THE PENDULUM
STYLE
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 3. 2010 // PAGE 19
The Fat Frogg Bar and Grill brings Elon community together
Julia Sayers
Reporter
The Fat Frogg, the newest addition
to Elon’s bar scene, has much more
to offer than just being a bar. It’s a
place where students, faculty and the
community can come together to listen
to live music, enjoy good food and even
play arcade games.
The Fat Frogg, which opened in the
beginning of the school year, is co-
owned by Jeff Mackenzie and Peter
Ustach, both Elon alumnas. Ustach said
they wanted to give the students what
they want, but also make it a place
where families feel welcome.
“We wanted to create not just a bar
scene, but an atmosphere welcoming
to everyone,” Ustach said.
There is a special event held almost
every night, which helps to draw in a
good mix of people. These activities
include Trivia Night Tuesdays, Dollar
Taco Wednesdays (beginning next
Wednesday), live acoustic music during
dinner on Thursdays, bands on Fridays
and Saturdays and poker tournaments
on Sunday nights, which also include
50 cent wings. There is a cover charge
only on nights with live music.
“It's been a great mix of community
and students,” Ustach said. “Thursdays
over dinner are always the most
crowded.”
Ustach said they are also working
on putting in washer pits, which is a
game similar to horseshoes, and they
are coming out with a new menu soon.
All of the food The Fat Frogg serves
is freshly made and never frozen. The
bread used even comes from a local
bakery. The new menu will include
paninis and wraps, along with favorites
from the original menu.
The owners wanted to make their
restaurant easily accessible to students,
so they offer a shuttle on Thursday
nights. This shuttle only goes to the
apartment complexes in Elon, not the
dorms. The shuttle is a free service
that students can call to pick them up
from their residences and bring them
to The Fat Frogg.
Since both owners are Elon alumnus,
they know what it is like to be an Elon
student and they felt Elon needed
something new. Ustach said Elon was
the right school for him, but he was
always looking for something else to
do on the weekends while he attended
school.
“I enjoyed my time at Elon,” Ustach
said. “I just wished there were more
options."
Jeff Mackenzie, who graduated in
1977, had the idea for The Fat Frogg
last year and gave the opportunity to
Ustach, a business entrepreneurship
major who graduated in 2009. Ustach
said the two owners did everything
themselves, including painting the
floor, building the stage, putting in
the gas lines, doing the stone work and
more.
“The experience was so beneficial,"
Ustach said.
Ustach and Mackenzie are always
looking for ways to advance The Fat
Frogg.
“We’re all ears,” Ustach said. “We
want to know what the students want."
MOLLY CAREY | StafT Photogr«ph«r
Fat Frogg is co-owned by Elon alumnus Jeff Mackenzie and Peter Ustach. It was opened as a
place where students, faculty and the community could come to enjoy live music and good food.
16 successful years of safety to be celebrated this month
SafeRides hosts its Sweet 16 event
Martena Chertock
Design Intern
I test straw" to prove
^reation and mission
' "iifriririr~lii)l|ilili(iiiii Patrick O’Malley
and'^Mi Stuart in The death of
freshrhM football player Stej^Macy in 1992
served a catalyst for program.
we ®Nlje com-
_aid
junior Nicole ^
Sweet 16 event
The SafeRides feweet
scribes the organization as "arvTB^B^Bt or
ganization on campus and in the si
community that offers free, anonymous
to students on Thursday, Friday and SaturdS’
nights wflth the mission to decrease the risks
that come with driving while intoxicated and
walking alone at night.”
munity that organization was
le ra^ip.,a SafeRides captain
'X,
Volunteers become members.
If a student volunteers twice a
month, goes to a service event
and a SafeRides social event,
they can become members.
“That way they get one free VIP
ride and then we have this nice,
secure base of volunteers during
the year,” Parker said.
May 2008
Alumnus Andrew Bennett
donates $50,000 to SafeRides.
This goes to fund the new van,
which bumped the number
of students SafeRides could
transfer from six at a time to 12
at a tinne, Parier said.
The dispatching system is
changed from paper to a com
puter system.
“We test drove it in the spring of
2009 and then it was imple
mented totally in fall of 2009,”
Parier said.
Sweet 16 events
March 8-13
Monday: Reveal of Wreckage
The wreckage of a drunk driving accident
wi be revealed in the Mosel^ parking lot at
noon and left all week. This DUI presentatton
is in conjunction with Ban Town Rre and
Police and canrpus safety.
Tuesday: Marcus Engel, Speaker
Engel Is a motivational and inspirational
speaker. He will speak at 7:30 p.m. in the
Alumni Gym. He will talk “about moving past
obstacles in life," Parker s^.
His speech will descritje how drunk
driving was an obstacle in his life because,
wfien he was 18, a drunk driver hit and
blinded him.
The speech is open to all the student
body and faculty.
Wednesday: Remember tfie Night, Luminary
and Memorial Service
A luminary memoria) and tribute service will
Fa 2008
Fall 2009
Term 201
Fall 2010
The future
be field for Macy on tfie Mosetey Green
frtxn 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. Paiker said alumnus,
Macyfe parents and his roommates who
began the program have tieen invited.
This event is open to a#.
Thursday: Outdoor Party
A party celebrating SafeRides will be field
on tfie Octagon Terrace and West Lawn
from 4 to 6 p.m. There will be free food,
entertainment and “a presentation to show
how many people we’ve moved in 16
years,” Partner said.
Sahirriav: Movie on tfie Lawn
SafeRides is cosponsoring the SUB Movie
on tfie Lawn. The movie will be “Boondock
Saints.”
This week and next Saf^-Wes will be
selling Sweet 16 T-sfirts and giving away
promotional items such as cups, magnets
and pens with the Svi«et 16 design, Pa1er
said. A table in Moseley will tie set up with
tfie items.
Kimberiy Duggins is the
outgoing student director
Earie Pope is the incoming
director and will begin Fall
2010.
Elon donates two more
vans to SafeRides.
“Now we can move 24
people at a time,” Parter
said.
Parker said she wants to se§1
room with trained dispatchers and a biggeil
cars and vans.
"Maybe even more support from the student
body," she said. “We have a lot of support right
now but we also get (students saying), 'Oh
SafeRides was slow tonight.' We want to make
sure there's no bad talk about the program at all.”
She also wants to see an online program
that sfiows the waitlist, how many people have
tjeen moved during the night and the schedule of
upcoming rides.
“That's sonnething we’ve talked about a lot and
that’s totally feasible,” she said.
"TT"