The Chiefs shrine inside Big Charlie's makes the bar seem more fit to stand among the cluster of watering holes in Kansas City's Westport district than in one of Philly's gritty working-class neighborhoods. It's a spot where bar owner Paul Staico is as popular in these parts as Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce and the only place in town where cereal boxes of Mahomes Magic Crunch rest atop the refrigerator.
Big Charlie's has been slinging beers to Chiefs fanatics on gamedays since the early s β but it's calling timeout for the Super Bow l. Just as it did two years ago when the Chiefs and Eagles played in the Super Bowl, the bar will close Sunday for a variety of reasons, with Staico citing patron safety as one of the key factors, even in the face of a potential massive revenue loss.
We don't want to close but we have respect for the city. Our customers are basically Philly fans, Philly people. Big Charlie's burst from about a half-dozen or so regulars into hundreds that pack two bars over the years for each championship game or Super Bowl watch party.
When the Chiefs played San Francisco in the Super Bowl, fans arrived around lunch time just to nab a standing-room spot at the bar. Thank you, Paulie! Big Charlie's attracts its share of curiosity seekers each week β there's a welcoming Chiefs bench outside the front door painted with the team's Arrowhead logo β who can escape the home of the Liberty Bell and get a history lesson on Bobby Bell.
We're like family. Our family goes No. The bar affectionately known as Arrowhead East in a nod to the Chiefs' home of Arrowhead Stadium has also enjoyed visits from scores of famous football faces.
