A Short Version of How it All Began It all started back on July 26th, 2008 at our Route 22 location in Harrisburg, PA. Arooga ... 's first location was established on a stretch of highway between Harrisburg & Hershey, Pennsylvania know as "Route 22". President and Co-Founder Gary Huether, Jr, then a young entrepreneur fresh out of the tool business, was grappling with different concepts for his latest venture, but knew that he didn't want his new business to be known as only a "bar" or only a "restaurant". He strived to find a unique balance of both. So was born a bar/restaurant hybrid that was conceptually different from anything around! Gary wanted to capture business from all aspects of the market, so he created a family friendly restaurant and a casual local bar that boasted the best happy hour in town, a huge draft list, and entertainment every week. Trouble was...they still didn't have a name! He knew that he couldn't create an awesome place without the right flag, so they ran a contest inviting guests to submit their ideas for the name. "Arooga's" stood out over hundreds of submissions. You might ask yourself, "exactly what does Arooga's mean?" Believe it or not, the name has nothing to do with food, booze, or sports. "Arooga" is the sound of an antique Model T Ford horn. This eccentric name was a perfect fit for Arooga's new innovative style. Nearly 10 years later, we have won numerous national & local awards including the big one, America's Next Top Restaurant Franchise, and now have locations up and down the East Coast. read more