A favorite Midtown bar will soon close its doors for renovations.
Gator City Sports Grille, located across from campus on West University Avenue, will shut down at the end of December, said Jon Gold, a manager at the bar.
The bar will undergo renovations and reopen three to four months after closing. In addition to some upgrades, the name will be changed, Gold said.
He said he’s not yet sure what the new name will be or the specifics of the renovations.
Gator City has been open since 2003, when it took the place of the Purple Porpoise bar, which shut down in late 2002, Gold said.
Thomas Marzol, a UF general business administration sophomore, said Gator City is one of his favorite places to visit because it is inexpensive.
He said he doesn’t think Gator City needs to renovate, as it will just increase prices.
"I don’t see, objectively, how this is a good idea from a business perspective," the 19-year-old said.
Marzol said he likes Gator City because it feels like a true college bar.
"College isn’t supposed to be classy," he said, adding that his dad visited the bar’s predecessor in 1970 as a UF student. "Gator City is my perfect vision of a crappy bar."
