Local bar “The Drunken Clam” garners Internet attention
By Justin O’Donnell

The Drunken Clam, a local college bar across the street from UTPA, recently surfaced on reddit.com. A photo of the venue and its famous name appeared for a time on the front page of the popular joke website.

The bar on University Drive/107 was founded by Benjamin Gaytan of Edinburg, and shares its name with Peter Griffin’s favorite drinking spot on FOX’s animated series, “Family Guy.” It has enjoyed success since opening last year and is frequented by both students and local patrons.

Gaytan said he had always envisioned opening up a bar in his hometown. The name of the place was part homage to “Family Guy” and part publicity campaign to get a loyal customer base already familiar with the name.

“The name, of course, everybody knows about it. That goes without saying,” he said. “We did a lot of research and the name is fine; the logo we had to get away from because it’s owned by Fox.”

The bar relies on a laid-back philosophy for both advertising and service. “As long as we have good service, we’re cool with everybody, we’re not hard asses, and we just want everybody to have a good time, it’ll speak for itself,” assured Gaytan.