Sports Bar In Howell Stays In the Game Despite COVID Challenges

HOWELL, NJ — Allen Zak says he understands if people don't quite get the name "Arooga" that brands his Arooga's Grille House & Sports Bar on Route 9 in Howell.

"The brand isn't that well known," he concedes.

But he hopes to keep building a presence here after he and his partner purchased the former Ruby Tuesdays site and renovated "99 percent" of it to create a new, fresh sports bar, he says.

He and his partner, his father Igor Zak, also own the Arooga's in East Brunswick. The two franchises are the only Arooga's sports bars in New Jersey, he added. There are about 19 nationwide, with most in Pennsylvania, where the company is headquartered, Zak said.

"It's a franchise, but it's family owned and operated. We're family friendly," said Zak, who lives in Middletown.

In 2018 and 2019 when the purchase and renovation were being completed, it seemed like all systems were go for the new site.

After being in East Brunswick, "we were looking for the new, best spot," Zak said.

Arooga's is on Route 9 north, near the Lanes Mill Road intersection. You can also check it out on Facebook.

He said he loved the Howell location and got to work on remaking the old Ruby Tuesdays space.

With both the physical space and the staff in place, everything was ready to open.

"I had a staff meeting in February of 2020, then a week later - COVID," he said.

That meant tough restrictions for everyone, but restaurants were particularly hard hit.

His and other establishments inched back - first to take-out service, then to partial occupancy dining.

His Howell Arooga's opened on Halloween 2020 and has been holding steady, he said, but he wants the Howell community to know it has a lot to offer Howell residents in particular.

For example, if you bring ID that shows you are a Howell resident, you will get 15 percent off your food bill if you come in before the end of January, Zak said.

This might be an ideal time to take Zak up on the offer.

As a sports bar, Arooga's has more than 60 HD televisions and three 100-inch projection TVs.

Zak said he subscribes to a cable channel with full sports offerings - not only the football playoff games coming up this weekend - but soccer, racing, boxing - even college volleyball, and more.

Then there are the wings, a sports bar staple.

Zak said Arooga's has more than 30 wing sauces to choose from, as well as burgers, wraps, salads, tacos, chicken sandwiches, Stromboli's and what is a fan favorite, the Big Pretzel. There are also more than 40 beers on tap, ranging from local breweries to craft beer, he added.

He said Arooga's is offering some Super Bowl specials, too, such as $2 16-ounce pints and $2.50 22-ounce tall drafts of Coors Light, Miller Lite, Budweiser, and Bud Lights. There is a $5 select craft beer and $5 Big Pretzels (dine in only).

But the bar also wants the community to enjoy other special promotions any time, Zak said, such as these:

• Kids eat free on Mondays.
• Half-priced boneless wings on Wednesdays.
• Trivia every Wednesday at 8 p.m. with prizes.
• Happy hour Mondays to Fridays from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. and Fridays to Saturdays 9 p.m. to close.
• Half Apps every night starting at 9 p.m.

Zak said he hopes the community will check them out.

"We have something unique to offer," he said.