CINCINNATI — Bengals fans are expected to pack The Banks in Cincinnati on Sunday for the team’s home opener against the Bucs, bringing a boost to local bars and restaurants as the NFL season begins.
While Browns fans will have to wait a couple more weeks for their first home game, Cincinnati businesses near the stadium are preparing for game-day crowds. Restaurants at The Banks, including the Cincinnati Lager House and Holy Grail, said Bengals games are major drivers of business.
“We look forward to the Bengals season coming around every year. They’re great drivers for us. We get more people in for the morning. We open an hour early,” said Nathan Whittington, director of operations at the Cincinnati Lager House.
Restaurants and bars at The Banks rely on traffic from Reds and Bengals games. With a down year for the Reds, business owners said attention is now on the Bengals.
“When they’re down here for our Bengals game, they’re down here to spend money, to enjoy the moment, enjoy the day,” said Tom Sparling, general manager of Holy Grail.
According to a Bank of America study, NFL cities see an increase of more than 125% in spending at local bars and restaurants on home game days. The study found that Cleveland sees the ninth-highest increase in spending on game days across the league.
Teams in the AFC North, including Cleveland and Cincinnati, see an above-average increase in spending compared with the rest of the league, according to the study.
Business owners at The Banks said home games can be enough to carry them through the week. Sparling said a successful Bengals team can mean even more customers.
“Especially when they’re doing well like everyone wants to kind of join in and together and celebrate and you know, live in the moment if you will, because they, you know, they went through years and years of some bad football,” Sparling said. “And now, you know, the excitement is definitely there.”
Dining and Cooking