Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - Hockey has officially returned to Western New York, as the Buffalo Sabres open their 2025-26 regular season on Thursday night with a matchup against the New York Rangers at KeyBank Center.
With the Sabres returning to action for another season in Downtown Buffalo, many nearby restaurants are excited for another year of hockey, and hoping it gets off to a great start this weekend.
"Of course it's an uptick for us. When there's a Sabres game, we hope people think, 'Hey, let's go to Chef's before the game. It's only a couple blocks away.' So we're excited about it, and hopefully a nice uptick in business for us," said Lou Billittier Jr. from Chef's Restaurant on Seneca Street.
One added perk for the start of this season is the nice Western New York weather to help usher in the hockey year.
"It doesn't feel like hockey weather, but I think it's going to bring a lot more people out with the good weather. We're excited to have the crowds back," said Bill Casale from Pearl Street Grill & Brewery, as well as Buffalo RiverWorks. "Pearl Street and RiverWorks are very close, within walking distance to the arena, so we get a lot of people parking in our lots and then walking over after they have dinner with us."
Among the other restaurants excited for the start of the new hockey season is Big Ditch Brewing Company on E Huron Street. While Matt Kahn admits it has been a bit slower over the last few years due to the team's struggles on the ice, he knows it's a fresh clean slate for the Sabres to start the season.
"Every season is brand new, and the hope and excitement is always there at the beginning of the season. I heard the games coming up are sold outs, so we're expecting pretty good crowds, at least, at the beginning of the season, and hope it continues," said Kahn in an interview with WBEN.
Billittier and Casale have both also noticed a bit of a drop in business with the team's struggles, especially since 10-to-15 years ago when the Sabres were last in the playoffs or on the rise with fresh new young talent. But it's not only the on-ice play that has seen business fall off a bit in recent years.
"Ticket prices have gone up, there's so many other factors. They have parties in the plaza, they run a lot of stuff right at the arena. That all draws away from us, but it's definitely different," Billittier said with WBEN. "Unless we're playing the [Toronto] Maple Leafs or the [Montreal] Canadiens, we get a ton of Canadian fans and they, for some reason, come to Chef's, so we're thankful for it."
Casale is certainly hoping business can get back to where it was then when the team was consistently successful and competing for a playoff spot.
"Our business fluctuates as the team does. If the team's on a win streak, I think a lot of people get very interested to go out before and afterwards," Casale noted with WBEN. "Obviously they're excited to go out, willing to spend money. That means a lot to the overall community here."
While it has been 14 seasons since the Sabres last made an appearance in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, there have been stretches of successful hockey in Buffalo that has provided a nice boost in business for local restaurants. Kahn knows if the team is more competitive, the more bigger crowds and more people that will be willing to come out before and after games.
"It definitely means a lot more," he said. "It has slowed down a little bit the last couple years, where in seasons past, we might see them at the beginning the season doing well, and it drops off a little bit in the later part of the year. But again, every year is a fresh start. We've got a nice long season, but it'd be nice to have some postseason games here as well too, which obviously that's been a while. But we'll just hope for the best."
Billittier knows when the Sabres are on their game, everyone buys in.
"They make it an event that it's, 'Let's go to dinner and then the game.' Where now it's, 'Let's just catch the game, or whatever.' But we can see a big difference when they're on a roll," he said.
When the Sabres are playing well and winning, Casale estimates a 30%-to-40% increase in business pregame for those games.
"People are more willing to go out. People actually who own the tickets, use the tickets instead of selling them. And typically, if they sell them to somebody, they're not used to going out before or after a game," he noted.
Faceoff on Thursday is slated for 7 p.m.