Last Spring on May 26, Froggy’s Pub and PADio — a beloved Ole hangout spot for Thursday Night Trivia — announced its closing. Since their closing, many speculations have been made as to why the pub closed due to the history of the establishment’s struggles to stay open – in 2016, the pub had to be closed for repairs due to a flood, the pandemic almost posed struggles; and the pub has gone through a series of five different ownerships since 2020. However, a different speculation has been going around Northfield.
According to KYMN Radio, previous owner Ricardo Baldazo was convicted of two accounts of first-degree attempted murder as well as two accounts of first-degree assault. Because of his convictions, Baldazo could not obtain a liquor license to which his co-owner, Lisa Monet Zarza, obtained. However, the Minnesota Liquor Board, after careful consideration, revoked Zarza’s license due to previous injunctions, one being that Zarza already had a five-year ban from obtaining a liquor license. Due to these convictions, Baldazo and Zarza resigned as owners, and in 2021, Mike Gasior, and Cindy and Neal Wilson became the owners of Froggy’s.
Since 2021, Froggy’s has had struggles in maintaining employment, which led to their closing in May of 2022. An announcement was posted on Froggy’s Pub and PADio Facebook: “Hey, folks; We’ve got an announcement regarding the pub. There’s been quite the buzz about town about whether Froggys is closing- we are. Sunday is our last day. We just can’t find people to work, and that just doesn’t make good Frogonomics. We are helping transition our people over to other jobs so hopefully the impact is minimal for them. We have really enjoyed make a positive impact on our friends and customers! That being said, come one down for the last couple of days of live music and have yourself a burger and some frickles! It’s been a ride! Thanks for your support!”
