Thursday, March 28, 2024

A City Vibe in State College: Local Whiskey offers that ‘neighborhood bar’ experience

It’s unusual to find professors and undergraduate students alike in a college-town bar, spending their Saturday night a few tables apart. But that is just the beginning of the uniqueness that Local Whiskey brings to downtown State College. 

When the restaurant and bar opened in 2012, the owners knew they wanted to provide an experience unlike any other in town. The bright neon green beams, shiny black-and-white subway tile, paired with Edison bulbs and vibrant art produces a one-of-a-kind design. And if that wasn’t memorable enough, the 350 different types of whiskey from all over the globe will surely stand out.

Tim Riefel, part-owner and manager, has been with Local Whiskey for the past eight years.

“When it originally opened, one of the owners had a vision and wanted to make the place stand out, bringing a city vibe to State College,” he explains. 

One of Riefel’s favorite aspects of the restaurant is the communal table that can seat 10-20 people. In pre-pandemic days, the table provided the chance for guests to meet their neighbors sitting next to them. The intimate space was a place that held Whiskey-tasting events and specialty dinners, something that Riefel and his staff look forward to continuing in the future. 

“The communal table is a way to get people in and talking, and it provides a great view of the entire restaurant, making it a fan favorite,” he says. 

Like all other restaurants across the region, Local Whiskey has experienced a year like no other. Beginning last March at the start of the COVID-19 shutdown, the restaurant began to optimize what aspects of the business it could grow, in a time that seemed bleak. 

“We shifted our focus and changed our business plan. We really wanted to concentrate on online sales, merchandise, and takeout,” Riefel says. “Anything we could do to help build our brand gave us an opportunity to take a step back and focus on things that we might not have been previously putting as much focus on before.”

Local Whiskey remained takeout-only in the beginning months of the shutdown, and in compliance with local and state guidelines, the bar began a take-home cocktail business as summer arrived. 

“We set up the entire bar to do takeout cocktails; we had Plexiglas barriers around the bar from entrance to exit, to keep staff safe … we wanted to make sure that everyone knew we were and still are an establishment that takes COVID-19 very seriously,” explains Riefel. 

A new perspective

Being allowed now to operate at half-capacity has proved to be both challenging and rewarding. Keeping a staff member at the door to explain policy is a must, since the county, state, and local guidelines differ virtually everywhere, Riefel says.

While the mask-less and barrier-free scenes of the past may seem far away, Riefel noticed a shift in customer excitement at the start of 2021. 

“People started to become a little more antsy about wanting to get out and do something. It’s nice to see people getting together after a year of not seeing one another, and I think people want to come out a little more, to those establishments they know are adhering to the guidelines,” he says.

Amidst the hurdles, Local Whiskey staff won’t take away the main experience of the year for the bar: St. Patrick’s Day. 

Under regular circumstances in years past, Local Whiskey decked the bar in green, orange, and white decorations. With traditional Irish music or songs from the Celtic punk band Dropkick Murphys playing, guests enjoyed green beer and even the novelty of a live bagpiper. 

“It’s about the culture and celebrating people getting together; it’s a day where everyone is Irish,” Riefel says. 

This year will look vastly different, but the bar will still be offering green beer and other specialty cocktails and menu options.

“Our chef puts together really cool features from traditional to whimsical foods, including green eggs and ham,” he says. 

While the bar projects an Irish flair, Riefel explains what he thinks brings so many people together under the same roof: “There is something for everyone, whether it be the global following behind the appreciation for whiskey, or the simplicity behind watching a sports game while enjoying a beer with French fries,” he says. 

Whether guests have been customers since Local Whiskey’s opening, or are new in town, Riefel hopes everyone can meet someone new.

“We are a neighborhood bar … we hope everyone leaves feeling like they were part of this experience.”

For more information, visit localwhiskeybar.com.

Elizabeth Molek is a freelance writer.