By Paige Fitzpatrick
Brother Mike’s reopening drew a handful of people, overshadowed by a free drink promotion at Brack’s Grille & Tap which drew a standing-room only crowd recently.
Stephanie Wehbe, a senior, attended both Brack’s and Brother Mike’s Thursday night, August 26.
“Brack’s was fun because there were so many familiar faces it was nice to see especially after the pandemic, and there weren’t many people at Brother Mike’s, but it was still fun and nice to see Student Engagement making an effort for us,” Wehbe said.
The free drink promotion at Brack’s was sponsored by the bill paying app company, Nutiliti. The app is mainly used amongst roommates to evenly pay for utilities in shared apartments.
Nutiliti held similar events at other colleges in the country to promote the app, according to its website and social media. Nutiliti covered a $750 tab plus tip for Stonehill students during the Brack’s event.
Kyle Gill, associate general counsel for the Massachusetts Alcohol Beverage Control Commission (ABCC), said the free drink promotion did not violate the state’s happy hour regulations.
“As long as the company sponsoring the event pays for the alcohol and not the bar itself then that is permitted,” Gill said.
He said as long as the bar follows Massachusetts happy hour laws, “like not serving more than one drink at a time or discounted drinks,” their actions are legal.
Participants were instructed to download the Nutiliti app onto their smartphones in which they were given one ticket to be traded in at the bar for a free drink.
Alex Bates, a Stonehill senior, worked with Nutiliti to generate interest about the app at Brack’s. Bates works in real estate in Back Bay and said he often works with Nutiliti.
“I organized it with all the bartenders and managers that we would hand out tickets at 8 p.m. if a Stonehill student downloaded the app, and then once we reached the limit the tab would close,” Bates said.
Bates said he plans to hold another event for Stonehill students sponsored by Nutiliti in the future.
Brack’s opened in 2019 and has since been a popular drinking spot for upperclassmen attending Stonehill.
“We do our best to provide a high level of service, and Stonehill students are a great group,” Frank Brack, the owner, said. “They are respectful and create a fun-loving environment.”
Students are gravitating more towards places off campus on Thursday nights because of the freedom they provide.
“Places off campus like Brack’s have a bit more freedom, and it is nice to be able to walk around and mingle with other groups of friends, rather than having to sit at a table all night at Brother Mike’s,” Wehbe said.
Stonehill’s on campus bar, Brother Mike’s, held a “welcome back bash” for students 21 and older on Sunday, August 22. Director of Student Engagement Steve Pagios said the turnout was great.
Brother Mike’s held another event on Thursday, August 26. Pagios said this event was unusually small.
Pagios said they want to continue hosting students 21 and older on Thursdays at Brother Mikes while following Stonehill’s COVID-19 protocols.
“Our goal going forward is going upstairs in commons A and using the patio, so, trying to get people outside as much as we can so they can take their masks off and socialize safely,” Pagios said.