How newly opened Social Food + Drink is looking to fill a void in downtown State College

Scholar Hotel State College opened in the historic Glennland Building in January, but the new hotel’s restaurant, Social Food + Drink, just opened this week. Welcoming guests and locals alike as of Tuesday, Social Food + Drink offers a simple, shareable menu aimed at downtown business professionals and extended stay guests.

Spacing out the opening of the hotel and restaurant was part of the plan, said Michael Balchin, director of sales for the hotel.

“We basically decided that, when we opened in January, that it would be better for us to wait a little bit (to open the restaurant), just because we wanted to wait for the weather to get a little bit better and we wanted to monitor COVID restrictions,” he said.

The hotel’s opening was delayed due to COVID-related pauses in construction, but Balchin said that hardly diminished the team’s excitement for the new property.

“The building we’re in has been there since 1933 and is a historical preservation project and ... being able to do what we’re doing in downtown State College is exciting,” he said.

Social Food + Drink opened with a smaller menu than originally anticipated, with 10 dinner-only items. The menu is expected to grow and evolve as COVID restrictions lessen, indoor dining increases and the restaurant’s food and beverage team gauges demand for individual menu items.

“We went for food that is simple, but in terms of simple, we went with shareable. We want people, business professionals or our guests, enjoying a drink and meal that’s shareable,” Balchin said. “That’s why you see the flatbreads, the wings, the pretzel. ... Obviously we have burgers and salads, but we went with the idea of classic shareable menu items that are really easily enjoyed by a large mass of people.”

The hotel’s team has particularly raved about the restaurant’s Brauhouse Pretzel in initial taste tests, Balchin said. The pretzel is served with warm, Fat Tire beer cheese and country mustard.

Other menu items include the crispy chicken wings served with a selection of sauces, such as the Secret Scholar sauce; charcuterie boards; and short ribs sliders topped with bleu cheese slaw.

While the dinner menu is on the smaller side, the restaurant’s drink and cocktail menu is extensive.

“We have a great food and beverage manager who came up with a really unique beverage menu, of items you can only get (at Social),” Balchin said.

Drinks from local breweries and wineries are also served at the bar, he said.

Cocktails include inventive options like the Nittany Nectar, a mix of vodka, peach schnapps, blue curaçao, pineapple juice and Sierra Mist; the Breezer Stadium, a mix of bourbon, triple sec, pineapple, bitters, cherry grenadine and orange juice; and the Tailgate Tea, a mix of Irish whiskey, peach schnapps, sours and Sprite.

As for the restaurant’s modern, refined atmosphere — as well as that of the hotel overall — Balchin said that it was created to cater to business professionals, both those traveling into the area and those living or working in downtown State College.

“We obviously understand that this is a student market … but what we’re hoping with Social is that it’s a place where local business professionals can go to enjoy a meal and a drink. We want people to be able to find a space where they can enjoy a drink and a meal together with a really unique atmosphere,” he said.

Don’t expect to see it on bar tours or pub crawls, Balchin added.

“We’re going after our local clientele, the local business professionals. We’d love it if, after a long week, people from the university would come over and enjoy it,” he said. “That’s (the void) we’re looking to fill with Social — a place for the local business professionals to go.”

Social Food + Drink is open Tuesday through Saturday during dinner hours. For more information about the restaurant and hotel, visit scholarhotels.com and follow the property on social media, at www.facebook.com/ScholarStateCollege, for information on upcoming specials.

This story was originally published March 11, 2021 at 12:39 PM.