Written by Kenton Hornbeck, LINK nky reporter
As the Cincinnati Bengals’ Evan “Money Mac” McPherson sailed a kick through the middle of the goalposts as time expired to win the AFC Championship game, Bengals fans in Northern Kentucky erupted in triumphant cheers. It’s a historic milestone for a franchise, and for a community that has waited over 30 years for this moment.
“The Bengals are going to the Super Bowl!”
It’s a phrase virtually no one imagined we’d be saying before the season. Pinch yourself, Bengals fans. It’s real.
What’s even more real is the economic impact a Super Bowl appearance can have on a community. The Super Bowl is the most watched sporting event in the world. Super Bowl watch parties will bring in more consumer spending and foot traffic to local businesses. Now Northern Kentucky businesses are on a mission to get adequately prepared to accommodate Bengals fans for the day of the big game.
Newport on the Levee experienced a rise in visitors across the board for the AFC Championship game last week.
“During the AFC Championship last week, we welcomed over 17,400 guests throughout the day and are hopeful we see a similar turnout for the Super Bowl,” said Sally Fisk, the Levee’s marketing manager, which owns the Levee.
Newport on the Levee has hosted Game Day on the Levee over the past few months of the National Football League season. Due to the Bengals playoff run, the Levee has tried to elevate its Game Day by offering food and beverage pop-ups, live music, football-themed activities and giveaways.
Tenants of the Levee got their creative juices flowing this week in preparation for the Super Bowl. Many Levee retailers and restaurants have planned food specials and in-store activities to ensure a quality game-day experience.
“It’s been so special witnessing our tenant spaces full of fans cheering on the home team these last two weeks, and we are grateful to the community for supporting our collection of small businesses,” Fisk said. “The recent memories we’ve made together are unforgettable and we can’t wait to have another packed house shouting, “WHO DEY!” in just a few short days.”
Hometown bars and restaurants across Northern Kentucky are battening down the hatches for anticipated game day crowds. Molly Malone’s Irish Pub & Restaurant in Covington has benefited from an uptick in patrons throughout the Bengals run to the Super Bowl. To ensure a quality game day experience, Molly Malone’s is bringing on more staff and opening up their second floor to the public to compensate for greater foot traffic.
“We are opening up our second floor to the public this year. Since the Bengals are in the Super Bowl, we are opening one of our private floors for the overflow of people,” Audrey Fisher, manager at Molly Malone’s, said. “We’re putting more people on staff to make sure people are being taken care of and to ensure not a lot of chaos happens. We’re going to try and make everything as smooth as possible, make sure everything is ready to go so that we’re prepared for the festivities.”
Molly Malone’s identifies as a soccer and football bar. Flags of English Premier League soccer clubs line the ceiling, adding to the atmosphere. They are used to big game traffic. Nothing, however, can quite prepare small businesses for an unprecedented event like the Super Bowl. Especially when the Bengals are playing in it.
“It’s just a very historical thing that’s happened to Cincinnati,” Fisher said. “We haven’t seen anything like this in over 30 years. I think it’s going to benefit a lot of bars and restaurants. It’s going to be really awesome.”
Apparel dealers have also been happy with the Bengals recent success. Northern Kentucky retailers have seen Bengals gear fly off the shelves.
“We have seen a big uptick in sales,” Teri Hauenschild, district manager for sports apparel retailer Rally House, said. “We have been very pleased by the volume Bengals sales have generated throughout the season as well as going into the AFC Championship.”
Some local businesses are preparing in other unique ways. Newport-based Executive Transportation Services is planning to wrap bus windows with Bengals themes. Due to the quick turnaround from the AFC Championship to the Super Bowl, the company is still fleshing out potential other interesting ways they can stand out before Super Bowl Sunday.
“It’s a huge deal for the Greater Cincinnati area. We serve the greater Cincinnati area and it’s important for us to do a lot in the community,” Andrew Duncan of Executive Transportation Services said. “We really try to show that we’re a Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky company. It just makes sense for us. If our buses and everything are moving around, it’s easy. We just want to show our pride.”
With a talented young team quarterbacked by Ohio wunderkind Joe Burrow, the Bengals could hopefully find themselves back in this position in the future. With practice comes experience for our local businesses, so the next time this happens, the party can be even bigger.
Photo: Fans celebrate at Molly Malone’s
