CINCINNATI — The Bengals are back in the playoffs for the second year in a row. We now know the Ravens-Bengals matchup is slated for primetime, which means there are going to be plenty of eyes on the Queen City.
Of course, the Bengals’ success is great news for the team and for the fans, but it also benefits the businesses surrounding Paycor Stadium.
“When you get into January and February, it makes a tremendous difference for these folks,” said Tracy Shwegmann with The Banks.
She said January and February are typically two of the slowest months of the year for restaurants.
“So, to have that extra boost of, you know, tens of thousands of people down here flooding your bars and restaurants... It just really means a world of difference in how we get over that hump in the winter,” Shwegmann said.
Moerlein Lager House is located right down the street from Paycor Stadium. When the Bengals do well, so does business.
"The difference is huge. I mean, you're probably half of what you do in a good year you do in a down year,” said Aaron Adams, General Manager of Moerlein Lager House.
“So it's really nice to have them playing well. It's great for all of us.”
Adams said Moerlein is always packed for home games, however away games are much slower.
So, what’s the impact to business if the Bengals have one playoff game at home versus two home games?
“It's a huge difference. This time of year, it's you know, one game is kind of like a week of sales for us. So it can be a big hit to lose that game,” Adams said.
The media exposure is also huge for the city.
“So last year, our friends at Game Day media put it at $4.4 billion for media exposure for the city during the playoff run. We expect that that will continue,” said Brandon Rudd, Director of the Center for Research and Data at the Cincinnati Regional Chamber.
Economic research shows people spend more money when their hometown team is playing well.
“People feel richer actually and are more likely to spend more money,” Rudd said. “So, you're very happy about your team doing well. It's a term called psychic income and you feel richer and so you decide to go out and spend more money,”
Rudd said it’s estimated tens of millions of dollars will be spent locally over the next week leading up to the big game on Sunday evening.
Watch Live:
