Fourth location In New England Franchised By Mohegan Holding Company, LLC
Arooga’s and Mohegan Holding Company, a business diversification entity of the Mohegan Tribe, are opening their newest Arooga’s Grille House & Sports Bar in Shelton, Connecticut on Tuesday, June 19th at noon.
Arooga’s and Mohegan Holding Company announced a multi-unit franchise agreement in May of 2014 to bring numerous locations to New England; the first opened in early 2015 adjacent to the world-renowned Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut, and since then additional locations have opened in Warwick, Rhode Island and Attleboro, Massachusetts.
Arooga’s 8, at 387 Bridgeport Avenue in Shelton, will have a view of every game from every seat, outdoor dining, a huge menu featuring cooked to order items made with high quality ingredients including their famous no antibiotic ever Wagyu burgers. It will also offer scratch made appetizers, award winging wings, and handcrafted cocktails made with real fruit juices and premium spirits. Arooga’s 8 will have a 48 draft line-up featuring national and local craft favorites, including Dogfish Head Bourbon Barrel-Aged Palo Santo Marron, Victory Might Things, Tröegs Scratch 317, Tröegs Scratch 328 Boysenberry Gose, Stone Totalitarian, and Stone Fear Movie Lions. Like all Arooga’s, Arooga’s 8 will be Green Certified by the Green Restaurant Association, as well as Gluten Free certified by Beyond Celiac. The restaurant expects to add 75 – 100 jobs to the region.
As part of the grand opening celebration, the first 100 people to register at Arooga’s 8 on opening day – June 19th– will receive free wings for a year! For complete rules, visit (must be 18 or older to participate.) In addition, visitors will enjoy drawings and giveaways throughout the morning. And, when the doors open at noon, 20% of sales for the entire day will be donated to Special Olympics Connecticut.
“The Mohegan Tribe are valuable members of our family and Arooganation, and we are so excited to be opening another location with their team,” said Gary Huether, Jr., President and Co-Founder of Arooga’s. “We’re looking forward to this and future openings with our Mohegan partners, and can’t wait to show Shelton why Arooga’s is uniquely awesome.”
“As we continue to expand and grow our portfolio of restaurants, we are excited to bring this state-of-the-art sports and dining experience to the Shelton area, and to give back to our community with a fundraiser for Special Olympics Connecticut,” said Jeanette Ziegler, Chief Operating Officer of Mohegan Holding Company.
The recipient of several national accolades, including selection as America’s Next Top Restaurant Franchise, as well as recognition among Entrepreneur Magazine’s Top 500 Franchises of 2018 and Full Service Restaurant magazine’s Top 50 Emerging Restaurant Chains, Arooga’s Grille House & Sports Bar continues to charm the industry with its commitment to utilizing the latest technology in enhancing the guest experience and improving operational practices, creating unique and delicious menu items with fresh natural, ingredients, and observing environmentally responsible operation methods in their restaurants as part of their certification by the Green Restaurant Association.
Arooga’s currently has 18 locations in operation, which include franchises in Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Florida, and Massachusetts, along with their 10 corporate locations throughout the central Pennsylvania region.
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 has franchise agreements for nearly 100 locations in the Eastern U.S. Arooga’s offers franchising opportunities for their “unique sports and entertainment restaurant & bar” concept to qualified multi-unit candidates. For more information, visit www.aroogas.com, or contact Keith Swade, Director of Franchise Development at keithswade@aroogas.com.
Mohegan Holding Company, LLC was created by the Mohegan Tribe for business diversification in non-gaming areas, and currently includes interests in franchise restaurants, sustainable energy resources and manufacturing, and office digital solutions. The Mohegan Tribe was founded on the banks of southeastern Connecticut’s Thames River by Chief Uncas in the early 17th century. After its federal recognition in 1994, the Tribe opened the world-class casino resort Mohegan Sun on its reservation land in Uncasville, CT in 1996. The nine-member Tribal Council serves as the leadership for the sovereign nation, and also serves as the Board of Directors for Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment (MGE) in regard to the Tribe’s gaming properties and interests.