Restaurant confirms its place in State College’s Fraser Centre

The Fraser Centre’s eatery will make its debut in the fall.

Federal Taphouse, a Pennsylvania company, will open on the second floor of downtown State College’s Fraser Centre next to the lobby of the Hyatt Place Hotel.

Federal Taphouse co-owners Corey Fogarty and Judd Goodman are Penn State graduates. You can hear the excitement in Fogarty’s voice when he talks about returning to the State College restaurant scene, in which he and Goodman worked while in school during the 1980s.

“We love the market and are thrilled to open a restaurant there, and we bleed blue and white, frankly,” Fogarty said. “Along with that we wanted to be part of the Fraser Centre. Judd had a long-term relationship with (Fraser Centre developer) Gary (Brandeis), and we think the Fraser Centre will be a linchpin in State College. It’ll be a great addition.”

The restaurant will have a draft count of 100 craft beers, 10 wines on tap and craft spirits.

Federal Taphouse’s scratch kitchen, according to the company, specializes in a farm-to-table approach by utilizing local products and offering charcuterie items, hand cut meats, artisan pizza and seafood from the Eastern Shore. The company said it uses natural fuels like hard woods and mesquite charcoal in the majority of its cooking practices.

“We know these guys really well and have eaten at their restaurants many times,” Brandeis said. “They’re really good guys, just smart and sharp people. It’ll be a place where you can have a nice business lunch and then later in the evening it’s more of a college place. We think it’s great for us and what we were looking for.”

The restaurant will also have a catering department for off-premise and on-site events, such as serving the conference and event facilities within the Hyatt Place Hotel.

Federal Taphouse will employ 50 full-time and 30 part-time employees. Recruitment for employment will begin in late June.

Fogarty and Goodman also have Federal Taphouse restaurants in Harrisburg and Lancaster.

This story was originally published January 15, 2016 at 12:38 PM with the headline "Restaurant confirms its place in State College’s Fraser Centre."