Story originally printed in the Winona Daily News or online at www.winonadailynews.com
Published - Friday, April 18, 2008
WSU junior gets bar logo tattoo for free beer
Weston King may literally become the butt of jokes.
He’ll laugh along with people, though, especially if it’s in Mulligan’s Irish Pub in Winona. They’ll pay for their beer — he’ll be drinking for free.
For life.
 Weston King, left, cries out in pain as roommate Christin Reminga gives support while King gets a Mulligan's Irish Pub tattoo on his right buttock Sunday at Red Wing Tattoo in Winona. King will receive free domestic tap beer for life at Mulligan's for getting the tattoo. (Photo by Andrew Link/Winona Daily News) |
King, a 21-year-old Winona State University junior majoring in business administration, struck a deal with Mulligan’s Irish Pub owner Dan English: If he got the Mulligan’s logo tattooed on his butt, free domestic tap beer would be his for the taking for life.
“I’ve watched Wes drink beer before, and this may have been a bad business decision on my part,” joked English, who may make a special ID card for King so he doesn’t have to drop his pants every time he wants a pitcher.
In front of a crowd of eight of his friends Sunday afternoon, the tattoo needle buzzed over King’s right buttock under the hands of Red Wing Tattoo Parlor artist Dek Stone.
“I’m definitely never going to look at Mulligan’s sign the same way ever again,” Stone said.
King held the hand of his roommate Christin Reminga during the inking, a process Stone estimated would cost about $70.
The tattoo will pay for itself, said Bill Cienian, another of King’s roommate.
“He’ll consume $1,300 a year in tap beer, assuming the price of beer doesn’t go up, which it will,” Cienian said.
Ryan Gooding, King’s roommate who put the design together, suspects others may try to follow in King’s footsteps.
“This kind of guerilla marketing has never gone on before,” Gooding said. “He’s setting a precedent.”
Gooding added a commemoration of WSU’s two national basketball titles to the Mulligan’s logo, which Cienian said was their inspiration for everything.
According to Cienian, Brady Moore, assistant coach of the basketball team and a Mulligan’s employee, promised King that he could hold the national championship trophy in a photo if he
went through with the tattoo.
“Everything about this is awesome,” said King, during one of the six timeouts his friends gave him during the tattoo session. “For life, for glory, for passion, but mainly for the beer.”
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