Orchard Park, N.Y. (WBEN) - With this Friday night being the Buffalo Bills' "Return of the Red and Blue" scrimmage at the Highmark Stadium and a preseason game coming up next Saturday, your favorite Orchard Park eateries are excited to take on the crowds of Bills fans flocking to the area.
"The excitement is through the roof right now," says Peggy Cerrone, owner of O'Neill's Stadium Inn.
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Tickets to view the free practice/scrimmage can no longer be found on most websites. Cerrone is staffing up for the big scrimmage as she not only is expanding the business, but preparing for what she thinks is going to be one of largest seasons to date. Last year, over 35,000 people were in attendance at the Highmark Stadium for that August practice.
"Like any season, everybody's excited about the Bills and and what's going to happen. We have so much going on right now down here, it's unbelievable," says Mark Ebeling, Danny's South owner and operator, who talks about the hype around the construction of the new Highmark Stadium.
"There's a hole in the ground, they're digging and that's exciting, now you've got this practice game on Friday night which people came out in droves last year, it was crazy."
Ebeling says he is pleased with the construction work that has been going on so far. He believes it won't hinder his business, but give it a nice boost, as thousands of construction workers will be arriving once they finish digging.
"As they get that hole dug and they start construction, they're saying there's 3,000 workers coming to town. We're going to be packed night and day this whole area is going to be jumping night and day. It's what we want."
"We're hoping as more people are coming into town, construction workers and such, it should positively impact our business. We're gearing up for that and we're really excited," Cerrone adds.
Cerrone is also pleased to finally have her pizza operations open up in time for the season. Early last year, she acquired the recipes of a local favorite, Pino's Pizza. The Pino's name is alive and well as it not only extends the menu at O'Neill's, but opens more dining and operating space for the bar and restaurant.
