For my taste buds, Zip’s chili is not only good, it’s by FAR the best in the city. In fact, the only version of chili I’ll eat in Cincinnati unless I made it myself. When I go to Zip’s the only question is am I hungry enough to have my burger AND chili. The answer is almost always BOTH! I don’t get that many shots at their food.
I love the families rolling thru there, mixed with college kids. It just has a special feel that would be very hard to recreate. You can’t just franchise that and stick one somewhere else. It would almost certainly lack the homey coziness, especially around the holidays.