How these Bucks County bars have transformed as patrons want more than a beer and a shot

It’s a staple in every town — that local corner bar where the drinks and food are as steady and reliable as the people who work there.

These no-frills neighborhood bars have attracted regulars who want nothing more than to pull up a stool, order their go-to drink and catch up with the other locals. But as a new generation of bar patrons age up, much of what previously brought people out to the bars has evolved to where customers expect more than just a shot and a beer.

It was a reality bar owner, Patrick McConney, was prepared to reckon with when he purchased three well-established bars over the past five years, including Crawford’s Corner Bar & Kitchen in Riverside, New Jersey and two more in Lower Bucks.

He started with Gleason’s Bar in Levittown, which was previously owned by Pete and Dee Gleason and had been in their family for nearly 40 years.

“It was a locals bar, a spot where everyone knew everyone in there, the kind of bar where you’d have some regulars, but no one new would come in,” he said.

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Since taking over in 2019, McConney has updated the bar through simple renovations, installing more than a dozen big screen TVs, expanding their drink offerings, adding a full food menu, and paying tribute to its past by lining the walls with framed photos of celebrities smoking, all with the hope of turning Gleason’s into more of a destination spot.

“I’m not just trying to be a neighborhood bar anymore. I want to attract more people through great service, great food and creative drinks,” he said.

Bar industry evolving to meet new expectations

A lot has changed since the pandemic, said Emily Marmion, a senior account executive at PUNCH Media, a Philadelphia-based public relations firm that works with several clients in Bucks County in the food, beverage and hospitality industry.

“If there is one word that sums up the current vibe of the bar industry and cocktail culture, it’s fun,” Marmion said. “People want a new experience when they leave the house. There’s a craving for indulgence and maximalism, an escapism mindset in response to what was a trying few years.

“Bar owners are responding by re-vamping menus, adding experiential cocktails, and pushing creativity with cocktail recipes, ingredients, and presentation. We’ve also seen this accomplished by playing into nostalgic memories and trends. A great example of this is the recent martini resurgence.”

The average lifespan for a bar or restaurant is about eight to 10 years, making it is necessary for an establishment to reinvent themselves periodically, said Chuck Moran, executive director of the Pennsylvania Licensed Beverage and Tavern Association.

"People tire of the same old thing. While there are exceptions, changing the decor and updating both food and drink menus is a necessity for the majority of locations. But sometimes a total change is needed. That's when an owner needs to look within his or her community to find what the community desires. An older community will want something totally different from a young neighborhood," Moran said.

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New owners step in at The Anchor at the Dublin Inn

Last month, Chris Saylor and Angela Heckman opened The Anchor at the Dublin Inn, a rebranding of the former Dublin Inn, a longstanding corner bar in the center of Dublin Borough that closed in 2019.

Knowing its history dated back to the 1700s, the couple saw the bar’s reopening as an opportunity to bring new life to an old town favorite.

“This is a rebranding of a historical community landmark,” Heckman said. “We didn’t want to come in and change everything. We just wanted to give more of a selection, a different atmosphere, but where the old regulars still feel welcome.”

The rebrand included a full top to bottom renovation of the interior with tin ceiling tiles, vinyl wood flooring, fresh paint, along with new tables, seating, light fixtures and bar top. The pool tables had also been removed to make room for more dining in the back, and two extra-large family booths were installed.

In addition, its previous light grill menu was replaced by a full slate of offerings that include homemade specialties inspired by recipes from both sides of their family, such as Eggplant Napolean, their Calamaria Roast Pork sandwich and Chris’s Chili.

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Despite its obvious transformation, The Anchor still has some hints of its predecessor’s laid-back quality, evident on a recent Thursday by the handful of locals who had cozied up to the bar for an afternoon beer and a burger.

“People that used to come to the old place can still come in for a shot and a beer. We still offer that,” Saylor said.

“But we also wanted to create a welcoming neighborhood place where everyone feels like family, everyone from the blue-collar worker stopping in for lunch to the couple out on a date or families and friends looking for a night out.”

Change doesn't come without challenges at Gleason's and The E-House

Preserving that sense of belonging for a bar’s longtime regulars, McConney said, is one of the bigger challenges new owners face when attempting to usher in change.

Last year, when McConney bought The Eddington House in Bensalem, more commonly known as The E-House, from Bryan and Gina Gramiak, he wanted to maintain much of its identity as a family-friendly restaurant bar.

“It was a very big community restaurant, a place where you’d run into your teachers, your coaches, your teammates and your classmates.”

So instead of a total overhaul, he decided to simply enhance The E-House by adding more dishes and new cocktails to the menu, refreshing the interior and bringing in more entertainment, including live bands, music bingo, trivia, karaoke and open mic nights.

“You have to have entertainment, you have to have great food, great servers and bartenders, and you have to have innovative drinks. There are a lot of places to choose from, so I have no choice but to be the best,” he said, while acknowledging there is risk with any change.

“The toughest part of rebranding is not alienating the current customer base and the business they’ve been bringing in all these years. I’ve never wanted to chase anyone out of the door.”

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Gleason's, Dublin Inn and Eddington House bring new to old town bars