The excitement surrounding the holiday season has waned and spring looms off in the distance. But there is a saving grace: Super Bowl Sunday.
Food and beverage options are a surefire way to keep people interested in the Super Bowl Sunday festivities, even if they could care less about the game on the field. Plenty of bars and restaurants in the Illinois Valley do very well on Super Bowl Sunday with these viewers.
There is a trend that has developed amongst younger demographics when it comes to their drinking habits.
“Zebra striping” has emerged as a way of moderating alcohol consumption, staying in social situations longer, and reducing alcohol’s negative effects by mixing non-alcoholic beverages inbetween drinks.
“Almost all of the young people who come in here do it,” said Becca Innis of the 9th St Pub in LaSalle. “We’ll go through cases of water for some of the bigger nights here.”
Jon Ebener, owner of the 9th St Pub, has noticed the prevalence of zebra striping as well.
“Especially the young people, they’ll have one or two drinks and then a water,” he said.
Ebener and Innis also noticed a change in what they typically serve these younger patrons.
Fruity drinks like blueberry cocktails and tequila sunrises are on the uptick, although the general amount they serve to younger drinkers is less than their older counterparts.
Emma Salazar of Elle’s Tap in Peru has also noticed a split in what she serves to people who come in.
“It’s definitely more mixed drinks and seltzers for the younger people, and then typically beer for the older people and the regulars,” she said.
The content of what patrons drink could be a contributing factor to their use of zebra striping. Still, alcohol consumption is generally down in younger demographics with 62% of adults under age 35 say they drink, down from 72% two decades ago, according to a poll from Gallup.
Zebra striping provides people with a happy medium between abstaining from alcohol and continuing drinking trends from the past, and Gen Z is on board. 68-78% of Gen Z does zebra striping, according to The Food Institute.
With the Super Bowl being a banner day for bars and restaurants across the country, drinking plays a big role in the festivities.
Drink and food specials are going to be featured in establishments all around the Illinois Valley, so do not be shocked to see more non-alcoholic beverages making their way around for Super Bowl Sunday.
As one of this country’s biggest annual traditions with more than 100 million people sharing in this experience, the Super Bowl may be an introduction to zebra striping in homes, bars and restaurants.
According to Nielsen, 127.7 million people watched the Super Bowl in 2025. The numbers keep increasing year-over-year.
According to the National Retail Federation, as many as 17.6 million Americans watched the Super Bowl as out-of-home viewers.