Hilltopper football jerseys and memorabilia hang above the bar at Dublin’s Irish Pub, signaling the new ownership of WKU graduate Jordan Greene.

Greene officially became the owner on Aug. 1, 2022. After searching for properties around town to do “his own thing,” he stumbled upon the Dublin’s property, located in Bowling Green’s Fountain Square Park.

“I saw this up for sale and I actually knew the previous owners just from being in the industry, and we talked about it,” Greene said. “I gave them a price and they gave me a price and we agreed on it. It just worked out.”

Though Dublin’s has been open and operating since August with a transitional license, Greene said the process to get the proper license to open the pub was “stressful.”

“There’s just a lot you got to do,” Greene said. “It kind of all has to fall in place or you can’t even open. I knew a lot but not all of it. It sounds easy but it wasn’t as easy as it sounds.”

Greene, 31, graduated from the Hill in 2018 with a degree in interdisciplinary studies. Before that, he said he was taking business courses with the hopes of getting a business degree.

Though Greene did not finish his business degree, he said the classes he took at WKU helped him to where he is now. 

Greene worked in the restaurant business during and after his time at WKU. Most recently he worked as the general manager of Hideout for three years. He said he learned valuable skills by being constantly involved with the restaurant industry.

 “Yes, classes helped, obviously I learned a lot just being in the industry too,” Greene said. “I worked in the restaurant industry for over 10 years now, started serving and then got into college [where I] served and bartended.”

Along with Greene being a Western alum, most of the staff at the pub are connected to WKU, either getting their master’s degrees or are past students.

Moving forward, Greene said he plans on keeping Dublin’s Irish theme.

“This bar’s been a thing since 2012 so I’m just going to keep it like it is,” Greene said. “I’m just trying to rebrand it a little bit and make some improvements.”

Among the small changes Green has already made include a new logo for the pub as well as new operating hours. Dublin’s is now open every night whereas previously it was geared more towards weekends.

Greene said Wednesday and Thursday are karaoke nights at the pub and Friday and Saturday feature live music, some performed by WKU students.

“Wednesday through Saturday, we always have stuff going on,” Greene said.

 For Greene, the job is about the people.

“It’s stressful, but I enjoy it,” Greene said. “I enjoy seeing all the regulars. It’s always good when college kids I haven’t seen in a while come in. It’s more of an interaction thing.”

Overall, Greene said he is excited to take the helm of the pub.

“It’s not one of those jobs I’m doing just to get by,” Greene said. “I actually love it.”

Administration reporter Michael Crimmins can be reached at [email protected].