Local bars, restaurants boost Eagles’ fans morale
The Philadelphia Eagles are looking to score backto-back Super Bowl victories as they make strides in the postseason after a “doink” of a victory against the Chicago Bears last week that scored them a onepoint win and a seat in the NFC divisional round.
Bars are expected to be packed for Sunday’s game as the birds swoop down on The Big Easy to right a 48-7 loss they were handed by the New Orleans Saints back in November.
“In New Orleans, that fourth quarter was definitely time for me to leave the stadium to eat oysters on Bourbon Street,” Quotations owner Mike Burke quipped about the Eagles biggest loss of the season at that Nov. 16 game. He thinks this rematch will be “extremely close.”
Burke is one of the millions of Eagles fans faithfully flying with the hometown favorites as they look to retain their title as the top team in the NFL. Local bars like Burke’s have been packed the last few weeks as fans watched their team suffer yet another injury setback to quarterback Carson Wentz late in the season only to have Nick Foles, again, take the team to another postseason appearance.
Flanked in Eagles green of jerseys, T-shirts and plenty of Super Bowl champion-laced garments fans fill their favorite watering holes to the brim to watch the games on dozens of TVs as the Dilly Dilly juice (Bud Light) flows and the singing of the Eagles’ fight song fills commercial breaks.
“It’s been great. We’ve have good crowds and they’re into it,” said Bill Longman, bar manager at Barnaby’s of America-Ridley.
Barnaby’s is an iconic spot for fans to watch the Eagles every season with hundreds filling up the bar areas at their four locations throughout Delaware and Chester counties.
“We’ve built up a good reputation over the years,” said Longman. “We have great regulars who are diehard fans.”
Fans will be able to win an official Philadelphia Eagles jersey at the Ridley Township restaurant on Sunday with a free raffle. What player’s name will be on the raffled jersey had yet to be determined as of Friday afternoon, but T-shirts and sweatshirts will be other Eagles merchandise that will be given away to pep up fans.
Drink and food special are also on tap at Barnaby’s Ridley to quench their appetite and thirst with a live DJ to play “Fly Eagles Fly” throughout the afternoon.
There won’t be any such specials to get fans in the door at Quotations in downtown Media. But with a packed house during the game, Quotations owner Burke said he doesn’t need extra incentives.
“If you don’t get here early, they’re standing,” said Burke. “It’s remarkable. People will walk in five minutes after the game starts and walk right back out” because it gets so crowded.
For a three-hour game block, if not longer depending on pre-gaming events and any postgame cheering, there are no strangers in these environments as everyone is there with one unified goal: watch the Eagles win. They cheer together, boo together and watch with bated breath at a tense moment.
The final 10 seconds of the Eagles games against the Bears on Sunday provided
“It’s not only the business that we have before the game and afterward since Sunday. People are in a better mood. The effect isn’t just one day, it lasts from game to game.” Quotations owner Mike Burke
one of the tensest moments of the entire season as a failed field goal attempt by kicker Cody Parkey sealed the one-point victory for the birds. Along with that came the infamous double doink when the ball bounced off the upright and the crossbar of the goal post.
“It was bedlam,” admitted Burke. “We’ve been here 15 years, and the three biggest bedlams were that game, the Super Bowl and, believe it or not, a Villanova versus North Carolina game over 10 years ago
with Randy Foye.
“In terms of the crowd, they were on edge.”
Longman saw a very similar scene at Barnaby’s that night.
“People went nuts. They were on the edge of their seats,” he said when they watched that final point attempt by the Bears.
The Eagles might be fighting tooth and nail to get the chance to get their second-ever championship title, but each new win over the past month has been fueling more and more bar traffic, even though their ending record for the regular season was down from last year (9-7 from 13-3).
“It’s snowballed since they’ve been playing better and got in the playoffs from where we were last year,” said Longman.
Burke said traffic flow into Quotations has been up in the best week following Sunday’s last second victory.
“It’s not only the business that we have before the game and afterward since Sunday,” he said. “People are in a better mood. The effect isn’t just one day, it lasts from game to game.”
Fans around the Philadelphia region will rally Sunday to see the Eagles try to flip the script against the Saints’ Drew Brees with Nick Foles giving his effort against the veteran quarterback.
Kickoff is scheduled at 4:40 p.m. on FOX.
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