The newest issue of Time Out Chicago is all about rallying the troops to patronize good businesses around town and keep 'em going. And our own Wild Pug is featured...
Uptown’s gay Brit pub is deserving of your dough. By Jason A. Heidemann, photo: Ben Reed
Even in the heart of Boystown, competition for the rainbow dollar is, as a drag queen might exclaim, fierce. Try, then, taking a gamble on a gay sports bar in Uptown and, five years later, rolling the dice again with a next-door Brit pub for poofters. Only this time around, the welcome mat is being rolled out during the worst economic crisis in nearly eight decades.
That’s the story thus far for Crew Bar and Grill and Wild Pug owners Steven Milford and Brian Wells, who opened Pug in late ’08 despite a drop in sales at Crew. “It’s been a crazy time,” Wells says. “We started seeing things slow up at Crew in November of 2007. We were plugging along and working on opening Wild Pug when the bottom fell out. We never saw the initial opening bounce because we opened in November with bad weather and in a horrible economic climate.”
Read more about it here and stop in for a brew next time you're thirsty.
This bar definitely needs our support. Nice place and friendly staff. Stop by for a drink sometime.
ReplyDeleteI am a regular at Wild Pug on Saturday's Dog Day Afternoons (they allow you to bring your dog from 3-6 pm on Saturday) and I have to say that they definitely have a very friendly staff and great atmosphere.
ReplyDeleteAlthough both Crew and Wild Pug are "gay bars," I've also noticed that a lot of straight people hang out at Crew as well, especially earlier on in the day/evening. I mean the food is great and who doesn't want to hang out at their local sports bar? So, I hope that most straight people will feel comfortable hanging out and supporting these local businesses.
Crew was an Uptown pioneer when it opened, and Wild Pug is an appropriate encore. The mixed crowds at both venues are another reflection of the slowly but surely evolving neighborhood.
ReplyDeleteI am not much of a sports fan, so I haven't been to Crew yet. But I will definitely have to stop in at Wild Pug and check it out. Thanks for the post!
ReplyDeleteCrew is the best sport's bar I have ever been to. The food is fantastic, the staff is great, the prices are reasonable, and they put on Phillies' games for me when I go in. If you have not been, you should definitely check it out.
ReplyDeleteDog owners...you should definitely check out Wild Pug on Saturday afternoons, when they allow you to bring your dogs in to play with each other in the bar. I have taken mine the last 2 weeks in a row and they love it! I am so glad that they do this, as I don't have many opportunities to take them to places like this and I don't have much of a yard for them to play outside.
ReplyDeleteAnd if/when you go, please buy a drink or something while you are there...even a softdrink....this is a great service they provide for local residents with dogs, and they are paying staff to be there (who are dependent on your tips).
Also, this past Saturday, I noticed a few dogs that had accidents...much more so than the week before. If you are there and your dog has an accident, please tip the staff if they clean up your dog's mess....or better yet, do it yourself... Just my 2 cents!