Rt. 10 Sports Bar Taps Into NJ Super Bowl Buzz

In early February, 450 people packed Miami Mike's Sports Zone to watch the Ravens beat the 49ers in New Orleans to win the Super Bowl.

The Route 10 sports bar was so crowded it opened up an adjacent ballroom to fit everyone, as it does every Super Bowl Sunday.

But while the Super Bowl is always a huge event at Miami Mike's, next year promises to be special for the 20-year-old sports bar because the game will be played exceptionally close to home.

Super Bowl XLVIII will be played in New Jersey for the first time, and one of the competing teams will practice at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center in Florham Park, about a five-mile drive from Miami Mike's, in the days before the game.

Bar owner Michael "Miami Mike" Minervini already is budgeting, brainstorming and planning for events the week prior. He also has reached out to the NFL to let them know the venue is available should the league need it.

Bands, player signings, pay-per-view events, an outdoor barbecue "tailgate party," and beer pong are among the events under consideration.

Miami Mike's, attached to the Ramada Conference Center, has a variety of amenities for fans and patrons. It has a concession stand, a luxury box that can be rented out, celebratory music triggered on big plays, and, of course, numerous televisions—52 HDTVs and six big-screens.

It's not known exactly what the 2014 Super Bowl's impact will be on local businesses, or if a blizzard will postpone the game. That does not faze Minervini.

"The unknown is what's going to make Super Bowl 48 exciting," he said.

Joel Hecht, general manager of the Ramada Conference Center, said he does not know for sure how the Super Bowl could affect room rates and demand in East Hanover, but he said the current rate of $129 a night might increase for people seeking lodging around the Feb. 2 game. Corporate clients who regularly use the center would not need to worry about a sudden hike in price for their usual use of the facility, he said.

Minervini, whose bar takes its name from his favorite team, the Miami Dolphins, can't help but think that if Miami does make the Super Bowl, because they play in the AFC, the team would be the one practicing in Florham Park.

"We don't know who's going to be in town yet, but I'm very excited to entertain them and their guests," he said. "We will be the hottest spot."