Meet the Super Bowl Street Team

Rare birds among Super Bowl volunteers, those called “quarterbacks” will be in full flight on downtown streets sporting giant orange tail feathers with question marks on them. Think of these vols as roaming concierges. Each will carry a tablet, which they’ll use to answer visitors’ questions. They’ll communicate with teammates, unseen, at a downtown command center, who will be looking up answers as questions come in. “Play-calling,” as the process is known around the office of the Super Bowl Host Committee.

Let’s say you’re downtown and it seems every restaurant has a two-hour wait. Find a quarterback. Tell that person your woe. The quarterback will get in touch with the command center, where volunteers should be equipped with up-to-date information on restaurant wait times. The Host Committee has developed a system for restaurants to text the command center when they have a wait time of less than 45 minutes.

Another option will be to use Cha Cha, the Indy-based “answer service.” Cha Cha will station some reps at the Super Bowl’s command center, so they’ll always have up-to-date information. There’s also an official fan hotline, 855-472-2012.

A free shuttle will transport visitors around downtown so they can reach a restaurant with a short line. The shuttle will have stops downtown near Super Bowl Village, on Mass Ave, and in Fountain Square. It will run from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. on Super Bowl weekend, Friday through Sunday.

Photo: Susie Townsend, Vice President of Guest Welcome and Super Service, models the “quarterback” gear