Issue date: 9/19/07 Section: Features

Media Credit: Joleen Vincent Judy Leipsic, co-owner of Hula's Dog Bar and Grill, pours a margarita on Sept. 13. [Click to enlarge]

Media Credit: Joleen Vincent Judy Leipsic, co-owner of Hula's Dog Bar and Grill, serves a margarita on Sept. 13. It is the second eatery on campus to serve alcoholic beverages. [Click to enlarge]

Passion, dedication and some delicious food. Those are the three ingredients of Hula's Bar and Grill formerly known as Hula Dog, according to owner Reggie Leipsic.

Located in the Riverfront Center, students will be surprised to know that the menu is more than just hot dogs.

Hula's Bar and Grill, located by the Riverfront center on the Sacramento State campus, will be having a grand opening celebration on Sept. 24 at 4 p.m., in light of it's new name, formerly known as Hula Dog and it's new menu item, alcohol.

But that's not what sets the business apart, Leipsic said. The business is known for the passionate people that love what they do, Leipsic said.

The celebration will have plates of buffalo wings or slices of pizza and students can enjoy the new 60-inch plasma television, Leipsic said. Hula's Bar and Grill now plays Monday Night Football also, he said.

For the three years that Hula's Bar and Grill has been on campus, it has consistently received high marks from the University Dining Services, but Leipsic and his wife Judy said they are dedicated to bringing good food to the students of Sac State.

Leipsic said Hula's Bar and Grill has certainly grown from the cart outside the Riverfront Center selling New York style hot dogs to the restaurant you see today. If you like your pizza with a little bit of East Coast flavor, the business sells New York style pizza to go with the hot dogs, he said.

"The pizza was doing so well that we now have a full-time pizza maker tossing the dough by hand," Leipsic said.

When Leipsic first thought about introducing New York style pizza to the menu, he started handing free sample slices of the pizza he had made in the kitchen and the reviews were excellent.

So excellent that Sacramento Magazine has caught on and will be listing the business as one of the best pizzas in town.

Philly Cheesesteaks, pretzels, and fresh, homemade tamales also round out Hula's menu. For a student on the go, you can get a huge slice of New York style pizza with a large drink for under $5, Leispic said.

Leipsic said he likes to keep his restaurant up to par, so much so that he received the Reward of Excellence from the State Health Department. Hula's has received a perfect score for the past three years, Leipsic said.

Leipsic said Hula's Bar and Grill maintains and specializes in the best sausages from different regions of the country.

"Our kosher all-beef dog comes from New York," Leipsic said.

Hula's Bar and Grill is a well-known campus favorite according to some students. The addition of alcohol adds to the variety it already has, Leipsic said. It will be the second eatery on campus to serve alcohol, besides Round Table pizza in the University Union.

Now students can now choose from 10 different types of beer on tap, wine and margaritas as well as smoothies and coffee, he said. Hula's Bar and Grill also offers specialty beer in the bottle, he said.

The name Hula Dog originated from Leipsic. He said he spent half of his life living in Honolulu, Hawaii. The island motif can be seen everywhere from the condiments stand to the little umbrellas placed in the smoothies, he said.

The story of the business' name change and alcohol introduction to the Riverfront Center was because staff and students continued to ask for beer after the disappearance of The Pub, the Riverfront's former name, which used to serve alcohol about 20 years ago.

The school ended up approaching Leipsic and lended their full support about selling alcoholic beverages at Hula's Bar and Grill.

But Leipsic said he is not about competition.

"I feel I didn't want Hula's Bar and Grill to compete," Leipsic said. "I'd rather have students to have another choice."

Katherine Thach, an undeclared sophomore, doesn't think there will be any direct competition because of the variety of the different types of food served.

Even with all the recent changes, Leipsic said he and his wife still remain humble. They said they treat their business much like a mom and pop business instead of a franchise.

"Hula's Bar and Grill's philosophy is to treat everyone like family," Leipsic said. The regulars often refer to Leipsic and his wife as dad and mom.

The Leipsics feel that's what sets Hula's Bar and Grill apart from the other eateries on campus. They said they have passion about what they do.

Hula's Bar and Grill caters to its students, faculty and staff, Monday through Thursday 7 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. and Fridays 7 a.m. to 2 a.m.

Oneika Richardson can be reached at orichardson@statehornet.com.

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