LAWERENCE, Kan. — Businesses in Lawrence, Kansas, are preparing for a massive crowd Monday night when the Jayhawks take on the University of North Carolina in the NCAA Tournament Championship.
“Tomorrow we’re expecting it to be way more busy. We are opening at 12, and if you want to get a table or get in, you got to get here like two hours early,” said Jazmine Edmond, server at Logie's on Massachusetts Street.
Jaden Riley, server and bartender at Jefferson’s on Mass Street, says she’s expecting a storm of Jayhawks fans to be at least as large as it was for KU’s Final Four win on Saturday.
“It will probably be worse than yesterday, just the amount of people wise. I think Mass Street is going to be pretty crazy,” Riley said.
Hoping for a Jayhawk win, businesses like Logie’s are preparing to keep the food and drinks flowing.
“We’re going to have an unlimited menu so we can get our food to everyone on time,” Edmond said.
Jefferson's has similar plans but is also making seating and pricing adjustments to keep the cash coming in.
“Fifteen dollar minimum per person, per hour. So we are just going to kind of explain to people this is how much to spend per hour to seat your table,” Riley said. "We are not able to seat large parties until every person has arrived, so you’re going to have to wait for a table to be available for your large party once everyone arrives.”
Riley says the Jefferson’s staff wants to serve every customer and asks potential customers to remain patient as the staff tries to meet everyone's needs.
“We are a restaurant, not a college bar," she said. "We only have one register back there, one bartender, so just kind of be patient with us. [We're] doing as much as we can as fast as we can."
Despite possible challenges, staff at both Logie’s and Jefferson's are excited and ready for the crowd.
“I’m going to be working, but I’m definitely going to be storming Mass with everyone when we win tomorrow because it’s going to be so much fun,” Edmond said.
Simply put, both businesses are asking customers to have fun and celebrate safely.
"Coming in don’t push, coming out don’t push. Just keep everyone safe, just be mindful of the workers and everyone around you,” Edmond said. “We are used to being busy, and we like being busy — that's the fun of it.”
