With Rodgers out, Milwaukee bar unsure whether 'Jets lose, free drinks' promo will continue

 

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- An east side bar got national attention Tuesday after the New York Jets' overtime win denied more than 300 customers the chance to drink for free.

Jack's American Pub first made headlines two weeks ago when it announced a promotion offering to pay the bar tabs of all customers when the Jets -- and former Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers -- lose. 

During Monday's game, Rodgers left in the first quarter with an injury, and many of the fans at the bar cheered at the sight of Rodgers being helped off the field. They sensed a free night of drinking.

Those same fans were shocked when the Jets rallied to win in overtime.

Tuesday, the Jets announced Rodgers had torn his right Achilles and will miss the rest of the season. One of the conditions of Jack's 'Jets Lose, You Win' deal was Rodgers had to start the game. 

Olivia Fallon, a manager at Jack's, said the bar's owners were still contemplating whether to rework the offer rather than end the promotion after one game.

"I don't really know what the decision is yet with the owners and how they want to go about it moving forward," Fallon said Tuesday. "I could see them having such a great turnout yesterday that they would want there to be more promotions with this still continuing, just with maybe limitations."

Fallon said the owners were on a managers retreat in the Dominican Republic, but they had been following along as the promotion exploded into a viral sensation.

Typically, when people called Jack's early on a weekday, it's because they want to place a to-go order. That wasn't the case Tuesday.

"I have been back-and-forth conversing with the person who worked this morning," Fallon said. "She says she's been getting a lot of calls with, like, the Washington Post was one of them. I mean, even People Magazine, which isn't even sports-related, wanted to have a conversation with somebody."

Fallon said about 350 patrons took up the bar's offer Monday. The average tab ended up totaling between $50 and $60.

"But there was some outliers," she added. "There was a $160 tab, a $130 tab, here and there."

Fallon said the man with a $160 tab was drinking only beer, which she estimated amounted to half a keg.

To keep people from skipping out on their bill if the Jets won, Jack's implemented a policy requiring each customer to have their own individual tab. They had to keep a card at the bar for the duration of the game.

In the end, it amounted to one of the biggest nights the bar expects to have all year.

"Our sales, on a Monday night, I would compare them to like a New Year's Eve for us, so it was really good," Fallon said. "Especially for a Monday."