Arena Bar & Grill - Guelph

Great wings and great to watch your kids play hockey.

Unfortunately no one was available to serve us for quite some time after we sat down.

Started with a small (not) Caesar salad which was fresh, crisp, dressing was just right - very yummy.

Except for the loss of employment, the closing of this establishment is a blessing. Some regulars naturally must miss it for the cheap beer and camaraderie, but surely even the regulars must have suspected its glory days were long gone.The only sensible person in the whole place seemed to be the single, overworked and doubtlessly underpaid (inevitably female) bar staff. Her duties seemed to include bollocking the queasily nourished and extremely lubricated barflies from accosting innocents who had wandered in naively for a brew. Now the joint is thankfully closed one wonders, whither those aging pint nursers go the noo?

Been in this local watering hole a number of times, on my own and with buddies for wings and beer etc. and it serves the immediate community as just what it purports to be : a sports bar in the old 60s guy style.The food is so-so to unexceptional. The beer is cheap. The occasional live music entertainment is remarkably good which makes one curious about the booking arrangements and who knows who etc. It was the reason for our last two visits.But along with the good old boys network comes a down side. I hadn't left my girlfriend more than a few minutes to go back out to the car for my wallet when she was being hit on by what I can only describe as an old fashioned bar fly of indeterminate years who should've known better. It's a good thing I got back when I did as this gent risked my gal's serious right hook (she an amateur varsity boxer.) Really? He thought it was okay to sidle up to her (when it was safe - his words) and paw her back and ASK HER AGE? We quickly left in laughter punctuated with a lot of EEWWwwws! but what about all the other ignored situations that obviously occur in this dive? And how is this allowed with the recently increased awareness and news exposure about sexual harassment and worse? Oh wait. this dude lives in a sports bar so I guess the last 5 decades missed him and his cronies entirely.Conclusion? Extreme Discomfort. No matter what is on the live music rota here ... won't be returning. They need to modernise on all levels or let the dinosaurs enjoy and die off, then shut 'er down for good afterwards.