Auburn Hills’ newest bar, O Grizzly’s Bar & Bistro, had its soft opening on Friday, Sept. 27. Located on the corner on North Squirrel Road and University Drive, the Oakland University themed bar contains 11 televisions and an extensive menu of classic bar food, Michigan-brewed beer and mixed drinks — all of which are priced with college students in mind.
According to O Grizzly’s mission statement, its purpose is to create a “hometown bar” experience for OU students, faculty, staff and alumni. Ankit Sinha, head of marketing at O Grizzly’s and founder of A Plus Commercial Solutions, spoke on the bar’s goal of creating a meaningful experience for OU students on their night out.
“We wanted a place for students where, after a long day, at night-time they can come and unwind and be themselves with their friends,” Sinha said.
Patrons entering the bar are welcomed by friendly O Grizzly’s staff members. Its team consists of current and former Golden Grizzlies, including two bartenders and four servers. The art and decor of the restaurant are intended to highlight Detroit’s professional sports teams, including the Pistons, Lions, Tigers and Red Wings, as well as the Golden Grizzlies.
Jaxson Ayer Williams, a senior and graphic design major at OU, is one of the artists responsible for the creation of the bar’s main wall art.
“When we first started the project, the owners told me that the vision for O Grizzly’s was to create a place that was for us, the students at OU,” Ayer Williams said.
O Grizzly’s leadership team sought the talents of Ayer Williams, and other OU graphic designers, to help create an environment that felt unique and special to Golden Grizzlies that visit the bar.
“They wanted to find a way to represent all of the local sports teams, both college and professional, but more importantly represent Oakland,” Ayer Williams said. “Being able to have a hand in making the space ours was a truly amazing experience, and I’m so happy to be able to see it through.”
O Grizzly’s has already established partnerships with well-known OU organizations, such as Oakland University Formula SAE and WXOU, to help strengthen the bar’s ties with OU’s student body.
O Grizzly’s mission to support OU goes well beyond their branding. The Grizzly’s Education Fund (OGEF) is a future grant that promises to dedicate a percentage of O Grizzly’s revenue from food sales, brought in by OU-affiliated customers, back to the university.
“We will allocate 10% of OU student and affiliate spending at our venue to this fund and engage the broader community through promotional campaigns that contribute to OGEF,” O Grizzly’s said in their mission statement.
This is far from OU’s first time associating with a local bar. Other well-established bars and restaurants in Auburn Hills and surrounding areas, such as Buddy’s Pizza and RJ’s Pub, have had existing associations with the university for several years. RJ’s Pub is the home of “The Greg Kampe Radio Show,” hosted by Neal Ruhl.
John Young, vice president of university communications and marketing at OU, provided insight into the collaborative, and legal, journey that transformed O Grizzly’s from a simple idea to a reality.
According to Young, the process began approximately nine months before O Grizzly’s soft opening.
“We worked with [O Grizzly’s] so everybody [at OU] was comfortable with what it is, and how it’s used,” Young said.
While the bar’s tie to the university is not a direct partnership, O Grizzly’s leadership worked closely with the university to guarantee that the use of OU’s brand and likeness was utilized properly — and not at risk of trademark infringement.
“In this case it’s one of the rare ones,” Young said. “It is a going concern that worked with us to create a separate name, but worked with the university to get there. The process was pretty collaborative.”
As of publishing date, OU has yet to make an official statement acknowledging O Grizzly’s, or the association between the two organizations.
The official grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony for O Grizzly’s will take place on Oct. 21 from 3:30–4:30 p.m. The public can expect appearances from members of the Auburn Hills Chamber of Commerce and OU’s own WXOU radio team.
