By Evangelos Malakates
When the owner of McHebes heard the bar a few doors down was going up for sale, he decided to make a purchase both he and students could profit from.
Rob Verderosa, a 1998 University graduate and former director of Student Activities, jumped at the opportunity to purchase The Library Bar, which is located 100 feet away from McHebes on Hempstead Turnpike.
The bar will reopen as the Dizzy Lizard Saloon in what is expected to be sometime in November, after renovations are complete.
“I wanted to protect the interest of McHebes,” Verderosa said. “Before someone unfamiliar with [the University’s] bar scene could get their hands on it, I bought it.”
Not only did Verderosa protect the interest of McHebes when he purchased the Library; he also gave University students the opportunity to enjoy two completely different types of bars that will be a stones throw away from each other.
“McHebes is the typical college sports bar, with televisions all over the place,” Verderosa said. “We wanted to do something different with [the Dizzy Lizard Saloon]. So we’re going to give it a saloon type atmosphere.”
The first difference between the Dizzy Lizard Saloon and McHebes is their names.
“A lot of popular bars around now have names that start with an adjective followed by a noun such as the Crazy Donkey [in Farmingdale],” Verderosa said. “Almost all bars that [University] students are used to are one word names like McHebes, Bogarts and Monterey’s. We wanted something unique.”
Renovations are wrapping up and almost nothing is the same as the Library’s old set up. The only aspect remaining from the prior ownership is the mirror-filled wall located on the left side of the saloon.
The new features of the saloon are extensive, including, new heat and air conditioning systems, new bathrooms, new Brazilian wood floors, an open rafter ceiling and new double front doors spanning about seven feet in width. The Dizzy Lizard Saloon will also include a refinished bar top that spans the length of the right side of the bar, three plasma screen televisions and an illuminated liquor display behind the bar.
Unlike many local bars, the Dizzy Lizard Saloon will look to target strictly upperclassmen and the owners intend to be firm in applying the 21 and over policy.
“I wanted a bar that upperclassmen would look forward to coming to,” Verderosa said. “When bars that [McHebes] comepetes with changed to an 18 to party, 21 to drink policy, we had no choice but to do the same.”
The Dizzy Lizard Saloon will give Verderosa the luxury of attracting upperclassmen not interested in partying with underage students and at the same time still keep the McHebes regulars happy.
As for the Dizzy Lizard Saloon’s happy hour plans, Verderosa was undecided. “McHebes happy hour is so great and I don’t want to take anything away from it. I want to keep both entities separate,” he said.
That however, may prove difficult, as Verderosa already has begun to field questions about possible bar crawls, a situation where admission to McHebes would also be valid for admission to the Dizzy Lizard Saloon.
“Are we going to have bar crawls from time to time?” Verderosa said. “Sure, but we won’t be making a habit of doing it.”
You can learn more about the Dizzy Lizard Saloon by logging on to its website, www.thedizzylizardsaloon.com, or by calling (516) 483-BEER, expected to be in service within the next two weeks.
The Library bar was bought by the owners of McHebes and will soon be reopened as the Dizzy Lizard Saloon. (Harry Tanielyan/The Chronicle)