Indy restaurants set for rise in carry-out ahead of Colts Monday football game
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Restaurants across Indianapolis are gearing up for a busier Monday than usual as the Colts prepare to take on the Baltimore Ravens in their first Monday night football appearance since 2019.
“We are glad to have a Monday night football game. I think it is going to be good for food delivery,” said George Stergiopoulos, owner of Giorgio’s Pizza.
Since the Colts will be out of town for their big matchup on Monday night, restaurants in Indianapolis are preparing for a rush as people getting ready to watch the boys in blue from couches.
Just off Monument Circle on Market Street, Giorgio’s Pizza is usually closed on Sundays, so they don’t typically get to cash in on a Colts game day. “We do get a lot of sports action if they are in town Monday through Saturday so a lot of the special college events, even a lot of the high school events, a lot of the tournaments and stuff like that we really do well. So, we are hoping Monday is a big boost for us,” Stergiopoulos said.
Stergiopoulos says he anticipates a 25% increase in sales for Monday night’s game. “We are usually pretty good about being ready for just about anything but we will be a little more ready this Monday.”
At Condado Tacos on Massachusetts Avenue, they are hoping for the same. The taco spot has an array of options ready to order for at-home watch parties, from their Bud Boxes for the solo fan to their Taco Boxes and catering options for larger watch parties.
“Bud Boxes and the catering honestly, they were kind of both a product of COVID actually. When the restaurants had to shut down we switched to doing a lot of stuff online and because of that it came with a lot of ideas and there is where pretty much all of these boxes pretty much came from,” said Leal Ransone, Condado Tacos general manager.
Stergiopoulos hopes that while fans watch their local team under the Monday night lights, they will also enjoy some local grub for good luck. “This is an opportunity for a lot of the locals to support a lot of the local businesses after struggling through the pandemic and the riots. This is a good chance to make this a good Monday,” he said.
As for what to eat on game day, it depends on what you are craving.
“I mean double sausage, double pepperoni, double cheese, and double the bread. I mean come on and order some marinara sauce with that, I am telling you it is football heaven,” Stergiopoulos said.
“Stay at home enjoy your big-screen TV and have some tacos,” Ransone said.
Watch Monday’s game between the Colts and the Ravens on WISH-TV. We will have all the action throughout the weekend leading up to the game as well as a live post show with our crew on the ground in Baltimore.