“What’s your favorite restaurant in Happy Valley?” It’s a question I hear all the time, and it’s tough to answer because we have so many outstanding eateries with so many different styles. It’s like comparing apples, oranges, tomatoes and cucumbers.
There’s The Tavern, where each little room teems with quaint atmosphere — and each entrée is surrounded by as many side dishes as you request. Then there’s The Waffle Shop, an eatery that competes with one hand tied behind its back — no dinners are served — yet still owns a huge following from townspeople, students and alumni. And then, in the category of ethnic foods, there’s an up-and-comer that you may not know. Little Szechuan is favored by 100 percent of my Chinese friends— and that’s no exaggeration.
The winner for favorite overall restaurant? My heart and stomach are united around this choice. The Corner Room has cornered its competition since 1926, and I still consider it the leader for delivering good food and lifelong memories. While it’s not the place for a gourmet experience, it is absolutely the place for belonging and enjoying.
No Happy Valley site is so revered yet so often ignored. People across America who search Google or Wikipedia for “State College PA,” will find a photo showing The Corner Room and its neighboring enterprises that are also operated by Hotel State College. But somehow, like the nose on your face, The Corner Room is taken for granted. It’s right there at the intersection of Allen and College, right there at the connection of campus and community, but it doesn’t get the attention that I think it deserves.
From 1974 to 2013, I was away from my hometown hamlet of State College. I was happy in California, Maryland and Texas — but not quite Happy Valley happy. When tempted to daydream, I often found myself sipping a cup of coffee at the corner of Allen Street and College Avenue.
My Corner Room attachment began when I was 4- or 5-years-old and was fascinated by the wooden revolving door. Later, I discovered the wonder of the Early Bird breakfast at its incredible 1970s cost of 95 cents. And, somewhere along the way, I became a fan of Emma Gunsallus, the long-term greeter at The Corner.
AN ICON WITHIN THE ICON
It’s not just the building that’s iconic. Emma is the human icon of warmth and longevity who fits perfectly into the restaurant’s environment. Her badge claims she’s been serving there for 57 years, but, if anything, Emma is getting short-changed by that badge. “I started here in 1956,” she says, “and after a year or so, I left because my husband got his draft notice to go into the service. I went with him for a year and a half and then came back. I’ve been here ever since, so that’s how long?” Maybe 58 ½ years, Emma, but who’s counting?
If you ask Emma what she likes best about her job, you can’t even complete the question before offers a jubilant response. “The people,” she says. “The people that I know. “ And if you ask her to name her favorite customer, she mentions Coach Joe Paterno as “a very sweet person” who exclusively brought recruits and parents to her table in the days when she was a server. Was Joe her favorite customer? “Yeah, right, he was. But to tell you the truth, I have a lot of favorite customers. Seriously, I do.”
Apparently, the feeling is mutual. Asked what is the most typical comment she hears from Penn State alumni who visit The Corner Room, Emma is ready with an answer. “Oh, you’re still here. Come and love me!”
BRENDA FINDS A SECOND HOME & MEETS A FAMOUS BOXER
Brenda Marshall can’t match Emma’s 58-plus years at The Corner Room, but she has been working there since April of 1977. Lots of young people grow up during their years on campus, but Brenda says she matured into adulthood while waitressing on the other side of College Avenue.
“My round table was my favorite table,” says Brenda when speaking about her beginnings at the restaurant. “I was only 19 and came from a small town (DuBois); I was very naïve. But Mr. Donald Kepler took me in like his granddaughter. He was a wonderful man, and so were all the people who ate at that table. ”
To Brenda, her job on the corner of Allen and College means much more than a paycheck. “This is my second home away from home,” she says. “I’ve always loved The Corner Room. One time, I tried writing down the names of all the people I’ve worked with over the years — from memory — and I got to almost 1,000. We did all form a close bond.’
Three mainstays: Server Brenda Marshall has worked at The Corner Room for 39 years; Greeter Emma Gunsallus has invested more than 58 years; and General Manager John Briggs has been employed at the restaurant for 15 years. Photo: Bill Horlacher
Brenda exudes dedication to her work, constantly hustling to meet the needs of all she serves. But she freely admits to having one favorite customer during her early days of serving.
“I had just gotten hooked on boxing because the Spinks brothers and Sugar Ray Leonard were in the Olympics,” she says. “Well, one day, (former heavyweight champion) Joe Frazier came in… and almost got out without anyone recognizing him. And I saw this man and I’m like, “Omigosh, who is this man? He’s somebody.’
“So I walked up to the table and they were almost done eating — he, another gentleman and a college age guy. I see the gold gloves on the chain around his neck, and I know it’s him. So I say, ‘Excuse me, I hate to bother you, but are you who I think you are?’ And he said, ‘Who do you want me to be?’ And when he said that, his name went right out of my head, my hands came up to my face and then I said, ‘I want you to be…Smokin’ Joe Frazier!’ And he said, ‘Omigosh, I thought you were going to say, ‘Muhammed Ali!’”
BLENDING THE OLD AND THE NEW
It was 2001 when John Briggs arrived in State College and began working as a busboy at The Corner Room. He wasn’t envisioning a career at the restaurant; he was just putting bread on his table by removing it from others. But The Corner Room grows on people.
Today, John is charged with maintaining the eatery’s traditional charm and adding some innovations. As he reviews the menu, he mentions old reliables and new additions with equal enthusiasm:
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“The Early Bird, we’ve still got that. Even though egg prices have gone up, it’s still very reasonable for what you get — two eggs, toast and home fries.” A full breakfast for $3.59? Yes, that’s reasonable.
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“Our Ham a la Corner has been on the menu since 1926. We’ve got people who say they went to school here in the 50s, 60s, 70s, you name it. They come back to get that sandwich because of nostalgia—it brings back good memories for them.” The sandwich features a special Russian sauce and it was introduced by Matty Mateer, a Hotel State College partner and a Penn State professor who helped launch what is now the School of Hospitality Management.
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“Baja salmon is a salmon with couscous, quinoa and vegetables—peppers and onions. It has a special baja sauce, a sweet sauce, and it’s become one of our favorites, an employee favorite.”
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“Edamame is an appetizer made from soybean. We steam it and then sautee it briefly. It’s got crushed pepper and sea salt on it, and it’s been one of our most innovative items.”
Briggs explains the basic goal of The Corner Room in simple terms: “We offer really good meals — home cooked meals — for reasonable prices.” Briggs and his team deliver such excellent meals for as many as 1,600 people per day during Arts Fest or a home football game. Yet he’s also willing to chuckle over the occasional moment when something goes wrong. Like the time a server brought iced tea to a customer during a crowded football weekend. The Corner prides itself on home-brewed iced tea, so the server was startled to hear the woman’s negative response. “She tried to poison me!” yelled the customer. “What is this? It tastes like coffee. She tried to poison me!”
With everyone in the establishment staring — and the woman’s daughter hiding her face — Briggs stepped forward to help. “I’m sorry, ma’am,” he said. “She wouldn’t have tried to poison you. We don’t do that kind of thing here. But I’ll be glad to get you another iced tea.’
The conversation continued with more “poison” accusations from the lady and more assurances from Briggs, including his gentle insistence that the beverage was, indeed, iced tea. And then he retreated to the kitchen where coffee grounds had been found in the ice tea brewer. “I felt really horrible,” says The Corner Room’s leader, “because I was adamant that it was iced tea. Either way, we didn’t try to poison her.“
Not only does The Corner Room feed hundreds during football weekends, but it plays a small but significant role in helping those weekends to be victorious. That’s because Coach James Franklin and his assistants often bring football recruits to enjoy the restaurant’s hearty fare. As they say, the way to a recruit’s heart is through his stomach.
“There’s a reason we now wear Penn State shirts instead of Corner Room uniforms,” says Briggs. “James Franklin said, ‘Why aren’t you wearing Penn State stuff?’ So we changed about two and half years ago when he started here. “I thought that was a great suggestion. It really makes sense, this being an iconic place right across from the front gates of Penn State.”
