Andrea Wilkinson/Nevada Sagebrush
On the corner of N. Virginia Street and College Drive, on Monday, Feb. 6, construction continued on Rick’s Pizza, Beer, & More. Rick’s is filling the building previously occupied by The Wolf Den which has been vacant almost two years.
The abandoned building once occupied by the Wolf Den will be lively once more now that a new restaurant called Rick’s, specializing in pizza and beer, fills the empty spot.
The Wolf Den closed its doors in early 2015 after losing their alcohol license due to serving alcohol to minors.
While most current students at the University of Nevada, Reno, know the Wolf Den as the abandoned building across from the dorms, upperclassman remember the former hangout spot with fondness.
Because of its central location between the dorms and the main university campus, the Wolf Den was a popular location for students, visitors and alumni.
Lindsey Newman, a senior at UNR, lived in the Living Learning Community dorm adjacent from the Wolf Den before it closed and remembers the restaurant as the “pinnacle of freshman entertainment,” with bar fights, drunk people and cops at the restaurant frequently.
“It was just one of those memorable places where things were always happening and yet nothing was really happening,” Newman said. “It was a typical college bar, restaurant.”
Before it became the Wolf Den in 2010, the building housed another popular college bar called the Fritz Bar and Grill. In 2008, KTVN reported that the owner of the Fritz, Derek Morg, needed to close the bar to pay for medical expenses.
“I hope it remains a college bar because I think a lot of people had a lot of fun. It’s what’s needed around this area,” Morg said in 2008.
Morg’s hopes came true when the Wolf Den opened, and it seems that with Rick’s the popular location will remain the college bar “this area needs.”
Senior Josue Regalado, a neuroscience major at UNR, remembers the Wolf Den being a great spot to hang out with friends and is excited a new restaurant will finally fill its space.
“I remember eating there during move-in day my first year, so for some reason I have a soft spot for the food. I’ll probably visit the new restaurant,” Regalado said.
new raising cane’s branch
Raising Cane’s, which has become a favorite for students needing their fill of fried chicken, is opening a new branch across the street from the university. Demolition of the University Car Wash self-serve station, the future location of the chicken finger joint, has already begun. There is no current estimate on when the branch is set to open.
The new branch was approved last August by the Ward 5 neighborhood advisory board. The restaurant will be the second Raising Cane’s in northern Nevada. The first, located in South Reno, was opened in 2014.
Since coming to northern Nevada, Raising Cane’s has been a key partner with the University of Nevada, Reno, making appearances at football tailgates and events like Beat UNLV week. Their location in South Reno also sports personalized Cane’s UNR memorabilia.
