The shuttered Thirsty Turtle has taunted College Park bar-hoppers since last fall with signs that advertised a seemingly ever-prolonged opening.
Until now.
Today at 5 p.m., the bar and restaurant’s doors will open, its owners announced this weekend.
It has been more than a year since owners expected drinks to flow and grills to fire up, but months of legal woes and conflict over a flimsy, chain-link fence stalled the launch.
Owners have now renovated the building’s interior, shrinking the kitchen to build an alternative emergency exit and new exterior door. A recent fire marshal’s inspection gave owners the green light to open.
Rumors about the possible opening dates have swirled around the city for weeks, building anticipation among students who hope the bar revitalizes College Park nightlife.
“It will certainly shake things up in the bar scene,” said senior Joe Welty. “It will be nice to have another option.”
Welty added that the Thirsty Turtle, which majority owner Alan Wanuck said can hold about 1,000 people, could free up space at nearby bars like Cornerstone Grill and Loft and Santa Fe Cafe. Students eager to party often have to wait through long lines to enter the bars on the weekends.
“I like crowds, but I don’t like to sweat my ass off at a bar,” said Welty, a government and politics major.
Staff members scrambled over the weekend to prepare for this evening’s debut.
On Saturday, trash was piled near the main entrance, some wall decorations had yet to be hung, and one of the bars was still being stained.
“We’re down to the wire,” Wanuck said with a smile from behind the bar.
Wanuck said he left his house every morning this past week by 7:30 and would not return until about 3:30 a.m. But lost sleep has been the least of Wanuck’s worries in the past year.
The Thirsty Turtle was poised to open this past fall when a neighboring property owner erected the fence, which blocks off a necessary fire exit. Consequently, Wanuck’s building could not meet county fire codes.
The fence debacle has drained Wanuck and his three partners personally and financially, he said, forcing them to forego time with family and turn down other business ventures.
“We want to just get on with our lives, get the place open and start making money,” Wanuck said in his typical fast-paced voice.
That money is much needed, said Wanuck and his partners, who have taken on considerable expenses to get the restaurant off the ground without generating income to recoup some of the costs.
While Wanuck declined to give the amount of money lost or how long it may take to earn back, by disclosing the price of certain items, such as $7,000 handrails, a $60,000 computer system and a $150,000 sound system, Wanuck and his partners indicated the Thirsty Turtle was no cheap undertaking.
“Even though we didn’t open, there was expenses that we’ve took on,” Wanuck said. “Bills still come in. You have to pay the gas, the electric, the water bill. Yes, they’re minimal, but you still have to pay them.”
And when asked how the partners plan to start turning a profit, Wanuck simply responded: “Bust our butts.”
But what Wanuck resents the most are the personal sacrifices he’s had to make, like time away from his young children and wife.
“It’s put a lot of stress on our families and stuff,” Wanuck said. “It’s nice to make money and all, but family comes first.”
In the days before opening, Wanuck said he, his partners and his staff put final touches on the Thirsty Turtle’s menu and decor.
The menu has been tweaked to add more vegetarian options to a food selection that includes primarily American cuisine, as well as pizza, strombolis and calzones from Wanuck’s other restaurant, Alario’s.
“Things change and you have to upgrade with the times,” Wanuck said.
Sandwiches are named after dorms on the campus, and appetizers include “Testudo Tenders” and “Knox Road Potato Skins.”
A sports bar with flat-screen TVs will show major college and professional athletic events to the right of the main entrance, Wanuck said.
Further inside is the restaurant’s primary dining area. Cushioned booths line the room, which sheds the college bar atmosphere to take on a more sophisticated ambiance.
The upstairs is designed somewhat like a Greek life dreamland. Fraternity and sorority letters and sculptures of athletic turtles adorn wood-planked walls, which are painted red, black, white and gold.
A bar spans nearly the entire right wall and the floor is divided into two sections: a seating area for diners and a freshly-waxed, hardwood dance floor. A stage, with what part-owner Tom Hall said is a $150,000 sound system, overlooks the room.
Some students, including Welty, said the stage and live bands it could attract is one of the bars’ biggest appeals.
“I know when they were first talking about the Thirsty Turtle they talked about it bringing good bands,” Welty said. ” I love live music. That would be of big interest to me and it’s probably what I’m looking forward to most.”
Before students leave for winter break, the music venue will feature four bands that perform covers of popular music from a number of genres, Hall said.
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