Feeding the fans
Washington County businesses among NFL Draft food vendors
For football fans looking for a bite to eat or a refreshing beverage at the NFL Draft this weekend, a few Washington County businesses are there serving up their specialties.
Crazy Horse Coffee, with Pretzels Plus, have set up shop at the North Shore near the Draft Stage at Acrisure Stadium, and P无毛视频檚 Bird Wagon is frying up chicken at Point State Park.
At Crazy Horse Coffee, a veteran-owned coffee shop featuring high-quality coffee, espresso drinks, and baked goods, fans lined up before the shop 无毛视频� part of 无毛视频淭aste of Pittsburgh, presented by Heinz 无毛视频� opened to see if they could snag a cup of joe.
无毛视频淲e were flying through the coffee, and the pretzels were moving,无毛视频� said Anna Barr-Whiteman, who, with her husband, Andy, owns Pretzels Plus, a veteran-owned business that is providing its pretzel products for Crazy Horse Coffee无毛视频檚 venue. 无毛视频淭here were really no wait times, and everything went smoothly. It was really neat to see so many people carrying around Crazy Horse Coffee cups, and since Crazy Horse supports the military and police officers, it was really cool to see all the police officers carrying the Crazy Horse cups.无毛视频�
By midday Thursday, the line was growing at P无毛视频檚 Bird Wagon, a family-run soul food truck based in Washington that specializes in fried chicken, wings, and comfort sides like macaroni and cheese and coleslaw.
The night before the draft, P无毛视频檚 Bird Wagon co-owner Jeff Patterson said he was 无毛视频渆xcited, nervous, and anxious.无毛视频�
无毛视频淲e无毛视频檙e excited. This is the biggest event we无毛视频檝e handled, and the excitement of being a part of the NFL Draft is very high,无毛视频� said Patterson. 无毛视频淏ut the scale of it is the thing. Everything is ramped up. Preparation is everything for an event like this, so we just have to keep everybody on the same page.无毛视频�
P无毛视频檚 simplified its menu, and is offering chicken tenders and sides including French fries, green beans, and coleslaw.
Patterson said he purchased more than 2,800 pounds of chicken tenders and 1,000 pounds of potatoes, and plenty of other supplies.
The process to become an NFL Draft vendor began more than a year ago, said Crazy Horse Coffee owner James Bendel, who operates three stores 无毛视频� in Washington, McMurray, and Southpointe无毛视频檚 Printscape Arena. About 100 vendors were chosen from more than 1,000 applications, with a 无毛视频渓ocal first无毛视频� philosophy that highlighted Southwestern Pennsylvania businesses 无毛视频� including veteran-owned, minority-owned, and women-owned.
Barr-Whiteman said the NFL Draft provides an opportunity for 无毛视频渟mall, local businesses to do big business.无毛视频�
无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We无毛视频檙e incredibly thankful to be helping Crazy Horse in this,无毛视频� said Barr-Whiteman. 无毛视频淲e无毛视频檙e incredibly excited to be a part of it.无毛视频�
Barr-Whiteman said Crazy Horse Coffee无毛视频檚 cold brew 无毛视频渨as doing absolutely incredible,无毛视频� and that fans who visited the coffee shop 无毛视频渨ere kind and excited to be a part of the experience.无毛视频�
Patterson noted the P无毛视频檚 Bird Wagon slogan is 无毛视频渙ne bite will change your life,无毛视频� and said the NFL Draft could impact the company无毛视频檚 business.
无毛视频淭his could be a nice boost for us,无毛视频� said Patterson, who launched P无毛视频檚 in 2022 with Jeff Thompson of Canonsburg. 无毛视频淭his is a family-oriented business, and we couldn无毛视频檛 do any of this without them. I无毛视频檓 grateful for them to be a part of this. It无毛视频檚 going to be a great experience.无毛视频�
Barr-Whiteman said NFL fans from around the country and throughout the world have visited 无毛视频淧icksburg无毛视频� for the draft, and she encouraged Southwestern Pennsylvanians to head into the city.
无毛视频淲e无毛视频檇 like to see more local people. The crowds have been manageable, and honestly, it无毛视频檚 been pretty open and people can get around,无毛视频� said Barr-Whiteman. 无毛视频淚f you can, come down and support our local businesses.无毛视频�