Newly renovated Rutgers Club adds bar above Livingston Dining Commons

Students, especially those living on Livingston campus, now have more choices for weekday and weekend afternoon plans. 

The recently renovated Rutgers Club on top of the Livingston Dining Commons features state-of-the-art video and teleconferencing system, bar, meeting spaces, an outdoor balcony and approximately twice as much space as its previous location on the College Avenue campus, according to an article from Rutgers Today. 

The bar, which makes use of the room’s high ceilings, serves signature drinks such as "Rutgers in Your Blood" made with juice from blood oranges and the "Scarlet Tito-rita,” according to the article.

Students over the age of 21 are eligible for five-year memberships at the club at a $1 yearly-rate, according to the Rutgers Club. While the club is open to all Rutgers students, they must have a membership in order to purchase alcohol. 

A membership at the Rutgers Club comes with menu items crafted by award-winning chefs, access to exclusive events, buffet specials, access to the bar with up to nine guests at a time and reciprocity with more than 100 University clubs throughout the world, according to the official site.

"I like to think of it as the living room of Rutgers—New Brunswick where people can gather, relax, be with their friends, colleagues and family and have a great meal and beverage,'' said Joe Charette, executive director of Rutgers Dining Services to Rutgers Today. ”I think it's going to be a sense of pride for the University for many years to come.”

Every Monday night throughout the semester, the club offers a student night available to those with a meal plan. With one meal swipe or guest swipes, students are entitled to a buffet dinner. Reservations are required the day of between 5 and 7:30 p.m., but students should call either before 11:30 a.m. or after 2:30 p.m. to make reservations, according to the site. 

The Rutgers Club first opened on the College Avenue campus in 1957 as one of New Brunswick’s historic houses built in 1915, according to its site. The building was acquired by the University in 1956 and has since invited guests into a “collegiate and charming atmosphere.”

The new location is open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturdays from 2 to 8 p.m. and is open during football games, major events and the soon-to-be Will Power Fund featuring Maki and Tukwini Mandela, Nelson Mandela’s eldest daughter and granddaughter, respectively, according to Rutgers Today.