PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – There’s a lot of excitement about this Buccaneer season and what the city has to offer around PNC Park, and businesses on the North Shore are getting ready to welcome thousands of fans back to the ‘Burgh on Friday!

KDKA’s Jessica Guay pulled off a few fan favorite spots to visit on gameday!

Opening Day for the Pirates at PNC Park is not only a big day for the Buccos, but it’s also a major corporate day for Pittsburgh’s North Shore.

“We’re excited to have everyone back, everyone’s really excited, and obviously Pittsburgh is a sporty city,” said Kyle Lucas, general manager of Voodoo Brewing Company’s Pittsburgh Pub.

“It’s usually the best sale day of the year. During the winter, we do our best to prepare for what is essentially the beginning of summer for us,” said Mike Sukic, owner of Mike’s Beer Bar and North Shore Tavern.

When it comes to baseball and beer, you can’t go wrong with Mike’s Beer Bar.

Sukitch says he plans to welcome large crowds and even plans to open early and tweak their menu so customers don’t have to wait.

“The summer of the six months of baseball brings in over 60% of our sales for the year, so it’s kind of a ‘hit or break’ for a company that’s right next to a ballpark, which is why we spend the whole winter just hiring and doing everything we can to prepare for it.” .

Across the ballpark, the Voodoo Brewing Company’s Pittsburgh tavern opened in August.

General Manager Kyle Lucas says they’ve been preparing for their first full Pirates season and hope new customers come before and after ball games to try their unique menu and beer they’ve brewed in Meadville.

“We don’t know what to expect with the Buccaneers season, but I hope people come and hang out on the North Shore in general before and after games,” Lucas said. “Yeah, we’d like to see more business, of course.”

At the Rally House on the North Shore, store manager Abbey Larotonda says they have plenty of new Buccos and all week, fans have been stopping by to get ready for America’s national pastime.

“We’re really excited for the fans,” said Larotonda. “We’ve had a few months off since football ended and now we’re really excited to see all the families back in the sport. We’re really excited to have McCutcheon back and hopefully get some wins.”

While the companies are ahead of the game and ready for any curve, they remain optimistic about this Buccaneer season.

“Well, I’ve never tried to base my business plan on their success, but of course I want to see their success,” Sokic said. “I’m sure they’ll be better this year than they’ve been in the past and I hope to see somewhere around 75, 80 games won this year and see progression.”

“Being 33 years old for a long time, yes, I would like to have another winning season in my memory and in my life,” said Lucas. Let’s go, Cutch is back, right? We are all here.

“I just hope we can make a big turnaround and put the whole spirit into winning this year, we’ve got some good players so it’s time for a turnaround,” said Larotonda.

Hoping for a turnaround in this area, companies are also hoping to knock it out of the park with their sales.