Huskies Restaurant & Bar moved from its decades-old location on campus to its new location in College Square over the summer. (Tyler Benton/The Daily Campus)
While some have praised the new Huskies bar location, other UConn students can’t seem to let go of the old. The most notable differences from the former bar to its new design are the entrance, the bar itself, the dance floor and the bathroom. Huskies patrons Dan Madigan and Chris Sacco discussed the pros and cons of each.
Entrance
Sacco: The new Huskies includes a staircase as part of the line on most nights, which is less of a concern going as it is leaving. In reality, this isn’t too great of a problem, though it might be responsible for a sprained ankle or ten in the future.
Madigan: Personally, I think this is one of the biggest perks of the new location. While it’s inconvenient to wait on stairs and see that light right by the entrance flicker on and off every 30 seconds, it’s much better (and safer) to wait in a line on that staircase and around the rest of the building than waiting in a line that stretched out to the street sometimes at the old Huskies. Not to mention, you can pop into Sgt. Pepperoni’s or Wally’s (if the line is long) and eat while you wait. Not seeing the problem here.
Bar
Sacco: The bar is the most notable upgrade to come along with Huskies’ move across the road. The old Huskies had a miniscule bar, exacerbated on packed “Nickel” nights. The new location offers the biggest bar at UConn, with the new owners providing more than enough bartenders to serve customers, even on the busiest of nights. The new bar is a highlight, and one that any patron of the old Huskies can appreciate immensely.
Madigan: The new bar is the crown jewel of Huskies’ location. Roughly twice as big as the old Huskies’ bar, there is plenty of room to operate and get drinks, even on nickel nights. Even during the madness of the first nickel and those thereafter, it’s been easier than ever to get a drink. Score another point for new Huskies.
Dance Floor
Sacco: The dance floor at the new Huskies is slightly larger than the old venue. That being said, the new Huskies lacks the magic of a DJ tucked into a seemingly miniscule crow’s nest near the underside of the roof. While the owners have improved the old Final Pour location, especially with the addition of a mirror running along the back wall, it is going to take a while to learn to love the new space. For the moment, the owners and operators of the new location should focus on one task–reducing the oven-like heat emanating from the dance floor. Given the reduction in bars to just two locations, it is to be expected that Huskies will see an increase in patrons throughout the year; a few fans provide some relief, but a better solution needs to be found–soon.
Madigan: The dance floor is much better at the new location than the old one. Yes, the DJ is in a different spot and it can get hot in the middle of the dance floor, but these are minor problems. As the weather cools down I expect it to be more comfortable in there even when it’s packed, and the fans do a great job with cooling down at least a portion of the bar. Getting rid of the mini-step area in the back corner was a nice touch to really maximize the space. My only gripe is that the area by the entrance is always nearly deserted, even when the bar area is absolutely jam-packed. I understand the need for space but it may be a good idea to serve something- certain drinks or maybe even food- to balance out the crowd.
Bathroom
Sacco: The biggest problem with the new Huskies is with the Men’s bathroom. While the old Huskies had a glorious stainless-steel trough for a urinal, the new Huskies has a more traditional setup. While this might be better for the poor soul who has to clean the bathroom in the early hours of the morning, the traditional urinal set up has created backups on nearly every night at the new location.
Madigan: As disgusting as the trough urinal was, I’m disappointed it didn’t make the trip down the hill and across North Eagleville road to the new location. It really added to the “ambiance” that the old location had. That being said, the bathrooms in the new location are clean and most are usable, so that’s a pretty big plus.
Christopher Sacco is opinion editor for The Daily Campus. He can be reached via email at christopher.sacco@uconn.edu. He tweets @ChrisPSacco.
Dan Madigan is the sports editor for The Daily Campus, covering women’s basketball. He can be reached via email at daniel.madigan@uconn.edu. He tweets @dmad1433.