LA’s Hens hang out at Suzy’s place

After graduating from the University with a degree in English education, Suzanne McCaddin, AS ’98, taught English in her home state of New Jersey. But, McCaddin had dreams beyond the classroom, and after two years of teaching, she joined her sister in California. Striking a deal with the owner of a building in Hermosa Beach, McCaddin established her own business, Suzy’s Bar and Grill, now a popular hangout for both locals and University of Delaware alumni.

McCaddin says moving to a different coast was hard at first. “It was an adjustment, that’s for sure,” McCaddin says. “But like anything, after time, it just felt normal.”

McCaddin has worked in the restaurant business since age 15. She paid her rent her senior year at the University by waitressing, working and bartending at the Stone Balloon. Now coordinator of the Los Angeles Alumni Club, she hosts events for California-based alumni. McCaddin says she contacts alumni from an e-mail list and gathers them for reunions. “I know there are a lot of alumni out here, so I was really excited,” she says.

More than 45 alumni came to McCaddin’s June 13 event, a casual gathering with an open bar and a buffet dinner. On March 29, 2005, President David P. Roselle joined more than 40 alumni from the San Francisco Bay Area at a reception at the Palo Alto Sheraton.

McCaddin says there are UD alumni all over her state who look forward to the reunions. “They’ll drive one or two hours to get to these events,” she says.

McCaddin describes her bar as casual and laid back, with a burger that was voted the best in the South Bay for two years in a row. Her business also has become a local venue for artists and sports fans. McCaddin says alumni from the University of Kansas, as well as local Blue Hens, gather to watch their teams play football. McCaddin, who attended the University’s 2006 Homecoming game, says she tries to tune in to Delaware games on television as much as she can.
“I get everyone together to watch the game,” she says. “I have a pretty decent alumni database.” McCaddin says she is currently planning a social happy hour for Blue Hen alums.

She also sponsors a softball team and kickball league and organizes outings to Big Bear and Dodger games. She caters events and coordinates events in her bar as well as in outside venues.

Her background in education helped her with her communication and organizational skills, McCaddin says, while her knowledge of English gave her the courage to pursue her dream. “A business degree would have over-prepared me for a venue as small as this one,” she says. “I definitely used my college education.”

McCaddin says she did not foresee herself in the restaurant business while a student at UD. “Not in a million years would I have pictured myself doing this,” she says. “But, I wouldn’t trade in my education for anything.”

— Julia Parmley, AS ’07