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Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce made the day of a local business near the Kansas City Chiefs star’s hometown.
Swift and Kelce, both 35, had lunch at JoJo’s Bar in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, on Tuesday, July 1. Chagrin Falls is right outside of Cleveland Heights, where Kelce was raised.
“We were lucky enough to have a special visitor today at JoJo’s,” Michael Dei Maggi, the corporate chef and culinary director for NCR Ventures, which owns JoJo’s, told Cleveland.com on Tuesday. “It’s a huge deal for us. We try to approach every single guest visit as if they’re super VIP.”
Del Maggi added, “We have the ability to create some really cool, sequestered spaces and high-security private spaces for those very rare occasions that you have rock and roll and football royalty in the restaurant.”
The couple originally hoped to dine at 17 River Grille, another NCR restaurant in Chagrin Falls, but Del Maggi said JoJo’s was better equipped to handle the A-list couple’s privacy requirements.
Swift and Kelce used a side door from the Inn of Chagrin to enter the restaurant for their meal.
“We’re connected to JoJo’s,” Inn of Chagrin managing partner Molly Gebler told Cleveland’s 3News on Tuesday. “There’s a door in our lobby that goes right into JoJo’s. “We’re a little quieter right now; there aren’t any people in our lobby, so I’m sure that was probably their intent.”
While Swift and Kelce managed to keep things low-key, one JoJo’s employee had a brief moment of shock upon seeing them.
“First I was caught off guard,” JoJo’s co-manager Ryan Schwartz told 3 News. “Someone’s like, ‘Oh my God, Taylor Swift’s here.’ I’m like, ‘No way.’ So I was kind of sneaking up to take a little look, and it was her.”
Schwartz added, “Of course, she had her security detail with her, so we chose as a restaurant group to kind of just respect her privacy.”
JoJo’s lunch menu includes specialties like crispy chicken limone pasta, a turkey burger and a chicken milanese sandwich. Starters include JoJo’s Nantucket clam chowder, jumbo Maryland crab cakes and house-made wedding soup.
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After word got out that Swift and Kelce were dining at the restaurant, fans began flocking there in hopes of catching a glimpse of the couple.
“She’s beautiful, her music’s wonderful,” Renee Miano told 3News. “I was hoping to see her, but they said that she’s probably on her way to the airport.”
Swift and Kelce were in town so Kelce could support his friend Patrick Bacon at the Alex’s Way Charity Golf Tournament in Chardon, Ohio, on Monday, June 30.
English (US) ·