In Jacksonville, the rivalry between the Jaguars and the Buffalo Bills has expanded beyond the football field, spilling over into a digital battleground on Google Reviews. A local restaurant chain, Players Grille, has found itself embroiled in controversy after deciding to host watch parties for the Bills Backers, a fan group based in Jacksonville that supports the visiting team.
This decision has sparked a backlash from some Jaguars fans, resulting in a flood of one-star reviews aimed at the restaurant. However, the owners of Players Grille are eager to clear up any misunderstandings. They emphasize that their establishment is a welcoming spot for all fans, including those cheering for the hometown Jaguars.
“Our Mandarin location is even painted in Jaguars colors,” noted Nick Dakuginow, the corporate manager of Players Grille, who hopes to reassure local patrons of the restaurant’s allegiance to the home team. When Dakuginow established Players Grille, his vision was to create a vibrant gathering place for Jaguars enthusiasts to enjoy game days together.
Despite the mixed reviews, Players Grille maintains its stance as a versatile venue, celebrating the spirit of sportsmanship by accommodating fans from both sides of the rivalry. While the online feedback may suggest otherwise, the restaurant’s commitment to supporting all football fans remains steadfast.
“If you ever see the Mandarin location, it’s painted Jags colors,” said Players Grille Corporate Manager Nick Dakuginow.
Dakuginow says when he opened Players Grille, he visualized it as a place for Jaguars fans to come together on game day.
“It just didn’t grow immediately for us,” said Dakuginow.
Then, a business opportunity presented itself from another local fanbase rooting for a not so local team.
“The Bills Backers reached out to us and we made that, ‘Yeah, we’ll support you guys, we’ll have you guys come in and its been amazing since then,” said Dakuginow.
Thus, it was a dream scenario of sorts for Players Grille when destiny pitted the Bills against the Jaguars in Jacksonville for the first round of the playoffs.
“Them being here, it’s the perfect storm,” said Dakuginow. “You can only imagine how many people have been wanting to come to Players Grille, so we decided to have parties here, at our Mandarin location and at our other spot.”
That dream scenario took a turn when Players Grille’s Google rating started to tumble, as several one star reviews poured in saying things like, “Local establishment that hosts and promote away fans instead of supporting the hometown team,” and “The best way to serve Buffalo is on a stick over the grill.”
“Nothing service related, nothing food related,” said Dakuginow. “It’s not like they didn’t have a good time because they didn’t come to our place. Just seeing about how ‘Jags don’t need your support,’ that’s disappointing and unfortunate for sure.”
Bills Backers got wind of the situation and answered back with a flood of five star reviews to cancel the one stars out.
Although the review battle rages on, Dakuginow says all fans are welcome all season long.
“We respect everyone. We love our Bills fans. We love our Jags fans,” said Dakuginow.
Perhaps the best way to end the war of reviews will be on the field.
