WILKES-BARRE, Pa. — It's the calm before the storm for bars, as the Thanksgiving Eve crowd will soon make their way out and about for drinks before the feast.
"Oh yeah, the excitement; everyone is back home, everybody is going to meet up with their friends. I'm sure everywhere will be busy. People will be walking around bouncing to here, bouncing to there," said Joseph Kocher, kitchen manager at Vesuvio's.
Vesuvio's Pizzeria and Bar on North Main Street in Wilkes-Barre spent the day preparing for the late-night crowd, getting pizza and the bar ready to go.
"We'll be setting up a bar outside, so we have to fill it with ice, a whole bunch of beers, something everybody likes. We're going to have two people in here to make sure people get their orders taken care of fast as possible because it is going to get busy," said Kocher.
Across the Luzerne County line, a new business has opened just in time for the big drinking holiday — Anomaly Craft Brewing in Berwick.
"We're hoping to open earlier in the year, and things kept getting pushed back with permits and licenses, but then once we knew projected we would be opening around this time, it was the goal opening for tonight being a big drinking holiday," said co-owner Nicholas Oliver.
The brewing company is tucked inside "A Perfect Blend Espresso and More."
Oliver says it's his grandmother's coffee shop, and he wanted to expand the family business.
In anticipation of the holiday crowd, Oliver says they added more seating to make sure everyone has a spot to enjoy a beer with family and friends.
"We brew all in-house. We have a one-barrel spike system here. Stevo is our brewer; he's been brewing for a long time now," said Oliver.
State police remind everyone to plan ahead with a designated driver or use a rideshare service if you plan on hitting the bars.
Check out WNEP's YouTube channel.