Sup Dogs makes finishing touches to rooftop and first-floor deck

Guests dining and watching one of several television screens at Sup Dogs's new deck.

Sup Swirls and sunny skies can soon be enjoyed with a new and elevated view as the Sup Dogs’ rooftop gets ready to open its airy dining space to customers in the coming days.

The 1,500 square-foot rooftop will include a full kitchen and a second bar, with the latter featuring new alcoholic drinks for patrons to order, such as Boozy Frosés and Frozen Mimosas. According to Sup Dogs’ Restaurant Manager Marilyn Kobelinski, the incorporation of the new bar and kitchen was an essential component of the renovation project to accommodate the influx of customers on busy days and nights.

“It’s almost like a second restaurant in one, considering we now have two kitchens and two bars,” Kobelinski said. “We hate having people wait 30 to 40 minutes to get their perfect Sup Crush or those bacon cheese fries they’ve been craving. This rooftop changes that.”

The upstairs deck is estimated to accommodate about 20 bar stools and 10 to 15 tables, along with the installation of a single-serve restroom. The casual restaurant joint also decided to go green with its rooftop seating, as the new tables are made from 100 percent recycled material.

“It’s cool to help out the environment,” Bret Oliviero, owner of Sup Dogs, said. “We wanted tables that were super durable and recycled plastic weighs a ton and last forever.”

Greenville temperatures were also taken into account during construction, as the new rooftop will have weatherproof televisions, outdoor heaters for the cold and outdoor fans along the trim to increase the typical breeze.

Alyssa Smith, a freshman biochemistry major, had her first taste of Sup Dogs at her freshman orientation and has been “craving a plate of taco tots” since her initial visit. Smith said she is looking forward to the rooftop’s opening and believes the renovation is an appealing way to attract new ECU customers such as herself.

“One of the first things on my college bucket list is to have a dinner night with my friends at Sups,” Smith said. “We’ve already planned to sit on the rooftop deck, so it’ll be nice to double my dog with a view.”

Initially announced on Jan. 30 via Twitter, the rooftop’s construction began soon after on Feb. 4. As the construction took place, seating on the first-floor deck was temporarily removed and replaced with a makeshift dining area in the restaurant’s parking lot. Despite the unconventionality of the dining space, customers such as Brian George were willing to adjust and accommodate, knowing the new first-floor deck renovation would be open and ready to dine on soon enough.

“I’m excited to see the final project,” George said. “More people will be able to come and enjoy the experience.”

From the start of construction to the finalization of the rooftop and first-floor deck, updates were given on the a regular basis. Delivered straight to the devices of thousands of followers, photo stories and short videos gave customers a live look into the building process, along with responses in the comment section to questions and concerns about the rooftop opening.

“People always ask me how the construction is going and with social media people can see first hand,” Oliverio said. “For us, it’s all about Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat. There’s no better way to keep our (customers) updated on how the construction is going.”

The rooftop is expected to open up to customers for the first time this week, according to a post on Sup Dogs’ Instagram account. A grand opening for the restaurant expansion is in the works, but no details have been confirmed at this time.