It’s not just Vegas: Bets surrounding Sunday’s AFC Championship Game have apparently extended to the kitchens of a couple of doughnut-hawking institutions.
The folks over at local shop Kane’s Donuts recently proposed a wager to the owners of Mac’s Donut Shop in Aliquippa, Pa., near Pittsburgh: If the Steelers win Sunday’s meeting with the host Patriots, Kane's will send a dozen doughnuts Mac’s way. If the Pats win, they’ll be expecting a dozen doughnuts from Mac’s.
An added wrinkle: The losing owner has to don the opposing team’s jersey for a day.
“They agreed upon it,” says Maria Delios, co-owner of Kane's, which has shops in Saugus and Boston. “And I’ve been zinging them on it ever since.”
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Indeed, the shops have been trading good-natured social media jabs in recent days, with fans of both teams weighing in. To keep things fair, Delios also offered to send an extra six doughnuts Pittsburgh’s way after learning the Patriots were favored in the game.
Attention @macsdonutshopinc @steelers @patriots the wager is on!! The AFC Championship is on the line! GO PATS! #donutsarelove #kanesdonuts pic.twitter.com/tuUaKbSNva
— Kanes Donuts (@KanesDonuts) January 18, 2017
Kane's, a family-owned shop in business since 1955, enters the showdown on something of a winning streak. Before the Patriots’ divisional round victory last weekend over the Houston Texans, the shop made a similar bet with Houston-based Hugs & Donuts, and as of Thursday, was preparing to collect its winnings.
“When I do receive them, I certainly will make a little video,” Delios said. “And any customers that happen to be there, I’ll let them share in our spoils.”
Looking toward Sunday’s 6:40 p.m. game, meanwhile, she did not appear overly concerned. Asked, for instance, what kind of doughnuts she plans to send in the event of a Steelers victory, Delios replied, “I don’t have to worry about that.”
The folks over at Mac’s, on the other hand, are less convinced.
“We predict that Boston Harbor will be filled with the tears of Patriots fans,” the shop said in a Facebook post Wednesday, “while we here in the ’Burgh make preparations for the Super [Bowl].”
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Dugan Arnett can be reached at dugan.arnett@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @duganarnett.