Vice President JD Vance stopped at Price Hill Chili in Cincinnati on Aug. 21, pouring beers and handing out cheese coneys to roughly 250 people after an appearance at Cleveland-Cliffs' Middletown Works steel plant.
Vance worked the bar himself, asking customers how they were doing and passing food across the counter. "Anyone want a beer?" he asked, drawing responses from patrons at the storied Cincinnati chili parlor.
The visit was Vance's first to Price Hill Chili in about three years, he told customers. He shook hands with several patrons and spent time talking with people seated at the bar.
Earlier that day, Vance had stopped at the Central Pastry Shop in Middletown. As he paid, he told workers to keep the change. "All right, keep the change — no taxes on tip, remember," he said, invoking the administration's stated no-tax-on-tips policy.
The steel plant visit served as the anchor event of the Ohio trip. Ohio Sen. Bernie Moreno appeared in Middletown for Vance's remarks at the facility, one of the largest integrated steel mills in the United States. A $500 million investment at the Middletown mill was announced during the visit.
Price Hill Chili, a family restaurant with a full bar on Cincinnati's west side, is a well-known local institution. The stop gave Vance a lower-key backdrop after the formal steel plant announcement, a pattern the administration has used repeatedly to pair policy announcements with retail political stops in working-class communities.
The no-taxes-on-tips message reflects a policy that has become a consistent talking point for both President Trump and Vance during visits to service-industry settings. The administration has pushed the provision as a direct benefit to tipped workers, including restaurant and bar staff.
