The Healey Family Student Center’s Bulldog Tavern will hold its grand opening on Friday evening as Georgetown’s newest on-campus location for student drinking and dining.
The pub has been in the works for more than three years since GUSA signed for the project’s commencement. Bulldog Tavern held a soft opening Tuesday night, Wednesday night, and tonight starting at 5 p.m., commiserating years of planning by students and administration.
Joelle Wiese, associate vice president for auxiliary business services, believes the pub will be well-suited to Georgetown undergraduates because of the level of student engagement solicited by the university and Bon Appétit, the pub’s vendor.
“There has been input from students on every part of the tavern—design, furniture, décor, food menu, beer selection, hours of operation, pricing, vendor selection, name, and logo,” she said.
Adam Ramadan (SFS ‘14), business coordinator at University Services and former GUSA vice president, agreed regarding student input. He also mentioned student input will continue moving forward, saying he thinks “the most exciting [thing] is that there is still so much room for growth.”
Wiese noted that the full service restaurant and bar are features that make Bulldog Tavern “an option like no other on campus.” She continued by saying that the bar has 18 students on staff now and will likely be open to employing other students in the future. Students must be 18 to wait and 21 to bartend.
Bulldog Tavern will offer an outdoor deck overlooking the Potomac as well as a pick-up window for students that are looking to grab a quick bite to eat. [Furthermore], the Tavern will feature a catering menu, flights of local craft beers, wines from area vineyards, TVs to cheer on the Hoyas, and even some live music by Hoyas,” Wiese said.
The pub features architectural pieces from around the campus, including old lanterns from Dahlgren Chapel, along with other Georgetown memorabilia.
The menu includes freshly made items, with salads changing seasonally. There will also be a section on the menu dedicated to the pub grill, including a “Hoya Burger.” There is also a special beverages portion featuring water in a box and even a “Sweet Stuff” section. Wiese expressed her love for the Nutella shake and cracker jacks, both listed under “Sweet Stuff.” The menu has been reduced for the soft opening.
The pub will be open seven days per week from 11 a.m. through 1 a.m. on Sundays through Thursdays. Fridays and Saturdays, the tavern will close at 3 a.m. It will close to students under 21 at 10 p.m on these two days.
“We’re just trying to make on-campus life as good as possible. Whether that effort is by GUSA or the administration, everybody realizes that we want to make Georgetown’s campus as exciting as possible,” said Ramadan.
As for Bulldog Tavern’s grand opening on Friday evening, Wiese explained that there will be “ribbon cutting and some fun,” noting her desire to “keep some suspense.”
Photo by Morgan Hines
