Countdown to Super Bowl XLVI – Indy is hopping - Ingles

Crazy crowds have led to crazy business on Georgia Street over the weekend.

Hot Box Pizza, with just 15 seats, saw triple the business as it dished out slices to hundreds of Super Bowl partiers until 4 in the morning.

Dunkin' Donuts at Bankers Life Fieldhouse sold so many cups of coffee and hot chocolate that plans call for it to operate 24 hours a day beginning Thursday.

And the Lids athletic apparel pop-up location on the second floor of the empty Nordstrom store -- currently known as The Huddle -- has been jammed with long lines.

"It's like an amusement park," said a Lids employee.

This is not a surprise, of course. But it has been a blessing for businesses that are not usually busy on the weekends.

"We've been insanely busy," said Hot Box Pizza owner Gabe Connell. "Three times busier than normal. And hopefully it's just a preview of what it's going to be like this weekend."

Slices of pizza and orders of breadsticks, at $4 a pop, have been huge sellers. Most Super fans did a grab-and-go so they could head back outside.

And at Dunkin' Donuts, "the hot chocolate outsold our coffee, and that is a phenomenon," said Rick Herbertz, director of operations. "We are just rocking it out. It's a great feeling, great for Indianapolis."

Business at the fieldhouse is normally event-driven, Herbertz said, but the next seven days are likely to be as busy as any Pacers home game.

With so many fans from New England -- where Dunkin' Donuts is king -- Herbertz said the 24-7 schedule from Thursday to Sunday will match the atmosphere of the city and the Super Bowl.

"This will be the biggest event in my (23-year) career."

(source Indianapolis Star)