Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - As the Buffalo Bills continue to roll along on their run in the NFL Playoffs, so do a number of local businesses in Western New York.
In, what has been widely considered, the Game of the Year this coming Sunday at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, the Bills will look to punch their ticket to the AFC Championship Game with a win over the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Divisional Round.
As the energy continues to build locally heading into Sunday evening's showdown, the vibes for many local businesses continue intensify with each passing day.
"It's always a great time in Buffalo. Not only is it another round of the playoffs, but just the vibe this time of year, you look at the past few years, this is not just a one random scenario," said Nathan Mroz, owner of the BFLO Store and its three locations across the region. "I don't want to use the word dynasty, because we haven't won the big one, but it certainly feels that way as far as all the people coming in. Each year, there's another added level of excitement that maybe this could be the year."
Even as the official retailer of the Bills, Mroz continues to find himself amazed at the amount of people that flood his stores during the season, especially come playoff time, to stock up on merchandise and other Bills items to enhance one's fandom for their favorite team.
"You know what's so great about it is the fact that we always keep things fresh here. It's never the same when you walk in. It's the latest, fun, could be a Josh Allen fan chain that's new this year that people are going crazy about," Mroz said in an interview with WBEN. "In Buffalo, the Bills are Buffalo. It's such an important piece of our fabric as a community, it brings people together. But when people don't go to the game or if they can't go to the game, one way they can still feel part of it is when they come to the store, because the vibe here is almost feels - especially here at Transitown [Plaza] - there's that notion of, 'Hey, this feels like we're part of it.' ... This is an opportunity for them to feel like they're part of the integral fabric of the team, who is obviously winning every Sunday, at this point."
At Santora's Pizza Pub and Grill on Transit Road, owner Paul Santora loves the atmosphere that the playoffs are providing for his business.
"It's funny here at Transit, because we have two different kind of atmospheres: The outside patio is like a tailgate party and it's a lot of screaming and yelling and a constant upbeat vibe, and then inside, you have the same thing, but it's toned down a little bit. It's really cool to have that kind of atmosphere. And then we have the that DJ pumps everybody up. I'm getting goosebumps just talking about it. It is really a fun and energized time of year, for sure," said Santora with WBEN.
While every Bills season provides new levels of hope among fans, Santora certainly believes this team in 2024 is already emanating a different energy.
"I think everybody's opinion is similar that this could be a year based upon the way the team is so humble, the way they just have it all together. When they play, it's not like, 'Oh, we're just gonna let it [slip away] this time.' It doesn't happen. Even when they get down in the dumps in the beginning of the game, or they're down at halftime, you just have that comfort level that's totally different. You just feel like this is that year," Santora said.
Santora notes this is the first year he's actually taking reservations for the Super Bowl on Feb. 9, and estimates the restaurant is already three-quarters full for the Big Game.
While Mroz doesn't notice much of a difference in activity this season compared to years past, the one thing he's noticed this week, in particular, is how many people are coming in from out-of-town this weekend.
"I think there's fans of the Bills and the Ravens, but also fans of the NFL, fans of what's happening here, fans of Lamar [Jackson] and [Josh] Allen. There's something really, kind of the next level of entertainment for the NFL for the next few years here with these guys," Mroz noted. "And when you look at the people coming in the store, a lot of them are, yes, Bills fans, but we're also getting some of the people who are just interested in seeing what's going on in Buffalo. It's an exciting time in this area, it's an exciting time with, obviously, the MVP race."
And while the hope is the Bills can earn another win on Sunday over the Ravens to keep their Super Bowl LIX ambitions alive, the NFL season will eventually come to an end in a little more than three weeks.
When the Bills season comes to an end, Santora says there's always that week-long period of sadness for fans, but then, like anything else in perspective, life gets back to normal.
"The ups and downs in the restaurant industry aren't as major, it's more consistent. People concentrate on other things," he said. "As sad as it is, even if you're in the Super Bowl, that's the last game of the season. There has to be a last game. So the idea is, no matter what happens, life goes on, people still move forward. And I think for everybody in Western New York, as far as being a Bills fan, but being a restauranteur and somebody who goes out to eat, it just becomes a little more constant. People just go back to a little bit of normalcy, whatever that may be."
And while the end of the football season may provide a bit of a lull in business, Santora and other local bars and restaurants know the sporting action is no where close to done.
"No matter what's happening with the [Buffalo] Sabres, just like when the Bills were not doing well, people still come out to watch. They love it. It's something to do," Santora noted. "I mean, it's winter in Buffalo, so to go out and sit, have a couple beers and some pizza and wings, and anything else with a couple of buddies or your family. It's nice there's support for the Sabres, and we enjoy the company of those people, because good, bad or indifferent, it's a team to be supported. And then obviously, March Madness is absolutely fantastic. It still boggles my mind that people take a day off of work on the first game, and that Thursday is packed, and we have a great time. So yes, sports are a big part of what we do, for sure."
Meanwhile, Mroz also feels the overall sadness of another finished football season in Western New York, which generally leads to a decline in traffic. However, he feels business may vary depending on how far the Bills can make it in the playoffs.
"With the Divisional Round, it shows that, yes, we won the first game, and you got to this second game. So if we didn't get it, there's still so much support for the fact that we won another AFC East championship for the fifth year in-a-row. We still got past the first round. It's always going to be the next thing," Mroz explained. "Whether it's a Valentine's gift that's an 'Allentine' or a Buffalo Bills gift, that's still going to be the case. It's still going to be a Father's Day gift, a Mother's Day gift, that doesn't go away because, again, the Bills are a fabric of the community. But certainly it does impact business, and it may impact our staffing as well, how much we can really hold. Would we have 10 people on or do we have five or six? That just the nature of it, because obviously running expenses and if we don't have the traffic, obviously we have to amend it."
And while there may be a dip in business shortly after the football season is over, the BFLO Store still has plenty to offer for every Buffalonian and Western New Yorker.
"We have an entire line dedicated to Buffalo and Western New York, and, of course, the Sabres as well and Bandits and Bisons. We're not just a store for the Bills, but when you talk about this time of year, certainly we heavily represent the Bills in our stores," Mroz said. Now, let's say the next loss, we don't get to the Super Bowl, what happens? Well, yeah, you had a decline, but as far as the next kind of excitement, you have the true fans that will love us no matter what. Kind of like the Sabres, they're going to love the latest round of items and merchandise, regardless of their record."
After their lull period after the football season, Mroz says it's right around Easter time when business starts to turn and activity generally picks up again.
"You see the mood changes in Buffalo, the doom-and-gloom of gray skies kind of go away. People are kind of sick of the snow - I personally love it - but by that time, you're ready," he said. "You start to see the daffodils blooming. Right around that time is when people start to shop in-store again, maybe get some Easter gifts. And after this, it's a lot of anticipation for the next year."