Fatty’s will have a little treat for locals in a few weeks when the chilly weather disappears.

Jeff Dobie, owner of Fatty’s, 1312 W. Lincoln Highway, has begun work on a beer garden, which will open to patrons at the end of April. He wants people to come out and be able to enjoy Coronas on a breezy spring evening.

“I love beer gardens,” Dobie said. “That’s one of the reasons that I got into the business.”

Fatty’s will begin construction over spring break and hopes to finish within two months.

Anthony Profita, a senior organizational communications major, looks forward to Fatty’s’ new addition.

“I think the idea of a beer garden is great,” Profita said. “We need to boost up the bar scene around here, and I think this beer garden will be a good start.”

The beer garden will have plenty of fixtures for customers to enjoy. It starts with a 45-by-40-foot slab of concrete with a fence wrapped around it. A tiki bar clad with lanterns will stretch 15 feet to one side of the garden. A 25-foot pole will be in the middle of it all. At the top of it, Venetian lights will extend to the fence to create an umbrella of lights.

A bag pit also will be installed, which Dobie calls a cornerstone of any beer garden. Bags is a game where people compete by trying to throw bean bags through a small hole in a wooden box.

The beer garden’s April deadline coincides with the restaurant’s one-year anniversary at its current location.

“It’s phenomenal here,” Dobie said.

Being near the stadium and the future location of the arena makes everyone at Fatty’s excited about business and NIU sports in the future.

“We like to host a lot of the banquets for the athletic department,” Dobie said.

He also looks to add a mural of the Huskie Stadium and the arena to the beer garden.

Lisa Cosmano, a junior elementary education major, enjoys the Fatty’s atmosphere.

“It’s different from other bars in town,” Cosmano said. “The old Fatty’s (in the Greek Row area) had a beer garden that was great, and this will be a great way to bring Fatty’s back.”