Sports bars enjoy Super Bowl business

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - Albuquerque sports bars enjoyed big crowds Sunday for the Super Bowl, but the big business also comes with a lot of responsibility as they work to make sure everyone gets home safely on a night when police are cracking down on drunk drivers.

Sneakerz Grill in northeast Albuquerque was close to its capacity of 350 people Sunday thanks to big time football fans.

"This is a social party,” says Michael Kare. “It's the biggest party of the year besides the fantasy football draft, so this is great.”

“This is the best event we have all year for one day,” says Chris Stanley, events coordinator at Sneakerz.

He says while customers are partying, Sneakerz employees are working to make sure they are doing so responsibly.

“We don't over serve anyone, and we make sure everyone has plenty to eat from the tip-off right to the end."

The DWI Resource Center says in New Mexico, there's an 83 percent greater risk of being hurt or killed in a crash on Super Bowl Sundays compared with other Sundays.

Police are out with watchful eyes and DWI checkpoints to help keep that number low tonight, and bar owners are doing the same, making sure if anyone has had a little too much to drink, they're not getting behind the wheel.

“We have an obligation to call a taxi cab for them. We have several numbers available to call and have them pick them up and we'll keep the keys and they can pick them up the next day,” Stanley says.

He says luckily they haven't had to do that yet.