New Bellefonte restaurant gaining popularity, owners say

The signs have changed, the owners are new and the road is finally open.

Those who have not discovered Four Ways Pub & Eatery might have a good excuse.

Its sign was installed the day after Christmas, and Pleasantview Boulevard was fully reopened after several months of construction, providing easier access to the restaurant.

“We weren’t struggling to begin with,” co-owner Augusta Kraker. “With the road opening, the sign going up and Stover’s (Tea Room) closing, business is picking up even more.”

Augusta and Michael Kraker had talked about starting a food truck in the area, but said they had the “perfect opportunity” when the building at 685 Pleasantview Blvd. became available. The space used to be home to the Red Rooster.

The new restaurant offers a simple menu that includes six sandwiches, three appetizers, beer on tap and in six packs and Big Springs Spirits items. The food is made in-house from the Reuben meat going through a seven-day brine to the fresh, not frozen, burger meat.

“We definitely did our research and made sure we had a menu like no one else,” she said. “We have a lot of good restaurants in Bellefonte and needed to be set apart from them ... We’re putting love into the food and giving the best product possible.”

The Krakers plan to expand the building to have about 55 seats after renovations to the ceiling, roof and front of the restaurant. Construction could be complete by the summer.

“I think everyone is really happy with the changes and different look,” Augusta Kraker said. “It never closed, but we took over and operated as the Red Rooster until we got things in order. We brought in new table tops, new chairs, put in a bar with a tap system and the sign was the icing on the cake. It’s feeling more like it’s ours and has our identity.”

This story was originally published January 16, 2018 at 12:16 AM with the headline "New Bellefonte restaurant gaining popularity, owners say."