Industry Darling Will Nearly Triple its Overall Brand Portfolio over the Next Five Years in New England with its first franchise agreement
Arooga’s is taking its game to New England.
Arooga’s Grill House & Sports Bar, the Harrisburg-based award-winning full-service casual restaurant and bar with nine locations in Central Pennsylvania, today announced it has entered into a franchise agreement with The Mohegan Tribe that will nearly triple the brand’s overall footprint. The deal calls for a minimum of 15 restaurants in the New England market over the next five years.
“We are excited to announce this agreement with the Mohegan Tribe,” said Keith Swade, Franchise Development for Arooga’s. “They are a world class organization and a leader in the hospitality and gaming industry. We could not ask for a better partner to develop the New England market for Arooga’s.”
Construction on the brand’s first New England area restaurant will occur this summer adjacent to the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut which is one of the world’s most successful casinos, with more than $1.2 billion in annual revenue.
“We are thrilled to bring this incredible sports bar concept to the New England area,” said Kevin Brown, Chairman of the Mohegan Tribe. “Arooga’s reputation for being the next great restaurant franchise is well-earned and we are privileged and pleased to have them as an important part of our organization.”
“The first location will be like no other restaurant and sports bar this region of the country has ever seen,” said Michael Chaney, Managing Creative Director of Cincinnati-based FRCH Design Worldwide, whose firm is designing the restaurant. “We are bringing a design that represents the ‘best of the best’ of the current Arooga’s locations.”
Arooga’s at the Mohegan Sun will be a 9,000 square foot restaurant with separate restaurant and bar areas, a large outdoor deck for dining and fire pits for social gathering. It will feature more than 100 big screen televisions, 40 domestic and craft beers on draft and Arooga’s national award-winning food.
“This is an exciting time for Arooga’s,” said Gary Huether, Jr. president and co-founder of Arooga’s. “Even from our humble beginnings, we knew we were building a world-class sports bar and restaurant that would thrill guests everywhere. We can’t wait to bring the Arooga’s brand to the greater New England area.”
“We are thrilled to partner with Mohegan to expand into the New England market, which presents a tremendous opportunity for growth. We also feel that this is the perfect partnership to connect with a market that has such passion and pride for their history in sports legacies,” said Mike Murphy, Arooga’s co-founder.
Since Arooga’s opened its first restaurant in 2008, it has been an industry darling and ahead of the curve in all aspects of its business, from their focus on great food to having a huge selection of draft beers, to more screens than any other sports bar. Arooga’s was selected as America’s Next Top Restaurant Franchise, beating more than 250 entrants from 36 states in a program co-sponsored by Sysco Foods and The Franchise Edge in a nationwide search to find an independent restaurant to become the next great franchise.
Arooga’s recently announced that it will also feature a customized entertainment experience for guests, choosing next-generation tabletop tablets from Buzztime, North America’s leader in bar and restaurant entertainment, as the brand standard for all current and future corporate & franchise locations.
Now famous for its exceptional food and beverages, Arooga’s Signature Wing Sauces have taken top honors at the National Buffalo Wing Festival, the crown jewel of wing contests, five years in a row, in addition to nabbing numerous local awards. Highly philanthropic in the communities it serves, Arooga’s “Fund for Friends” program has donated to hundreds of local sports teams, schools and other organizations.
Arooga’s Grille House & Sports Bar is an innovative full-service casual restaurant and bar with a sports and entertainment focus that combines exceptional food and beverages, with unique concepts, and proprietary operational strategies. Arooga’s Grille House & Sports Bar was founded in July 2008, and currently operates nine corporate locations in Central Pennsylvania. Now, its founders are taking the “unique sports and entertainment restaurant & bar” concept national and are offering franchising opportunities to qualified single and multi-unit candidates. For more information, please contact Keith Swade, at keithswade@aroogas.com or (215) 450-9388 and visit www.aroogas.com.
The Mohegan Tribe, is a federally recognized Indian tribe located in Uncasville, CT. Among its instrumentalities is the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority, which operates Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, CT; Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs in Wilkes-Barre, PA; and the Resorts Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, NJ, the 12,000-seat Mohegan Sun Arena, and the Connecticut Sun of the WNBA.
Owned by the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority, Mohegan Sun is one of the largest, most distinctive and spectacular entertainment, gaming, shopping and dining destinations in the United States. Situated on 185 acres along the Thames River in scenic southeastern Connecticut, Mohegan Sun is within easy access of New York, Boston, Hartford and Providence and located 15 minutes from the museums, antique shops and waterfront of Mystic Country. More information is available by calling 1.888.226.7711 or visiting mohegansun.com Connect with them on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and YouTube.
