LSA senior Perry Teicher and his friend were on their way to the Starbucks on South University Avenue at about 5 p.m. last night when they noticed employees hanging banners proclaiming "Mitch's Now Open!" on telephone poles outside of the bar. They climbed the stairs and ordered the bar's first two beers in years: a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and a Corona with lime.

The bar was closed for about two years before City Council approved the transfer of the bar's liquor license to its new location across the street at 1220 S. University Ave. General manager Jody Thompson served the first patrons, but the two also met the bar's owner and namesake, Mitch Savas.

"We were, along with Mitch and everyone else in there, very excited," Teicher said.

"We're really excited," Thompson echoed. "This debacle is hopefully finally over."

After a string of setbacks involving building problems and tax issues, the council approved the license transfer on Nov. 9. But additional delays within the Michigan Liquor Control Commission continued to delay the reopening.

Thompson said the commission also had to hold its own meeting to approve the license transfer, and Thanksgiving stalled its scheduling. The final approval of the license came last week.

Thompson drove to Lansing yesterday afternoon and picked up the license from the commission's offices. The license allowed for the delivery of beer, which Thompson had already ordered. Thompson said the beer arrived at the bar around 4 p.m. yesterday.

By 8 p.m., the bar was filling quickly with students who had heard rumors about Mitch's re-opening throughout the day, many of whom had never enjoyed one of the bar's famously cheap pitchers. Most upperclassmen were not old enough to enter the bar before it closed two years ago.

LSA seniors Matt Curd and Will Foss and Engineering senior Carl Jones came to the bar and ordered the night's special - a 60-ounce pitcher of Miller High Life - immediately after leaving class.

"Christmas came early this year," Curd said, pouring a glass of beer.

"We've heard everything about this bar," Foss said as he fired up his cell phone to spread the word about the bar's opening. Meanwhile, Jones selected Weezer's "Buddy Holly" and Journey's "Don't Stop Believin' " on the jukebox.

"It's so nice, such a change from Rick's," Jones said, comparing the space to the popular Church Street bar.

Many people in the bar sounded like children in a toy store.

Jones and his friends marveled at everything from the 13 televisions tuned into Monday Night Football to the layout of the pool room and its two billiards tables.

"I think this is going to move up on the favorites," Jones said. "It might overtake the Jug. Now we have somewhere to go on Mondays."

They were soon joined by LSA senior Amber Janis, who was just as excited.

"I came straight from class," she said. "I didn't even go home and change my clothes. It's like, 'Mitch's is open, drop your books, let's get a beer.' "

Janis pointed out another one of the bar's perks: The staircase leading up to the doors is located inside the building, which eliminates waiting outside in long lines like at most other bars.

"I'm so excited for Thursday," Janis said.

"I'm so excited for every night this week," Foss replied.

By 11 p.m., nearly every table in the bar was occupied and clinking quarters bouncing off the tabletops in a familiar drinking game could be heard over the music coming from the jukebox. While there was no line to get in, a steady stream of eager patrons continued to come up the stairs and through the door.

Nursing junior Caroline Luke, one of the waitresses, said business had picked up at about 10:45 p.m. She said she was hoping the bar would see another uptick in customers at about midnight.

"It's a lot of running around, but it hasn't been too bad, pretty manageable," she said of her first experience at Mitch's, which was also her first shift as a cocktail waitress.

"Hopefully it will lead up to the hype the old Mitch's had," she said.

Luke has had her job since July, when she went into the new space after hearing the bar would be re-opening. She admitted she had forgotten about it for much of the semester until she received a call from Thompson early last week. He said the bar was opening that Wednesday. When that didn't happen, she heard from Thompson over the weekend. He told her yesterday would be opening night.

Despite the patrons' excitement on Monday night, Thompson remains realistic about the level of business the bar will see in the next few weeks before students leave campus for the holidays.

"I'm disappointed that we didn't open earlier," Thompson said. "I don't expect a lot in the next two weeks."

But Jones, who began planning his next order as soon as the pitcher of Miller High Life arrived, was still thrilled about his first night at Mitch's.

"We will never have a night like this again," he said.