Introducing... Skinny Boneless Wings!

My tasting plate of skinny boneless wings!

There's only one word I can think of right now to describe the new wings I just tried: AMAZING! And I'm not just saying that because I work here. They were really freaking good.

I stopped into our Route 15 location to give them a try so I could write this post, and they really blew me away. I got them with my favorite wing sauce (Louisiana Garlic-Medium), and they came with a side of light ranch dressing. They were tender and easy to eat. Which is why I love boneless wings in the first place! I'm a bit weird when it comes to getting my hands messy, and by a bit weird I mean, I absolutely hate it! I've always felt that I had to sacrifice calories if I didn't want to avoid the mess that's associated with traditional wings.

NOT ANYMORE! The new skinny boneless wings are less than a 1/3 of the fat of regular boneless wings. They're baked instead of fried so they're not as greasy as original wings either. Because I'm training for my first 5K race, I found this to be pretty exciting! It's a great healthier alternative if you still want to enjoy some of Arooga's famous sauces but not splurge on calories. I have to say, even if they weren't healthier, I'd probably still eat these all the time! They're just that yummy.

And the even more exciting part? We are officially declaring the start of the week, Naked Monday! Skinny boneless wings will only be 39 cents from 5-9pm! Plus like our other types of wings, they'll also be only 49 cents during every happy hour! (Don't forget that you can always see the latest specials on our website too)

So, I definitely recommend checking these out. They're delicious, easy on the waistline, and come at great price! They'll be available at all Arooga's locations starting Monday!

This is what they'll look like when you order them. They come with Super Light Ranch and veggies!

Pinterest for sharing

I am posting today to officially announce that Arooga's is now on Pinterest!

I was very hesitant at first about starting up a Pinterest account. If we are going to use it, I wanted to use it right. I wanted to link our friends to interesting content across the internet and not just post our photos and specials. To be honest, there aren't a whole lot of examples of restaurants using Pinterest effectively. There are some great brands out there using it like Whole Foods, ModCloth, and General Electric, but I still wasn't sure if Pinterest was really the right place for a sports bar and restaurant to really make a splash.

The more time has gone on though, I felt like we were really missing out on a movement. Pinterest is SUCH a cool idea. It's great for sharing all kinds of ideas and information. We have lots of interesting ideas in this office all the time, so I felt like we could make a contribution of some sort.

I sat down and really thought about it. I mean REALLY thought about it. What kind of information do we have to share? What kind of information do our customers and fans want? Basically... what kind of things do we and our customers love? What do people talk about when they're at Arooga's? What makes them think of Arooga's when they're at home? I made a list of general topics that I felt answered these questions and there they were! The topics for our Pinterest boards!

I've always been an avid blog reader and my Google Reader is always expanding with new

We've had it up and running for a little over a week now, and without advertising much that we're on Pinterest we haven't received too much of a following, but I do find it interesting that our most popular pin so far was a post about Placido Polanco's 2,000th career hit. So, I think we're hitting the nail on the head with our boards, and I'm really excited to start building a following and start following some of you so we can share pins!

Perk of the job

I have to say, my job is pretty cool sometimes. One of my favorite perks of working for Arooga's is getting to work the promo tent at Harrisburg Senator's games! We talk to lots of people, and spread the Arooga's love. Plus we get to watch baseball!

We also get to participate in some of the games on the field in between innings and do some cool stuff like throwing t-shirts into the stands. It's pretty fun to be a part of the on field entertainment and help make the game fun for everyone.

This particular game that I want to tell you about was even more special. I walked in the front gate with Nikki, our marketing & catering manager, and we were greeted by Todd, our go-to guy for all things Senators. He asked if anyone would want to throw the first pitch. I'm pretty sure I squealed. Of course I want to throw the first pitch! It's a childhood dream for anyone who grew up watching baseball.

We quickly set up our tent and had a minute to relax before the gates opened. Usually I love the quiet at Metro Bank Park before the crowd comes in, but the silence started making me a bit nervous. I started thinking about all of terrible first pitches I've seen in the past that have made me laugh or made me roll my eyes. I did not want to be on of those! I didn't want to bomb the pitch like the people in this video:

Eventually we made our way down to the field. It looked like a storm was coming so the first pitch was delayed a little bit, but that was okay. It gave me some time to warm up! I tossed the ball around with Nikki and Greg (the in game host and friend of Arooga's!). I was still nervous but feeling a little more confident.

And good news.. I didn't bomb it! I made it across the plate! I don't think it would've been called a strike since it was a bit low, but it made it to the plate! 

Unfortunately the weather got a bit scary and we had to tear down our tent almost immediately after the pitch, but it was super fun and I'm very proud of myself. If you ever get the chance to throw a first pitch, DO IT! It's empowering! Plus now I have a trophy for my desk to cheer me up anytime I need a pick-me-up.

Opening a Restaurant... or 2

The past few months have been hectic to say the least.

We are so excited to have our store in York up and running and doing well! It is a lot of fun to introduce Arooga's to a whole new community. Especially when this community knows about us, but a lot of people hadn't had the opportunity to actually give us a try. Even those who had been to Arooga's before seem to be pleasantly surprised by the slight changes to the York store. They have more beer! And who doesn't love more beer?

Speaking of beer... We've really been able to tap into a whole new group of people in Harrisburg as well. The new Arooga's Draft House in Downtown Harrisburg has definitely been a really cool experience for us. We are diving head first into craft beer and loving every minute of it.

March is always one of our busiest months of the year because of the NCAA tournament. But this... this was different.  We opened up the new store downtown and were immersed in the buzz and excitement, then we rolled right into the tournament. It was great being able to enjoy classic Arooga's food, drink craft beer, and enjoy every game that was happening all at one time. I really don't think there's any place where I've been able to do such a thing.

Then... there was St. Patrick's Day. I mean, we've experienced some fun times at our other locations on St. Patrick's Day in the past, but really... how could any of that compare to St. Patrick's Day on 2nd Street? Especially when it falls on a Saturday! It was a nonstop fun filled day complete with green beer (and not just light beers... I had a green Hopslam!) and lots of basketball.

Nikki enjoyed a green Franziskaner!

We were really pumped to experience our first Harrisburg St. Patrick's Day Parade too! But unfortunately, mother nature had another idea. It was such a yucky day out. But we still had some parade stragglers who came in to celebrate anyway. With the rain and the cold and the bagpipes, it almost felt like we were actually IN Ireland! Hopefully next year the weather won't be quite so "Irish" because we're definitely looking forward to Parade Day party!

You may have also noticed in our stores that we just released a bunch of cool new t-shirts and hats. If you haven't seen them, make sure you stop at the hostess stand next time you're in and check them out. We also have them on our website! We added a bunch of logo glass ware and gift packs too. They make great gifts for Arooga's fans!

And really... I think the most exciting thing we've done in the past few weeks... we are now selling our most popular sauces (plus our 2 signature dressings) in bottles! That's right! You can take home BOTTLES of Arooga's sauces. Pretty cool! Personally, I've already gone through almost an entire bottle of Hickory Smoked Honey BBQ at my house. It's a bit addictive! If you're craving some Arooga's sauce at home you can buy them in any of our stores as well as on our website!

As always... make sure you follow your local store on Facebook for news and updates. You can also follow the Arooga's brand page for product updates and news about store openings. And you can find us on Twitter and Instagram too!