By Matthew Stolle

Post-Bulletin, Rochester MN 

As fans prepare for the long-awaited return of Brett Favre to Lambeau Field in a Vikings uniform, local bars and restaurants are drawing up their own game plans for a customer blow-out.

At both Whistle Binkies locations, polka bands will break into song and patrons will cry "Skol, Vikings!" every time the purple team scores. Buffalo Wild Wings in Rochester is preparing for a hungry throng to consume more than 10,000 wings. And at Catch 22 Bar & Grill in northwest Rochester, there will be a tailgating party of beer and brats in the parking lot at noon in preparation for the 3:15 p.m. rematch.

"This is the next best thing to the Super Bowl. I mean, the Vikings-Packers, it doesn't get any better than that," said Jack Murphy, co-owner of McMurpy's Sports Cafe, which is hosting an outdoor barbecue tailgate starting at 11 a.m. on game day.

The first Vikings-Packers game riveted the nation, judging from the sky-high ratings ESPN enjoyed from the Oct. 5 contest, a 30-23 victory for the Vikings.

The rematch is shaping up to be a kind of second-coming. Not only will Favre be returning to his old hunting grounds in a uniform viewed as traitorous by the Packer faithful, but it will be played -- unlike the first, which was a Monday night game -- on Sunday, perhaps garnering an even larger audience.

Fox Sports will have a camera trained on Favre the whole time, and will be live streaming video on FOXSports.com and NFL.com.

"We did have a big night (on Monday night), but this is even going to be bigger," said Randy Lehman, owner of Whistle Binkies. "Sunday afternoon is a much better time for people to get out."

Dan Campbell, part-owner of the Buffalo Wild Wings, compared the restaurant's planning for the big game as not altogether unlike the Vikings' pre-game preparations.

"It's almost like a game day here, too, in the fact that you got to have your employees ready to go," Campbell said.

Getting ready also means have enough players on the field, and area restaurants and bars were planning on scheduling more servers, more bartenders, more cooks, more food and whatever else it will take to keep customers happy.

"We're excited, just because there's nothing better in this place than when the Vikings score and the place goes nuts," Murphy said.

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