Shelton Sports Bar, Betting Site Closes Suddenly

SHELTON, CT — Arooga's Grille House and Sports Bar suddenly closed the doors of its Shelton location for good last week.

The closure was announced Friday on the sports bar's Instagram page in a post that used a picture of tombstone and included the caption "Goodbye Arooga's Shelton, thanks for the memories." No further information was included in the post.

A request for comment from Arooga's was not immediately returned Wednesday.

The bar's previous social media posts did not indicate the Shelton location would be closing. A recent post on Feb. 13 said the bar would be closed that day due to inclement weather but noted it would reopen the following day.

The Shelton Herald reports Arooga's staff learned of the closure when they arrived for work Friday, according to the Shelton location's general manager, Alex Montes. The location employed about 25 people.

Montes also noted business at the Shelton bar had not fully recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic's effect on business, the Shelton Herald reports. Arooga's New England locations are owned by the McBride Holding Company LLC.

Located at 387 Bridgeport Avenue, Arooga's Shelton sports bar featured a large menu of shareable appetizers, salads, chicken wings, burgers and sandwiches, as well as a wide selection of cocktails, shots, beer, wine and sodas.

In December, Fanatics Betting and Gaming launched retail and online sports betting at the Shelton location.

While Arooga's operates sports bars in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and other states, it does not currently operate any other locations in Connecticut.