The exterior of UNO at 1770 N. High St. Credit: Andrew McLain | Lantern Reporter
Bullwinkles may be dead and gone, but its successor — a bar and nightclub named UNO — is alive and looking to thrive.
On Aug. 14, UNO, located directly across from Ohio State’s main campus at 1770 N. High St., officially opened in Bullwinkles’ previous location, with regular hours Fridays and Saturdays, 9 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Bullwinkles — which closed in July of this year after almost 10 years of business on High Street — has been known to have a troubled past. According to previous Lantern reporting, a dispute over ownership and management between the bar’s former owner Gregory Knoob and former manager Ted Lawson led to further disagreements over various issues, including the bar’s liquor permit, an ownership lawsuit and a claim of theft.
According to the article, the lawsuit stated Lawson had “consistently interfered” in Knoob’s operations, which started a few months after Lawson began managing the bar. According to the complaint, Lawson entered the nightclub and changed its locks in July 2019. He also demanded that Knoob pay him $150,000 to purchase the bar, previous Lantern reporting states.
Georgio Franzeskos, a fourth-year in public affairs and UNO’s general manager, said he plans to separate UNO’s reputation from Bullwinkles’ by focusing on bringing a fun, energy-filled atmosphere to High Street that is specifically tailored to college students.
“You should picture [UNO] as a giant house party,” Franzeskos said. “There’s always good energy going on. It’s definitely a good vibe for college campus students.”
Franzeskos said the bar’s grand opening celebration — which took place Aug. 24-26 — brought a huge turnout of both new and returning students.
“It was nice to see a lot of the newer students who transferred come in and check out the place,” Franzeskos said.
Franzeskos said UNO plans to offer a more student-focused atmosphere by providing affordable pricing.
“It’s going to be your normal menu options that you’re getting at every college campus bar,” Franzeskos said. “We always like to do $2 doubles on Fridays and $3 triples on Saturdays.”
Franzeskos said along with the bar’s consistent drink menu — which features the peanut-butter-flavored Buckeye Shot and assorted slushies — there will also be drink deals and special events throughout the year.
“When it’s cooler, we do plan on having special events where we have all the tables out so people can bring their own food, come and sit inside and play cornhole and other games,” Franzsekos said.
Franzeskos said there will also be group “wristband events” in which student organization members and Greek-life affiliates can direct message UNO on Instagram to receive wristbands; then, during the events, those wearing wristbands will be able to skip the lines and receive special drink deals.
Franzeskos said he plans to build UNO’s connection with the campus community by collaborating with student organizations to host some of these special events.
“My biggest thing is just involvement with the students,” Franzeskos said. “I want to reach out to clubs and organizations to see if there’s any way that I can help out.”
Isabella Dirienzo, a third-year in engineering physics who said she used to frequent Bullwinkles, said though UNO retains some of Bullwinkles’ old features — namely the decor and menu items — students have already begun to notice various improvements.
“They’ve made major upgrades to the facilities,” Dirienzo said. “The new staff, the new uniforms and the brand new lights just bring the whole vibe together.”
Dirienzo said although UNO has made positive changes, she is uncertain whether it will achieve the same level of recognition that Bullwinkles once had.
“I don’t think it’s going to be fighting for success, but it might not have as big of a name as Bullwinkles,” Dirienzo said. “But that’s a good thing; it has the chance to create a better experience for everyone.”
More information about UNO can be found on its Instagram page.
