CINCINNATI — Business owners across the Tri-State cannot wait for the Bengals to kickoff a new season. For them, the ball crossing the goal line is a score for their bottom line.
At Kitty’s Sports Grill, the heat is on. Owner Billy Watson fired up about 400 chicken wings at his sports bar, which is located on W 3rd Street directly across from Paycor Stadium.
“We’ll sell a lot of food,” he said. “The Bengals doing so well has made our weekends in the fall tremendous.”
Remote work has left many of the downtown office buildings surrounding Watson’s establishment empty during the week.
“Our weekday business has definitely suffered since COVID,” he said.
That makes the economic impact of Game Dey even more important. While the sports bar is always packed for home games, the team’s recent success has brought people in to watch the away games.
The excitement isn’t just near The Banks, either. At Rally House in Norwood, store manager Ben Woeste said you can feel the buzz.
“It makes it really exciting to come to work,” he said.
The most anticipated pen-to-paper post... EVER pic.twitter.com/S1ECQ3iHuP
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) September 9, 2023
Joe Burrow signing a new 5-year contract extension means more security for fans buying a new jersey.
“A lot of times when people come in, that's their biggest worry,” Woeste said. “‘I buy this guy, and then he's traded next year.’”
Back at Kitty Sports Grill, Watson is expecting big things from the Bengals: “I've been rooting for the Bengals since year one — I was a little kid — and I'm just waiting for a Super Bowl.”
