From the facade to the atmosphere to the menu, things certainly have changed at 126 W. College Ave. in State College
The former location of The Diner is now Pittsburgh area-based fast-casual restaurant Hello Bistro and it’s set to open to the public with a grand opening from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Wednesday.
‘We’ve had our eye on State College for a few years now,’ said Hello Bistro spokesperson Becky McArdle. ‘We love the community. We think it’s a great spot and we thought it was time to bring our ultimate salad experience to the people here in State College. We were excited for the opportunity when it became available.’
Owned by Eat’n Park Hospitality Group, Hello Bistro has eight other locations: seven in the Pittsburgh area and one in Cleveland.
Hello Bistro, 126 W. College Ave., State College. Photo by Geoff Rushton/StateCollege.com
The restaurant prides itself on its extensive salad options as well as its burgers and fresh-cut fries.
McArdle said there are two ways to choose your salad — build your own or select one of the menu’s 13 signature salads.
‘If you create your own salad, you can choose unlimited toppings. There’s no scale. And it’s built fresh to order,’ she said. ‘Our ‘salad sherpas,’ as we like to call them, will walk you through the entire process.
‘If you’re not sure yet what your salad masterpiece is going to be, you can choose a salad by us and those are salads our chefs have created, the tried-and-true recipes that we know our guests will love.’
Some of Hello Bistro’s most popular salads are the Apple Almond Crunch and the Caribbean Shrimp. The State College location is also offering for a limited time the We Are salad, with mixed greens, chicken, tomato, cucumber, red pepper, red onion, black olives, mozzarella balls, croutons and Italian vinaigrette.
The burger menu includes favorites like the Eat’n Park classic Superburger, a double-decker with cheese and special sauce, and the Bistro Burger, as well as specialties like the Mean Green Avocado burger. Hello Bistro also offers veggie and turkey burgers and the plant-based Beyond Burger, which is made to look and taste like beef.
Hello Bistro’s Mean Green Avocado Burger. Photo by Geoff Rushton/StateCollege.com
The restaurant also serves Boylan Vintage Sodas, fresh-brewed tea and craft fruit-based drinks, as well as grilled cheese choices and a kids menu.
Shortly after The Diner closed in the spring of 2018 following nearly 80 years in business, Hello Bistro ownership purchased the building for $1.5 million. Since then it has undergone extensive renovation.
The space is now bright and open, with colorful accents and a youthful feeling. Above the salad bar is painted ‘Welcome to Salads, Burgers & Good Vibes.’ A wall in the dining room reads ‘Salads, Burgers & Penn State Forever.’
On another dining room wall is a nod to the building’s history, with a definition of ‘Hello Bistro.’ It concludes with ‘add’l. Formerly Ye Olde Place for tasty grilled stickies; is now Ye New Place for Penn Staters and Centre Countians to harmoniously enjoy Salads and Burgers together!’
Dining area of Hello Bistro, 126 W. College Ave. Photo by Geoff Rushton/StateCollege.com
Those aren’t the only connections to the local community. Each Hello Bistro location participates in the Give Some Green program, in which for every order of a signature salad, the restaurant donates produce to a local food bank. The new location has partnered with the State College Food Bank for the program.
Hello Bistro expects to employ 60 to 70 team members and is still accepting applications.
‘This location is really unique,’ McArdle said. ‘We’re scheduling down to the hour. We’re really flexible and we’re excited to expand our team.’
She added that Wednesday’s grand opening will include a prize wheel, with guests having the opportunity to win free salads for a year, gift cards and Hello Bistro swag.
The restaurant will offer delivery through GrubHub and will accept Penn State’s LionCash.
‘We want students to have every opportunity to enjoy Hello Bistro,’ McArdle said.
Dining area of Hello Bistro, 126 W. College Ave. Photo by Geoff Rushton/StateCollege.com
Hello Bistro has many Penn State alumni among its ranks, including McArdle, who said they knew State College would be an excellent place to expand the chain east.
‘I’m very excited to be here and we have a lot of people on our team who are Penn State alumni,’ she said. ‘We knew this was a great location. We knew people would love our salads, they would love our burgers and our fresh-cut fries. When the opportunity came available we were very excited about it.’
Hello Bistro will be open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Customers can choose from 13 signature salads or build their own at Hello Bistro, 126 W. College Ave., State College. Photo by Geoff Rushton/StateCollege.com
