San José’s Downtown Has Had a Strong Recovery. Is It Ready for the Super Bowl Surge?

In the narrow street of San José’s San Pedro Square, the rhythmic thud of beer kegs hitting the pavement serves as the unofficial countdown to Super Bowl weekend.

For San José, the coming days are about more than just the big game; they’re a high-stakes test of downtown’s post-pandemic recovery — which outpaced San Francisco and Oakland — and its ability to host a national event.

From local kitchens to regional transit command centers, the South Bay is on an emergency operational footing to welcome a massive influx of out-of-town visitors.

The scale of preparation is visible across downtown, where security and barricades now mark street closures and game-day decorations line bar windows.

One of three major events downtown will be the San Pedro Superfest, a three-day massive street activation for fans to enjoy music, vendors and drink throughout a designated “entertainment zone” that allows businesses to sell to-go alcoholic beverages.

For the dozens of eateries at the San Pedro Square Market, such as the Old Wagon Saloon and Grill, which has anchored a corner of San Pedro Street for nearly two decades, the weekend requires a doubling of resources. Sonny Walters, the saloon’s owner, said he is preparing for up to a thousand people to pass through his doors each day.

Walters noted that successful management of such a crowd starts in the kitchen, particularly when the menu relies on labor-intensive smoked meats. To keep up with demand for ribs, brisket and pulled pork, Walters plans to start ramping up his smokers early Saturday morning.

He has also increased his food and beverage orders to nearly three times his normal weekend volume, and his patio has already been booked for a private event by a massive Seahawks fan club.

“Honestly, the block party is pretty exciting,” Walters said. “It’s going to be foot traffic, a lot of out-of-towners, we get to showcase what we do. We’re hoping that San José is a hub and we get the traffic from Santa Clara to here.”

A few doors down at Pizza Bocca Lupo, shift lead Charlotte Tavernise said that because the small pizzeria makes every pie to order, there is no way to pre-cook the inventory. Instead, the strategy involves filling every available storage container and ensuring the wood-fired ovens are at peak temperature from open to close.

The shop expected its heaviest crowds on Friday and Saturday as tourists explore the downtown core before heading toward Levi’s Stadium on Sunday.

“I was just telling one of my co-workers, let’s prep as though we’re going to get hit by a hurricane, and make sure we use all of the containers, fill everything. Expect it to be just busy, open to close,” Tavernise said.

She noted that the shop has doubled its typical staffing levels, even during the mid-afternoon hours that are usually quiet, to ensure a sudden wave of fans doesn’t catch them off guard.

John Burroughs, operations manager at San Pedro Square Market, said this is the first time the area has experimented with an entertainment zone.

“We’re excited for the potential for that, and allowing guests to go into the activation with their beverage,” Burroughs said.

With over 20 screens dedicated to the game and many entry points to the market, Burroughs has hired extra security and staff. He noted that while the market is used to large crowds because of the nearby SAP Center, the Super Bowl brings a different level of logistical challenges.

“This is kind of where the market shines, and our merchants here are very, very adept at handling this kind of crowd flow,” Burroughs said.

The market will also be hosting several private corporate activations throughout the weekend. Burroughs, who has watched the downtown area change over the last 11 years, said the current trajectory of foot traffic suggests the neighborhood is finally reclaiming its pre-pandemic vibrancy.

“Our foot traffic is still increasing year over year,” Burroughs said. “Everything’s going in the right direction as we have seen.”

Managing the movement of these crowds falls largely on the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority. VTA spokesperson Stacey Hendler Ross said the agency expects to transport roughly 25,000 fans to and from the stadium on Sunday alone.

To meet that demand, VTA is adding 22 extra three-car trains to its regular service. Hendler Ross said this represents a significant increase from 2016, when the region hosted Super Bowl 50 and saw roughly half that number of riders.

“It’s going to be awesome. It’s going to be so much easier this time than it was 10 years ago,” Hendler Ross said.

While the stadium is the primary destination, Hendler Ross noted the plan is designed to support the entire system, especially those traveling to downtown events or connecting to other parts of the Bay Area. She added that the agency is also facilitating travel for fans heading up to San Francisco, as VTA connects with Caltrain in Mountain View.

VTA will also have 130 “game-day ambassadors” in blue vests stationed at strategic hubs to help out-of-towners navigate the Transit app and the Clipper card system.

“The one thing that we always remind people about when they’re going to big events anywhere in the city or to the stadium is to try and plan early,” she said.

Carlos Velazquez, a spokesperson for the city’s Office of Economic Development, noted that while there are over 108,000 public and private parking spots available in the downtown area, with some street closures, the city is encouraging use of public transit.