ESPN's College GameDay Features Restaurant Owned by Wesleyan Alumni
In 2015, Alan Pope ’04 and Ryan Pope ’05 opened The Place, a Southern comfort restaurant located in the heart of downtown Athens.
This fall, ESPN’s College GameDay was in Athens for the UGA vs. Notre Dame game on September 21. A few days before game day, the producer of the food segment of the show reached out to Alan with the opportunity to showcase his best tailgate dishes on national television.
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“We were invited to partake in the competition just a few days before, so we had to mobilize quickly,” said Alan. “We built a makeshift kitchen with a fryer, waffle maker, etc. right outside the set ant starting cooking around 6 a.m.
“At 11:20 a.m. we presented our food to the GameDay analysts. The rest is history!”
Check out The Place online or stop in to tell Alan and Ryan hello the next time you're in Athens!
