Mohegans to close Arooga's restaurant next month
Mohegan — The Mohegan Tribe has informed employees at its Arooga’s Grille House & Sports Bar on Sandy Desert Road that it will close the restaurant next month and convert the space to a health clinic.
Tribal officials confirmed Thursday that the restaurant will continue operating through Sept. 22.
“Last week, employees of Arooga’s 32 in Uncasville were notified the location will be repurposed for an opportunity that will benefit Tribal members, employees and the local community at large,” Chuck Bunnell, the tribe’s chief of staff, said in a statement.
Employees said they were told the restaurant will be converted to a health clinic.
“Best efforts are being made to find opportunities for all impacted,” Bunnell said. “Mohegan Holding Company and Mohegan Sun are collaborating to ensure that employees have similar job opportunities. In fact, the teams have been holding job fairs and have diligently cross checked available openings to identify like positions for impacted employees.”
Mohegan Holding oversees the tribe’s nongaming business ventures.
The 9,000-square-foot Arooga's restaurant opened in March 2015, eight months after then-Gov. Dannel P. Malloy attended a groundbreaking ceremony at the Sandy Desert Road construction site off Route 32, part of a Mohegan Sun employee parking lot. The Mohegans had announced a franchising deal with Arooga’s, a Harrisburg, Pa.-based chain, in 2014, saying they planned to eventually own at least 15 new Arooga’s restaurants.
Since opening the Sandy Desert Road location, the tribe has opened Arooga’s in Warwick, R.I.; Attleboro, Mass.; and Shelton, all of which will remain open, Bunnell said.
Mohegan Holding also owns Smashburger, Jersey Mike's and Past Vita locations.
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