With Return of LA Sports, Local Bars and Restaurants Adapt - Spectrum News 1

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LONG BEACH, Calif. — At a time when there have never been more sports on television, it’s a unique sight that, these days, there are now TV's than people inside Legends Sports Bar in Long Beach.

For general manager John Peterson, moving through the bar over the last eight months has been a unique experience — especially at a time when Los Angeles sports are at their pinnacle.

What You Need To Know

Legends sports bar has been forced to pivot operations outside

They are currently working at about 20% capacity of what they would normally experience on an NFL Game day

Dodger fans enjoyed watching Game 6 of the World Series on one of the restaurant's many televisions outdoors

Both the Lakers and Dodgers' championship wins were bittersweet for the Legends family, who had to celebrate under COVID-19 restrictions

“This is what we pray for in other years, is a year where the Lakers are great and go all the way, and the Dodgers are great and go all the way," he said. "And for it to fall on this year is definitely bittersweet.”

Rather than celebrating inside, he and his staff have done their best to adapt, moving their entire operation to an outdoor patio and parklet.

They've implemented new mandates — like time restrictions and capacity limits — and are working under guidelines they've never imagined.

“We’re moving the entire restaurant outside during the day and moving it back in at night," Peterson explained. "That's really just scratching the surface of what we've had to do."

But they adapt because Legends has been a part of the Long Beach community since 1979. As sports have returned in a big way during the pandemic, they wanted to do whatever they could to be a part of it.

“We’re providing something that’s been deprived for a while," said Peterson. "So if people can celebrate in some way responsibly and do it here, it’s amazing."

Their desire to provide a fun experience for the community doesn't go unnoticed. Long Beach local Vince Wilson, who took in Game 6 at Legends, said he couldn't imagine being anywhere else.

“We’re all friends," he said. "We come here. We’re locals. We come to Legends because Legends is the place to come.”