This week’s Campus Celebrity is Ryan Wambolt. Ryan has owned the Knot Pub in Durham for the past 9 years. Check out our Her Campus exclusive interview to find out why the Knot was closed all Fall, and to get all the information about the Knot’s Party Bus!
How long have you owned the Knot Pub?I bought it in January of 2006 when it was The Durham Tap Room. We renovated it and reopened as The Knot in March 2006.
Who named the Knot?It was a group discussion. There were a few other names we were considering. The Knot was actually our second choice, because our first choice was already taken. The catch phrase “Let’s get Knotty” was a big selling point in the decision.
Why did you close last fall?There was an underground drain pipe that cracked and filled with dirt and caused all the water from Town and Campus, the flower shop and all the apartments upstairs to back up. Since we were the lowest point in the basement we got to deal with all the fun. There was water damage in the bathrooms and part of the dining room, so the insurance company replaced the floors and most of the bathrooms.
How long did it take to repair?Too long. There were several delays. One was getting permission to replace the broken pipe. Then several other small delays one after another. It probably could have been done in 3 weeks, instead of almost 3 months.
What can we expect to be different at the Knot?Not much really. Most of the people that like The Knot, like it just the way it is. And anything that would really make a big difference isn’t really an option. We can’t expand anywhere, except maybe down.
What would you say is the most popular drink people order?Probably the Rum Buckets. Who wouldn’t like a big beach bucket of juice and booze, and let’s not forget the added gummy bears as an extra treat.
What nights have the best specials?The best food deals would probably be Mondays, for the $3 burgers from 5pm-9:30pm. They are 9 oz. fresh formed ground beef burger, not a frozen patty. And Thursdays we do .25 cent wings with your choice of Hot, Medium, Honey Barbecue and Barbecue. For drink specials it depends on what people like. We do specials every night. If you’re not sure what you might like, Saturday would be your best bet. We do a ton of different drink specials every half hour starting at 8pm.
What nights to do you have live music?Fridays we do live music starting at 10pm until closing. There’s no cover charge and it’s a great time. Travis Ford, and Dave Leshinski are just 2 of the musicians that went to UNH and have been playing here for years and they are amazing. They do a great job at getting the crowd into it. The Rum buckets might have something to do with that as well…
Tell me about the Knot Party Bus!That’s one of the good things that came out of The Knot being closed for so long. We started The Knot’s Party Bus; it has been getting a lot of great feedback. The deal that most people seem to enjoy is the Durham/Portsmouth package for $150. It picks you up in town and drops you off wherever you want in Portsmouth and picks you up later that night and back home. It’s got 12 seats, a TV, music videos, karaoke, speakers and a microphone so the trip to the bar is probably more fun than the bar itself. The best thing with that is when it’s a surprise for someone’s birthday, it really makes the night. One of the bartenders has been doing a great job promoting and booking the party bus. She made a Facebook page for it as well if you want to check it out, Knot Party Bus Facebook or you can contact her directly on Facebook, Gennifer Davidson.