Victory Lap, a new sports bar located inside of the Rambler, will have its grand opening this Saturday for the Ohio State vs. Minnesota game. Credit: Cameron Dewey | Lantern Reporter
Victory Lap, a new sports bar on Lane Avenue, made its debut just hours before the Ohio State vs. Texas’s kickoff on Aug. 31, and its grand opening is set for the Ohio State vs. Minnesota game Saturday.
Victory Lap’s grand opening will feature a food truck from Explorers Club, face painting and a Bud Light football toss competition, according to their Instagram.
Victory Lap currently has two locations in Austin, Texas, and its third is now in the Columbus area. With its vintage decor, convenient location, and scarlet and gray atmosphere, Victory Lap has high hopes for its new presence on campus, Matt Wolski, the director of hospitality, said in an email.
Victory Lap sits on the first floor of the Rambler—located at 222 W. Lane Ave.—a new apartment complex that opened for this school year. Filled with vintage-inspired decorations, the bar plans to bring together students, alumni and Buckeye fans alike, according to Wolski.
“We aim to be Columbus’ new home base for sports and celebration,” Wolski said.
Victory Lap is equipped with a turf patio and wall-to-wall screens for sports fans to watch their teams play, Wolski said. In addition, the bar is decked out in scarlet and gray themes with white, black and red checkered flooring. Wolski said that the goal of the bar is to become a Buckeye tradition.
“Our goal is to keep the game-day spirit alive year-round, creating a hub where students, alumni, and locals come together for every big moment, on and off the field,” Wolski said.
Wolski said that opening the bar was an overwhelming process, as his team didn’t know if it would be ready to open prior to the Ohio State vs. Texas game.
“Until about 24 hours before kickoff, we didn’t know if we’d make it in time,” Wolski said. “Our team pulled all-nighters: hanging vintage memorabilia, stocking fridges, and decking the space out in Scarlet & Gray.”
Victory Lap currently has a lot of attention with its new presence on campus, but it will have to fight to stand out and compete on a campus that already has multiple sports bars. With many other established bars and the Varsity Club being just a few doors down, Victory Lap will have to earn its place.
Wolski said that to keep up with the competition, they are creating a grab-and-go pizza shop for game days or late nights. This shop, called Side Piece Pies, will feature a walk-up window so people can order their pizza and continue with their plans, Wolski said.
Side Piece Pies is set to open in October.
Taylor Leen, the director of marketing and hospitality, said that Side Piece Pies’ goal is to provide something quick and easy for customers.
In addition to being a hub for sports games, Victory Lap also hosts TV show watch parties on days where there aren’t games.
“While we’re rooted in sports, we’re also becoming the go-to spot for reality TV watch parties, from The Bachelor and Love Island to [The Summer I Turned Pretty] and [Dancing With the Stars],” Wolski said.
At Victory Lap’s other locations in Texas, Leen said the parties have been very popular.
“It’s now a staple of what we do, and we’re excited to keep building on that energy because sometimes drama off the field is just as fun as the drama on it,” Leen said.
Leen said that although it is primarily a sports bar, Victory Lap’s overall goal is to bring people together.
“The energy is the same: big screens, big reactions, and a crowd that’s completely invested,” Leen said. “At the end of the day, it’s all about community and creating those shared moments.”
Wolski is from Ohio, so opening Victory Lap was personal to him.
“As a native Ohioan, opening Victory Lap in Columbus is about more than business — it’s about coming home,” Wolski said. “We want to create a space that embodies Buckeye tradition while building new ones.”
The article was edited on Fri, Oct. 3 at 8:29 a.m. to correct Taylor Leen’s name.
