'A great opportunity': Downtown bars preparing for Jets whiteout party boost

With thousands of people set to come downtown to take part in Winnipeg Jets whiteout celebrations, restaurants and bars are looking to score some extra business.

On Sunday, Academy Hospitality owner Bobby Mattola was helping power wash True North Square in preparation for Party in the Plaza, a 1,000-person event taking place for the Jets' home playoff games against the Golden Knights.

"It's amazing," said Mattola. "For someone who really loves the downtown, it's incredible, and from someone who is in the hospitality industry, it's just a great opportunity to reconnect with clients and customers."

Whiteout street parties are also making a return this year, with 5,000 fans allowed to gather on Donald Street between Portage Avenue and Graham Avenue.

Down the street, Elephant & Castle is hoping the parties bring in an influx of white-clad customers on Saturday for the Jets' first home playoff game.

"It's really great for our business, obviously," said Jessie Cuthbert, the restaurant's assistant general manager. "For our servers and our cooks, it's more tip money in their pocket. For the business, it's obviously really great to have that income."

Cuthbert said the restaurant is ready to go for game day after witnessing the whiteout parties in previous years.

"Well, we have a lot of seasoned staff who have been here over the past ten and some of them 25 years who really know what to expect," she explained. "We're just going to have a lot of food and booze in the house to make sure that we can make everyone happy."

For businesses newer to downtown, like Devil May Care Brewing, the whiteout is a chance to introduce their brand to those who don't usually frequent the area.

"I think there is going to be a lot of people downtown that normally wouldn't be downtown, and I think that we will have a lot of people who probably haven't seen us before. I'm hoping people will be walking from either the forks top the arena or one block party to the next," explained Colin Koop, one of the brewery's owners and general manager.

The businesses hope the celebrations remind Winnipeggers of downtown's appeal and return even after the Jets' playoff run is over.

"We put the effort and the investment into putting a business down here, so we are really hoping other people see that as a worthy thing and maybe they come down here and keep coming down here," said Koop.

"When people come down, they'll be reminded of how good our downtown is and how wonderful it is to reconnect with people in an environment like ours," noted Mattola.

Tickets for Party in the Plaza and the Whiteout Street Party are available on Ticketmaster Monday morning.

The Jets' first home playoff game is Saturday afternoon at 3:00 p.m.