By Jared Curtis
Groucho’s Lounge
Happy Hour twice a day
Margaret Griffiths celebrated her 20 year anniversary in the bar business this past March, but she wasn’t told of the celebration in advance.
“It was a surprise to me. My bartender called me and said she was sick, so I came in to work for her,” Griffiths said. “I was so surprised when I got there. It was a big blowout, and we had lots of fun. They also gave me a plaque celebrating my time, which is hanging on the wall.”
Griffiths owns Groucho’s Lounge and has been serving patrons since 1989 and moved it to its new location in 2000. She’s not sure how long the bar was open before she took over, but there were three previous owners.
“I was going to change the name, but people knew the place as Groucho’s, so I decided to keep it,” she said.
Griffiths wasn’t planning on moving the bar’s location. But when it happened, the search for a new location didn’t take long.
“This place was the only spot I could get in fast enough,” she said. “But we were the first place in this strip mall.”
Groucho’s is a friendly neighborhood sports bar that is lot bigger on the inside than it looks from the outside. A big U-shaped bar holds down the room with plenty of tables and chairs surrounding. The walls are covered in a bevy of sports memorabilia and NASCAR hoods. Also strewn throughout are classic bar lights taking patrons back to a simpler time.
“We have a lot of Cubs fans who stop in, and we always have a crowd for NASCAR races,” Griffiths said. “On race days we usually do a potluck, and everyone has a good time.”
Happy Hour runs twice a day during the week, from 8 to 10 a.m. and 3 to 6 p.m. On Saturday and Sunday, Happy Hour runs from noon to 4 p.m. Specials include $1.50 (12 oz.) and $2.75 (23 oz.) draws, $2.50 bottles and $2.25 wells. Stop in Wednesday night from 6 to 10 p.m. for $1.25 draws (12 oz.).
“We have a great Happy Hour crowd at both times,” she said. “With the tough economy, everyone wants a well priced drink.”
Groucho’s draws a diverse crowd by being open early and offering two Happy Hours.
“There are only a handful of bars that open this early, and we have been opening this early from the beginning,” she said. “We get all kinds of customers from construction workers to lawyers, and everyone meshes well together.”
The bar has a dartboard, pool table and a Silver Strike video game. On Tuesday nights, a rotating number of patrons play poker. The bar has four TVs and always has the game on.
“We’re really busy on the weekends,” she said. “We watch old movies in the morning while the customers are getting ready for a game or race.”
Even though Griffths has been in the bar business for 20 years, she doesn’t have any plans to stop what she’s doing and is proud of how her bar has evolved.
“We offer a safe and relaxing environment with reasonable prices,” she said. “We’re not a fancy place, so come as you are, and we’ll take care of you.” CV
Owner Margaret Griffiths mixes a screwdriver at Groucho’s Lounge, 2761 86th St., Urbandale. Hours are 8 to 2 a.m. (7 a.m. on Saturday).
