Greater Cincinnati Restaurant Week Returns September 18-24, 2023

Best Coney Boy: Staff Pick

Taylor Speed

Even though Xavier University graduate Patrick Kaple may not be a Cincinnati native, he really likes Skyline Chili. So much so that he created a challenge for himself: to eat 1,000 cheese coneys in one year. The challenge started in December 2018 after Kaple was inspired by an article he read in the Cleveland Scene, telling CityBeat at the time, “I decided to embark on this challenge mainly because I thought that I could do it. My friends and I stumbled across an article written by Cleveland Scene tabbed: ‘An Ohio Man ate 400 Skyline Chili Cheese Coneys this year and is still somehow alive.’ I have some friends who eat three coneys every day for lunch at work and we’re like, ‘Why is that something newsworthy?” I said, ‘I’m going to go for 1,000 and see what happens.’ If you love Skyline that much, 400 coneys is like second nature to you.” Kaple started a Twitter profile with the handle @1kconey, where followers could keep up with his journey and receive daily updates on his coney count. On Dec. 15, 2019, Kaple threw a party to celebrate his success and consume his 1,000th cheese coney surrounded by his friends and supporters at Norwood’s Dana Gardens. Skyline Chili retweeted a video of Kaple eating his coney, recognizing his devotion to the delicacy. “1k Cheese Coneys in 365 days. Safe to say Patrick is our #1 fan,” the post read. And that is how a legend was born. His first bite is also immortalized on a plaque his brother gave him with a photo, the date and the words, “Stay Golden Coney Boy.”