Mike's Seafood in Sea Isle City pleas for Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce not to retire
SEA ISLE CITY, N.J. (CBS) - When Jason Kelce shows up at Mike's Seafood in Sea Isle City, Mike Monichetti offers the Philadelphia Eagles center and his wife Kylie Kelce access to the dock restaurant's side door to avoid the rush.
The Kelces want no part of it, the owner of Mike's Seafood told CBS News Philadelphia.
"He'd rather stand in line and talk to people and take pictures," Monichetti said. "He talks to everybody. He's just so down to earth, him and his wife. It's incredible. You can't help but love them. They're just great."
Last month, when Kelce reportedly informed his Eagles teammates he was retiring, Mike's Seafood issued a plea on Facebook: "Kelce, don't retire!!!" Monichetti didn't stop simply with a social media post.
Instead, Monichetti said he spoke with the printer who prints for his restaurant about creating a sign with "big, bold letters in Eagles green." His printer asked him what color green he wanted for the sign: Kelly Green, the throwback green, or the Eagles' new green.
"I want the old throwback because I'm a throwback," Monichetti said he told his printer.
The sign was created and hung in the front window at Mike's Seafood.
"You can't imagine the response. The people driving by, hanging out the car windows with their phones, snapping a picture," Monichetti said. "It has a real, big response to it. As Jason is, he deserves it. He's an Eagle through and through."
Monichetti has been an Eagles season ticket holder for 46 years, and he's a huge Kelce fan.
He hopes the Eagles' future Hall of Fame center will play for at least one more season.
"I was putting a sign up and hoping that he would reconsider," Monichetti said, "or maybe somebody would show it to him or take a picture of it and send it to him just to say the crew at Mike's Seafood loves everything he does."
Monichetti said Kelce's go-to order at the restaurant is the buffalo shrimp.
Taylor Swift's boyfriend, Kelce's brother and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has also been at Mike's Seafood.
Mike's Seafood has been in business for more than a century.
The restaurant's 17th annual Run-Walk for Autism will take place on Saturday, Feb. 17.
Super Bowl LVIII kicks off Sunday at 6:30 p.m. on CBS Philadelphia and Paramount+.