Arooga’s Grille House & Sports Bar has prided itself on standing out within the industry, and now they are doing the same in Rhode Island.

Arooga’s first opened in July of 2008 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and now has 10 locations throughout that state. The company began franchising in 2014. Arooga’s signed a franchise agreement with the Mohegan Holding Company, run by the Mohegan Tribe, in May 2014 to bring 15 of the restaurants to New England; their first opened last year adjacent to Mohegan Sun. The Warwick location, on Greenwich Avenue, is their second, which opened on Tuesday, April 19.

President and co-founder Gary Huether said, “Be better, be different is really our motto, and I think we’ve achieved that.”

He said he wants to provide customers with a better sports bar experience. To do so, he brought customers healthy dining alternatives, with most meals cooked to order, clean ingredients, free of hormones and antibiotics, organic and vegetarian options, even chicken-less chicken so vegetarians can enjoy the wing experience. Arooga’s bar features real fruit juices and purees, with 45 beers on draft, even some local craft beer. They also have their own handcrafted vodka, Sagoora – Arooga’s backwards.

“Top quality and healthy ingredients are really a priority, especially as a sports bar. I think that sets us apart,” Huether said.

Huether’s restaurants are all 100 percent green certified by the Green Restaurant Association, the first to be so in Pennsylvania and now the first in Rhode Island. To be green certified, restaurants must be built and operated in an environmentally-conscious way.

In Arooga’s case, all paper used is recycled, the wood is all reclaimed, their cooking oils are recycled into bio-diesel fuel, they don’t use Styrofoam, and all products used in the kitchen and bathrooms are eco-friendly. Arooga’s also uses an energy management system to regulate temperature in such a way that not only saves the restaurant money on electricity but also “reduces their carbon footprint,” among other initiatives.

“We really believe in the green movement,” Huether said. “We wanted to make sure our restaurants fit into that.”

Mayor Scott Avedisian said, “This is a great example of how we can change the attitude of running a business to be profitable, popular, but still environmentally-conscious. This is a big win for us altogether.”

Arooga’s 7,000-square-foot Warwick location features 116 televisions, subscribes to nearly “every sports package” and brings more than 100 jobs to the city.

The sports bar is Mohegan Tribe’s second business venture in Warwick, the first being Smashburger on Route 2. Together they represent a $5 million investment into the city.

Kevin Brown, chairman of the Mohegan Tribe, said that Arooga’s location has “tremendous opportunity.”

With two restaurants now in Warwick, Brown said, “Our experiences with Warwick have been phenomenal. It has all been a good fit as we grow our brands through New England. It’s just a great town.”

Brown was also happy the Mohegan Holding Company could partner with an environmentally-conscious company, because, “as tribe we have enormous respect for Mother Earth” and want to have a part in preserving nature.

Councilman Joseph Gallucci (Ward 8) said it was exciting to see a new business venture in his ward.

“We are expecting to see a lot of success here. Even in the few days they have been open they have already seen a good turnout. We welcome Arooga’s with open arms,” Gallucci said.

For more information visit www.aroogas.com/route-5-warwick. Arooga’s Grille House & Sports Bar is located 615 Greenwich Ave.