All-Star Cafe planned to put its entire staff on duty today, hired some temporary workers, and brought in oversized couches, tables and chairs.

And Pizza Hut, Hawai'i's biggest pizza delivery chain by far, is expecting to see a 37 percent boost in business.

Forget the day after Thanksgiving, last-dash Christmas shopping and Valentine's Day.

Super Bowl Sunday represents the single biggest sales day of the year for a network of disparate Hawai'i businesses. This year, sales are promising to be particularly strong as Hawai'i's economy sheds the lingering effects of Sept. 11, the war on Iraq and SARS, and residents spend more freely.

The bump in Super Bowl business represents a curious phenomenon for a state with no NFL franchise. And with the Carolina Panthers and New England Patriots playing Super Bowl XXXVIII in Houston, Hawai'i football fans have to struggle for a reason to care about the outcome.

Sales boom expected

But lots of Hawai'i businesses will nevertheless see a sales boom as bars, families and friends settle in today for daylong parties centered on TV sets.

They won't be alone.

Some 43.9 million people will attend 7.5 million Super Bowl parties today, according to a survey conducted for the National Retail Federation by BIGresearch.

Clifton Lancaster, a Kailua artist, carpenter, teacher and swimming school owner, is gathering together 60 people at his house today — although, given the teams playing, he's not sure why.

"Could it be an excuse for a party? Hey!" Lancaster said. "It's just a reason to get together with good friends."

Lancaster's certainly doing his part to contribute to Hawai'i's Super Bowl economy.

He was prepared to shell out big bucks for a plasma TV, but couldn't find one that would fit into his entertainment center. So on Wednesday, Lancaster ended up buying a 32-inch Sharp set at Costco for $500.

He also picked up 10 cases of beer and is flying in a whole lamb from Waimea on the Big Island to roast on a spit.

Just to attend Lancaster's party, Margaret Peebles of Kane'ohe bought beer, the fixings for a seven-layer Mexican dip and $32 worth of baby back ribs.

"I'm spending at least $90," Peebles said, "and I'm not even the host."

The flip side of all of that spending is greatly appreciated by the retailers who benefit.

"Each year it's growing a lot more," said Po Fa'aofo, an assistant manager for the Canyon Rent To Own on King Street, which had to scramble to fill requests for big-screen TVs. "This year we got a lot more calls than we expected."

Sales of big-screen televisions and home theater systems are particularly high for this Super Bowl Sunday. About 1.5 million TV sets will be sold in time for the game, the retail federation estimates.

Discounted prices

Sales people say it's a combination of falling prices and low interest rates that's prompting homeowners to remodel and install high-end, flat-screen or plasma TVs.

Elite Electronics at Sam Sung Plaza on Ke'eaumoku Street saw an increase in home theater systems and big-screen plasma and LCD televisions in the past 10 days, even though discounted prices still range from $3,599 to up to $14,000 for a complete setup.

"Regardless of the price, people are willing to pay the extra money," manager Dean Okamoto said.

The television department at Sears' Ala Moana store saw a jump in sales as of two weeks ago because customers wanted their big-screen sets delivered in time for today, salesman Dennis Ohira said.

"We've had a lot more activity," Ohira said. "Every year, I expect to sell more sets before the Super Bowl.

"But this year, a lot of customers are remodeling and (with Super Bowl Sunday) it seems like an opportune time to buy something bigger."

Pizza Hut, which has 46 delivery locations throughout the Islands, scheduled almost everyone to work today, said Leah Allen, the company's director of marketing. The company esimates that it will sell 10,000 pizzas today statewide.

Super Bowl Sunday often turns out to be Pizza Hut's busiest day of the year followed, curiously, by Halloween and Valentine's Day — when parents go out for romantic dinners and buy pizza for the kids, Allen said.

At All-Star Cafe in Waikiki, every Sunday during football season attracts about 200 customers. For the Super Bowl, All-Star Cafe's managers were busy preparing for twice as many people.

They stocked up on extra beer, hard liquor and food, and set up a VIP room with couches and two big-screen TVs — in addition to the 20 TVs always running in the main dining room.

"We definitely geared up," said Pepe Diaz, one of All-Star Hawai'i's managers. "We have to.

"It's our biggest day of the year. By far."