CINCINNATI — Matt Jacob spent last Sunday like a lot of Cincinnati sports fans: Watching the hometown Bengals earn a postseason victory over the Buffalo Bills from the comfort of a barstool at a local saloon.
After watching their team cruise to a win in snowy western New York, Jacob and a few dozen football fans hung around Rhinehaus, a sports bar in Cincinnati’s Over-the-Rhine neighborhood, long into the night.
There were shots of alcohol and beer was flowing, and many of the same faces that had been at every game during the regular season and now the playoffs. But there was one particular aspect of the post-game pageantry that stood out among the rest.
Zac Taylor, the Bengals head coach, joined their celebration.
What You Need To Know
- The Bengals began delivering game balls to bars, restaurants to say thank you to fans for supporting them
- Rhinehaus is one of six venues to receive one following the postseason win over the Buffalo Bills
- Businesses like Rhinehaus and Zip's Cafe say the success of the Bengals is great for attracting customers during the winter slow season
Taylor, now in his fourth season with the Bengals, arrived at the popular OTR hangout just before midnight to deliver a game ball to the bar as thanks for fans supporting the team.
“It was surreal,” said Jacob, 35, who grew up a Bengals fan on Cincinnati’s west side. “We had watched (Taylor) on TV in Buffalo just a couple hours ago, so to see him there at the bar celebrating with us was kind of crazy.”
Aaron Kohlhepp, co-owner of Rhinehaus, said the bar owners received some advance notice that someone may stop by, but they weren’t sure exactly who it’d be, or when it’d happen.
A few people saw Taylor pull up in his car and then, hop out on Clay Street, Kohlhepp said. He noted people were “pumped up” even before Taylor walked through the door.
Jacob described a scene filled with high-fives, selfies and shouts of “Who Dey,” a chant popular among Bengals fans.
“The adrenaline and excitement from the game was still palpable at the bar, and we just kind of kept the party going,” he said. “By the time Coach Taylor actually got to the bar, the party was still roaring and when he walked in, you could just feel the support for the team.”
Upon his arrival, Taylor shook hands and posed for photos with customers who had packed into the shotgun-style bar all the way to the back wall.
Taylor then stepped onto the copper-plated bar top and gave what Jacob described as “an awesome little pep talk” before tossing the ball to a bartender.
The playfully superstitious Taylor then reminded fans to wear the same outfit, hang out at the same bar and do everything exactly the same this upcoming Sunday for the AFC Championship game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium.
“We’ve got to keep the good luck going,” Jacob said.
Rhinehaus is not the first sports bar to receive a game ball. In fact, it wasn’t even the only venue to receive one that evening.
The team handed out a total of six game balls associated with that Jan. 22 game against Buffalo. One of those went to Gypsy’s, a bar in Covington, Ky. Two Bengals players popped in to make the delivery.
“We wouldn’t have it without all the amazing people that stop into Gypsy’s and cheer this team on,” the bar wrote in a Facebook post. “Thank you, Cincinnati Bengals, and thank you, fans that come out every week and watch the game with us!”
Taylor started the playoff tradition of handing out balls to bars and restaurants last season after the Bengals snapped a three-decade postseason losing streak with a home win over the Las Vegas Raiders.
Each ball features the date of the game and the score penned in permanent marker.
The Rhinehaus ball, which is prominently on display behind the bar, also includes a personalized message related to the win over the Bills. It reads, “They gotta play us… in the snow!”
Zip’s Cafe in Mount Lookout also got a ball after the team secured its Super Bowl berth last year with a win over the Chiefs.
Mike Burke, Zip’s owner, recalls Taylor striding into the bar unannounced on a busy Saturday following the Chiefs game with what turned out to be a game ball slyly tucked away under a hooded sweatshirt.
Taylor made a beeline through the restaurant and unwrapped the ball in the kitchen to show Burke and his staff. Taylor then hung out with customers and posed for photos.
“It was really exciting for everyone there that day,” Burke said. “At that point, the Bengals were just over a week away from the Super Bowl, so for (Taylor) to spend the time with us was pretty cool.”
Today, the game ball sits dead-center in the middle of the bar. The ball itself led to an uptick in business for Zip’s, especially last year in the week leading up to the Super Bowl.
“We had a ton of Bengals fans coming in, decked out in their gear just to get a photo, and we think it’s terrific,” Burke said.
Several Bengals players and coaches have become regulars at Zip’s over the years, Burke said. He’s seen Taylor and his family at the restaurant, as well as former punter Kevin Huber, a Cincinnati native who lives in Mount Lookout.
In recent weeks, Sam Hubbard has frequented the restaurant more often as well. The star defensive end partnered with Zip’s on a burger called the Playoff Patty — a double cheeseburger with fried onions and a side of a mayo-based condiment they call “Six Point Sauce,” an allusion to the game-winning fumble recovery-turned-touchdown he had in the opening round of this year’s playoffs.
Hubbard’s cousin, Josh O’Neill, works at Zip’s and came up with the sauce recipe.
Proceeds from the sale of the burger benefit The Sam Hubbard Foundation’s Hubbard’s Cupboards initiative, which provides school supplies, healthy snacks and hygiene products to select local schools.
“When the players and coaches come to the restaurant, it’s always exciting,” Burke said. “You want to respect their privacy as they’re out to dinner with their families, but they’re always super friendly.”
Traditionally, January and February are slower months for bars and restaurants. Having the Bengals in the playoffs for the past two years has given people an excuse to come out when they normally wouldn’t, Kohlhepp said.
He added that the later start times have been good for business as well.
“They’ve been on Sunday nights when we wouldn’t be as crowded necessarily, but we’ve packed the house for all the playoff games so far, so it’s been a blessing for sure,” Kohlhepp said.
Kohlhepp plans to keep the ball at the bar for “at least the rest of this season and maybe a bit longer.”
While it’s a tremendous trophy to have on display, he envisions it eventually going to one of Rhinehaus’ bartenders.
“They’re the people who make this place what it is on game day,” Kohlhepp said.