OMAHA, Neb. – The city of Omaha is known for its baseball. The College World Series has been held in the city since 1950.
Another thing, a lot more recent, has taken the city by storm as well – Jell-O shots. Rocco’s Pizza and Cantina is located at the corner of 13th and Mike Fahey streets, just a stone’s throw away from Charles Schwab Field.
The idea started about six years ago when Pat McEvoy decided to make different colored shots for each team in the CWS. When current owner Kevin Culjat took over the year before COVID, he decided to use Jell-O.
“We bought some colored Jell-O shots and the different team colors,” Culjat said. “We just kind of played around with it. The first two years we didn’t track it or anything. We did three or 400.”
When Arkansas took over Omaha in 2019, Razorback fans consumed 860 Jell-O shots in five days. Culjat tracked just Arkansas fans that year, but realized he could create something bigger with the idea.
Fast forward to 2021, the challenge began. He hung a flier saying that Arkansas held the “record” with 860. Mississippi State fans made sure that record was demolished.
Bulldog fans consumed 2,800 shots, demolishing the record. Following 2021, he hung up a plaque with the record.
“I told my wife, I said, ‘listen, if we can get some people in town here, the right teams,’” Culjat said. “I said, ‘we got a shot, somebody might try to get this.’”
The right teams made it, and the Jell-O shot challenge took off. Arkansas rented a room and drank 3,000 shots in four hours, before a game was ever played. Ole Miss fans saw that Arkansas drank 3,000 — and that Mississippi State holds the record — so they try to catch up.
The challenge grew from people buying 5-10 shots to people buying as many as 1,000 at one time.
“I’m not selling Jell-O to make money, there’s no profit in it,” Culjat said. “I want to sell beer and pizza, but when you start selling thousands of Jell-O shots, there’s a little bit of money there.”
What started as a fun idea quickly became a money-maker for Culjat and Rocco’s. Instead of keeping the profit, Culjat decided to donate the money instead.
Using the money Ole Miss generated by purchasing over 18,000 shots, Rocco’s made a donation to a Mississippi food bank.
“I donated $36,000 to Mississippi and it was the biggest food bank donation they had had in 29 years,” Culjat said. “Those ladies were happy.”
Fast forward to 2023, Caljat is donating 50 cents from each shot to a local food bank to Omaha – Food Bank For The Heartland. He is also donating to a food bank of each school’s choosing.
For Tennessee, a dollar from every shot purchased will go towards the on-campus Big Orange Pantry. The Big Orange Pantry helps decrease food insecurity for students and employees on campus, something that Culjat holds near to his heart.
The challenge has come a long way from its humble beginnings. Manager McEvoy began a Twitter account for the event, which currently has 31 thousand followers.
Fans from every team in the CWS interact anytime McEvoy posts updates, which usually come at noon, 5 p.m. and 9 p.m.
Orange shots await Tennessee fans at Rocco's Pizza and Cantina.
“Every fan base thinks they have the fans but there isn’t a metric to prove what that means except for the number of willing to take some Jello shots which is a silly way to measure,” McEvoy said. “But it’s all we’ve got. The power of social media is real and we are glad we can bring a little fun to people following along at home.”
Tennessee falling behind in the competition
Culjat pays close attention to which teams make the CWS. He knows that when LSU or other SEC schools are in town, he can expect to sell a lot of shots.
Tennessee was one of the schools that caught his attention. When the Vols were in town in 2021, fans took over nearby Lefty’s.
LSU has run away in the Jell-O Shot challenge, but the Vols made up some ground on Saturday night. As of Sunday morning, Vols’ fans have bought 1,149 orange shots.
“LSU fans were here at nine in the morning, even though they didn’t play until 6 p.m. and the bar was packed all day,” Cujat said. “So I can tell you why they weren’t here cuz they couldn’t get in. But, Tennessee’s been good to me.”
The orange Jell-O shots, made by JEVO, use orange bourbon to help create their color and flavor.
The rest of the year
Rocco’s has become a tourist attraction for college baseball fans who visit Omaha during the offseason. The bar creates 40% of its revenue during the CWS.
“(Tourists) making plans just to take their picture in front of the board, I’ve jokingly nicknamed it Mona Lisa of the SEC,” McEvoy said. “It’s nothing without the fans and they seem to love it so we’ll keep it it going.”
When college baseball fans vacate Omaha following the CWS, Culjat takes two days off. Rocco’s stays open year-round, servicing Creighton students and fans.
Running bars runs in the Culjat family, with his grandfather and father both working in the business. An Omaha native, the chance to give back was natural for him as well.
The competition within the challenge lasts 10 days, but the impact Rocco’s has on the communities of Omaha and Council Bluffs, Iowa is felt year round.
College World Series fans converge on Rocco's Pizza and Cantina in Omaha, Nebraska following Saturday's games. Saturday June 17, 2023.
