Matt Szklarz, ass't. general manager and some of the staff at the Stadium.

By Carol McCracken  (Post # 705)

With 51 high definition wall-mounted television sets, it’s no surprise that the Stadium is the most popular sports bar in Portland.  And with the Super Bowl set for tomorrow at 6:30 pm, the Stadium was preparing this afternoon for a full house tomorrow for the game.  Matt Szklarz, the assistant manager, said:  “We are excited about the Super Bowl.  We expect a full house here tomorrow.  We have a large following of Steeler and Green Bay Packers fans, so we can expect a lot of energy here, ” he said.

When he became available, Peter Burke said he has been the manager at the Free Street Stadium  for almost a year.  “We have made drastic changes here in that time,” he said but did not elaborate on them. “It’s a challenge because it’s a big place,” he said.  Burke brought vast managerial  experience in the hospitality business with him when he and wife, Sarah, moved  here.  “I love it here,”  said the athletic looking manager. “I love the low key life here.”  The couple lives on the Hill and plays to stay here.

Burke is from New York.  He was a manager at Rosa Mexicano at Lincoln Center as well as other restaurants in the area.  For seventeen years, he lived and worked in St. Thomas in the winter and spent summers on Fire Island in the restaurant business in New York. 

Who is he rooting for in tomorrows Super Bowl?  “I guess I can say. The Packers,” he says – much to the dismay of MHN.com who is a Pittsburgh native!

EDITOR’S NOTE:  Luke Perry, a customer at the Stadium this afternoon said he is a Pittsburgh fan.  “I’ll be rooting for the Steelers because Green Bay beat the Pats in the ’96 Super Bowl!”