Wild Wings may be about four miles away from the main event, but manager Summer Farrell says they’ll be packed.
“So we bring in extra staff to make sure the customers are taken care of, extra food to make sure we don’t run out,” said Farrell. “A lot of times businesses will call us and ask to borrow things because they didn’t prepare.”
Farrell says the bar will be giving out prizes for trivia winners, offering karaoke on the patio and a “Beer Olympics” is in the works to attract the maximum number of customers.
It’s not all fun for the employees, though.  Managers have forewarned their staffs about Double Decker weekend, telling employees that their time-off requests for the two days involved would not be approved for any reason.
However, Round Table bartender and Ole Miss student Kyle Crotwell is not complaining.
“I’m happy that I’m working because I know just how much money I can make on that weekend. I could make as much as I do in one hour than I would in one regular week during the school year,” Crotwell said.
Double Decker will run through Saturday. For more information about the festival, visit the Double Decker website to find the schedule.
https://youtu.be/Wx9h-OIpEs0
Story by Jack Orloff, Miranda Crosby, Alec Kreyzer-Andre, and Jacob Duke. Edited by Julia Blake Anderson and Thomas Goris.