New sports bar planned for State College

Restaurateurs hope locals and students will be in a hurry to grab a bite, have a drink and watch sports when they open a new bar and grill.

State College will get The Greene Turtle, which is based out of Maryland.

Typhoon Central PA business partners Dave Trimbur and Leho Poldmae recently signed a multi-unit restaurant development agreement for central Pennsylvania. Other restaurants will be developed throughout Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon and York counties.

They’d like to open State College’s The Greene Turtle in 2016, but don’t have a location yet.

“I’d love to have an answer for you right now, and we’ll let you know as soon as we know,” Trimbur said. “We’ve worked with a number of people and looked at sites. I’d love to get one up by the end of 2016, but again the real estate search will dictate how quickly it happens.”

The restaurant typically is fitted into a 6,800- to 7,300-square-foot space and seats about 215 people. Trimbur said they would employ about 120 to 130 people.

The Greene Turtle’s concept is to have a broad demographic appeal.

“While we are a sports bar and a lot of people will come to watch sports, we are also very family friendly,” Trimbur said. “State College also has a great local youth sports market, and I’m a big believer in community outreach and supporting the community that supports us.”

Poldmae operates three Greene Turtles in Maryland and Delaware, and Trimbur has served as director of operations for Poldmae. Trimbur was also an area director for The Rose Group, a national franchisee company, and lived in State College.

“We’re very excited about this deal,” Tom Finn, vice president of franchise development for The Greene Turtle, said. “The area it covers adjoins our core market and will benefit (our) brand awareness. It also continues our penetration into Pennsylvania and expansion west of the coastline and will let us tap into strong markets like State College, which thrives on Penn State’s legendary sports program. ... With this agreement in place, we are now actively seeking one more strategic franchise partner to develop Pittsburgh and the rest of western Pennsylvania.”

The Greene Turtle opened seven restaurants in 2015, bringing the total to 44. About 10 more eateries will open in 2016, and franchisees have committed to develop about 40 more.

This story was originally published February 3, 2016 at 2:55 PM with the headline "New sports bar planned for State College."