How many wings can 25,000 basketball fans eat? Columbia restaurants brace for crowds

No restaurant wants to be the one that runs out of wings or beer with 25,000 rabid basketball fans swarming the town.

That’s why downtown Columbia’s Wild Wing Cafe is ordering more than 20,000 chicken wings and preparing all hands on deck for three or four days in a row this week.

“It’s going to come in fast; it’s going to come in all at once,” said Joey Windell, kitchen manager of the Wild Wing Cafe on Lady Street in Columbia’s Vista entertainment district. “There’s not really a real comparison that does it justice.”

Columbia restaurants are preparing for one of the biggest events the city has ever hosted with first- and second-round NCAA men’s basketball games being played over a long weekend at the Colonial Life Arena. Duke University and mega-star Zion Williamson of Spartanburg will be in town, along with seven other teams and thousands of fans traveling from as near as North Carolina and Virginia and from as far as Oklahoma and possibly North Dakota.

The NCAA tournament is expected to give the Columbia economy a $9 million boost this week, thanks in large part to big business at local restaurants.

“We’re expecting to be mobbed Thursday, Friday and Sunday,” Thirsty Fellow co-owner Terry Davis said. “We’ve made plans to be able to serve as many people as possible.”

As one of the closest eating and drinking spots relative to Colonial Life Arena, Thirsty Fellow has experience handling large crowds, such as the influx of Elton John concert-goers last week. During that concert, the restaurant tested an outdoor cookout setup it plans to roll out during the tournament — burgers, hotdogs, drinks, portable bathrooms, the works — in addition to full service inside the restaurant and bar.

“A big concert is kind of like a microcosm of what we’re expecting, because ... it’ll be like having concerts all day long for three days,” Davis said. “People are usually just happy and in good spirits. They’re excited to be here.”

Like Wild Wing Cafe, Thirsty Fellow is stocking up on supplies and staffing, as are other restaurants in the downtown area.

In addition to ticket-holding fans who will be eating and drinking around town before and after the games, restaurants and bars expect an influx of people without tickets who are just looking for a fun atmosphere to enjoy the games.

“It’s going to be busy all day long for four or five days straight,” said Chad Elsey, co-owner of Cantina 76, which has locations on Main Street and Devine Street in Columbia. “We’re fans of everyone this weekend.”

Cantina is one of several restaurants offering basketball-themed food and drink specials this week. The popular taco joint will be serving the “Alley-Oop” cocktail — a house margarita topped with a Corona beer. (His restaurants are well-stocked on tequila, Elsey said.) Another downtown taco restaurant, Publico in Five Points, will offer “Taco Tipoff” combo deals on Thursday and Friday, and River Rat Brewery will host a Wednesday “tailgate” with inflatable basketball games and specials on wings, to name a few restaurant deals.

Rather than hype up the sports angle of the busy week, the upscale Motor Supply Co. Bistro plans to hype up the host city.

“It’s a great opportunity to show the city to people,” said Eddie Wales, whose Gervais Street restaurant was just ranked among the top five restaurants in the entire South by Southern Living magazine.

Chef Wes Fulmer is working on some special menu items that will “offer as many South Carolina products as we can,” Wales said. And head bartender Josh Streetman has crafted a cocktail list aimed to highlight Columbia landmarks, such as Riverbanks Zoo and Garden (honored by a blood orange margarita) and the University of South Carolina’s historic Horseshoe (a “lux Manhattan”).

Wales expects Motor Supply’s reservations to fill up quickly now that basketball fans know their teams are headed to Columbia. Located about four blocks from the basketball arena, Motor Supply will book 150 to 200 reservations for each night from Thursday through Sunday, Wales predicts.

“I’m just excited for the town and our restaurant and for sports fans all around here,” said Wales, who has tickets to the games himself.

This story was originally published March 18, 2019 at 4:31 PM.