Last week I went to Grille 86 in Storrs Center for the first time, and let me just say, it didn’t quite meet my expectations. My friends and I had been planning to go for a while, and so last Thursday we decided that we’d finally check out the so called “promised land” of UConn.
Mind you, I’d never actually been to a bar before this. I’ve gone to restaurants with my parents and we’ve been seated in the bar section, and I’ve sat with my mom and her friends as they gossiped over mixed drinks, so maybe, just maybe, my vision of the night life at bars is skewed. But my first, real hands on experience at a bar was anything but what I had imagined. Right off the bat, we had to pay cover. Yes, I knew I’d have to pay cover prior to getting there, but it wasn’t until I was at the door that I realized that $7.00 is just enough to put a dent in my broke-college-girl wallet.
Once we (grudgingly) handed the bouncer our cash, we got in only to be surrounded by crowds of sweaty people dancing and stumbling all over the place. Guys especially, were pushing and shoving their way from the dance floor to the bar to the bathroom, with no care in the world about stepping on anyone’s feet or mistakingly punching someone in the boob. Needless to say, the guys there weren’t the cool and collected, sly and sophisticated type that are depicted in just about every movie bar scene ever.
Don’t even get me started on the drink situation. Not only did it take a good amount of elbowing to even get to the bar to order drinks, but once we finally got them, they were an alcohol to mixer ratio of about 1 to 5 – and yet they were still $7.00 each. Oh, and the shots on the platter that the smiling waitress was carrying around the dance floor? Yep, that’s a scam. Those shots went down way too easy to have even had a splash of alcohol in them. Maybe I was being naive in thinking that $2.00 shots would actually be money well spent, and I guess it’s just a rookie mistake not to pregame before heading out.
It could be possible that my friends and I just went on a super busy night, hence the term “Thirsty Thursday”, but something tells me Fridays and Saturdays at this place aren’t any less packed. Of course, Grille isn’t the only bar with sweaty mosh pits and sub par drinks, but based off of all of the hype over Grille by my fellow UConn students, I was expecting a bit more. So, when it comes down to choosing between a frat party or Grille, I’d choose a frat party any day– they both have the same selection of guys and at least at frat parties admission and drinks are free, am I right? I’m sure all of you Grille fiends out there think I’m crazy, but until someone drags me out to Grille and shows me a good time, I’ll be sticking to smelly frat house basements.