How renovations, menu changes aim to ‘kick it up several notches’ at The Tavern in State College

In early 2020, owner Pat Daugherty, along with his silent equity partners, began planning big changes for The Tavern Restaurant. The restaurant, which has been a staple of the downtown State College dining scene for more than 70 years, would receive a major face-lift.

Now, more than a year later and following a stretch of months that many restaurants found difficult to weather, work continues while The Tavern looks ahead to reopening with a brand new look and dining experience.

According to The Tavern’s general manager, Shawn Kelly, the restaurant closed its doors for demolition in November.

“We’ve been under construction since Dec. 7,” he said. “It took a few months just to demo. Now, they’re finishing the build, working on trim and all the finishing stuff, but we still have a few months to go.”

Kelly added that the project and closure of the restaurant came at the right time.

“That time of year, after the holidays, is generally a slower time anyway, but with the pandemic going on, it made even more sense,” he said. “We tried to stay open as long as we could to take care of our guests and staff, but at some point, the decision had to be made to cut the losses and get on with the project.”

Kelly described the renovations as a rebuild “from the inside out.” While The Tavern will still look much the same in terms of layout, and with the same art and prints on the walls, everything will look fresh and new, with expanded space in the Adam’s Apple Bar and larger and more restrooms.

The biggest difference diners may notice, though, is a new indoor-outdoor dining space on the restaurant’s second floor.

“We cleared out the two apartments that used to be above the College Avenue dining areas and turned that into an indoor and outdoor dining space,” says Kelly. “There’ll be a small bar in there as well. We also have a new speakeasy bar where the offices used to be, kind of a hidden area that most people wouldn’t have known (about) in the old Tavern.”

The building will be more “guest-friendly,” Kelly added.

“We want to make sure that once we reopen, we’re ready for the next 70 years of The Tavern’s business,” he said.

But what about the menu? Kelly has been tasked with upgrading and revamping The Tavern’s dining experience. He said returning guests can expect to see some of their old favorites among the new menu items, but, overall, to expect an elevated experience.

“We want to make sure we’re serving the best food in town and coupling that with a great service experience,” he said, noting that the goal is “to create a menu that pays homage to The Tavern, but also steps up the quality with different, fresh offerings from quality vendors from all over the country. ... We’re committed to giving State College a dining experience that hopefully they’ll be very proud of.”

It’s not just local diners that Kelly is hoping to impress, though. He said that Penn State alumni, many who fondly remember celebrating special occasions at The Tavern over the years, are among some of the restaurant’s most loyal followers and, when they make their pilgrimages back to Centre County, he hopes they’ll be equally pleased with the new and improved Tavern.

“Especially on the alumni side,” he said, “people have an emotional attachment to (the restaurant). ... We want to make sure that we’re here for them and can give them that experience they remember, but also kick it up several notches as far as food quality and selection and overall experience. They’ll be pleasantly surprised when they come back.”

While Kelly isn’t making a concrete promises as to when The Tavern will officially open its doors again, he did say that he hopes he and the team can get a few weeks of service under their belts before the Penn State football season starts, in early September.

This story was originally published June 17, 2021 at 9:59 AM.