Greeker’s We hung out at The Spot a lot, but my favorite hangout was The Greeker’s. The owner called it something else, but “The Greeker’s” hung on because the former owner was Greek. It was a 21 bar, so we all told them we were 21. I think they knew that wasn’t true, but let us get away with it, anyway. Nobody ever checked. Al would serve a “Greeker with the works,” which was a hot dog steamed to perfection in a bun with freshly chopped onions, a special hot beef sauce, topped with a pickle slice and served on a piece of waxed paper. The thing got pretty sloppy, so you had to nurse it up to your mouth, but man, they were addictive. And you had to wash it down with a glass of beer. Or two. I tried transporting Greeker’s to Madison, but they didn’t travel well. No flavor left by the time they got there, and it took two weeks to get the smell out of my car. Tim Merker ’65 Presque Isle, Wis. It’s gotta be the Greeker’s! Wonderful dogs with great, great sauce and mustard, and, of course, a draft! Donald Duncan ’52 Kansas City, Mo.
LES AND BUNNY’S
There was also a totally “townie” bar called Les & Bunny’s. There was always a late-night challenge: “I dare you to go get a pickled egg.” Keith Grant ’84 Highland Park, Ill.
Bender’s Bender’s! And The Beckening actually topped Bender’s. Molly Northrup Mickel ’87 Durango, Colo. Freshman year it was The Beckoning, a dance place. Sophomore through senior years, it was Bender’s Bar. Most Beta Sigs hung out there when not having huge parties in our frat, the end of Bovay Hall. Bob Buth ’85 Menomonee Falls, Wis.
Jim Swenson ’78 takes a bite of a Greeker’s hot dog at Alumni Weekend 2003. Sodexo Food Service did its best to recreate the fabled entrée for the event using a provided recipe.
Definitely Bender’s for my crowd. Countless nights spent living the college dream with Mr. Bill at Bender’s. The entire memory makes me miss Lori “Jojo” Kometer Basaldu ’91 and Michelle “Lips” Ryan Bartlett ’91. Karen “County Trunk KK” Kaull Weiss ’91 Salt Lake City, Utah
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