University of Dill Street

The Dill Street Bar and Grill was a former Village haunt of many students, offering daily drink specials, live music on the weekend, a pool table, and specials for food like ribs. The bar and grill opened in 1991 in the building, which once housed part of the beloved Collegienne Shops, as part of the University Square development. They hosted local bands, like the Why Store. 

The owners, including developer Jerry Wise, purchased their competition, Headliners, in 1996, which caused Headliners to go down hill. Dill Street was remodeled in 1997, including new tiling, wall coverings, and restrooms; a good renovation, considering the raw sewage in the restroom discovered by health inspectors a year earlier! 

They began a weekly battle of the bands in 2002, and hosted a Rocky Horror shadow cast in 2005. Dill Street had an accident in 2011 where a customer’s finger was amputated by a chair. The customer attempted to receive $30,000 and security interests, including the bar’s liquor license, which the owners failed to pay. The bar moved to another location in 2013, after the site was torn down to make way for the Village Promenade, but closed in 2015