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’s 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 – part of “Taste of Pittsburgh, presented by Heinz – opened to see if they could snag a cup of joe.
“We were flying through the coffee, and the pretzels were moving,” 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’s venue. “There 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.”
By midday Thursday, the line was growing at P’s 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’s Bird Wagon co-owner Jeff Patterson said he was “excited, nervous, and anxious.”
“We’re excited. This is the biggest event we’ve handled, and the excitement of being a part of the NFL Draft is very high,” said Patterson. “But 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.”
P’s 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 – in Washington, McMurray, and Southpointe’s Printscape Arena. About 100 vendors were chosen from more than 1,000 applications, with a “local first” philosophy that highlighted Southwestern Pennsylvania businesses – including veteran-owned, minority-owned, and women-owned.
Barr-Whiteman said the NFL Draft provides an opportunity for “small, local businesses to do big business.”
“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We’re incredibly thankful to be helping Crazy Horse in this,” said Barr-Whiteman. “We’re incredibly excited to be a part of it.”
Barr-Whiteman said Crazy Horse Coffee’s cold brew “was doing absolutely incredible,” and that fans who visited the coffee shop “were kind and excited to be a part of the experience.”
Patterson noted the P’s Bird Wagon slogan is “one bite will change your life,” and said the NFL Draft could impact the company’s business.
“This could be a nice boost for us,” said Patterson, who launched P’s in 2022 with Jeff Thompson of Canonsburg. “This is a family-oriented business, and we couldn’t do any of this without them. I’m grateful for them to be a part of this. It’s going to be a great experience.”
Barr-Whiteman said NFL fans from around the country and throughout the world have visited “Picksburg” for the draft, and she encouraged Southwestern Pennsylvanians to head into the city.
“We’d like to see more local people. The crowds have been manageable, and honestly, it’s been pretty open and people can get around,” said Barr-Whiteman. “If you can, come down and support our local businesses.”