By Holly Riddle
Photos: The Corner Room
Every Penn Stater knows The Corner Room. The iconic restaurant, located right on the corners of West College Avenue and South Allen Street, and directly across from Old Main, has been featured in a bevy of tourism-adjacent promotional materials for the city throughout the years. Established in 1926, the business is nearing its centennial birthday.
However, merely a great location and longevity do not make an icon — especially in a business landscape that grows increasingly turbulent, with fan-favorite restaurants shutting down in college towns all across the country due to issues like the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent labor shortage.
So what’s The Corner Room’s secret to success? According to general manager Kate Hufton, it’s all about the human connection.
It’s a place where a lot of people have created a lot of memories, so showing their children that, every time they come back to town, is super-important for them.
“There's a lot of history here,” she explained. “I had a woman email me recently asking if we could reserve tables for their family reunion. Their grandma had been coming here since she was in school and she’s in her 80s. It goes back to that kind of lineage and wanting to show children what their parents [or grandparents] experienced while they were here.”
She added, “It’s a place where a lot of people have created a lot of memories, so showing their children that, every time they come back to town, is super-important for them.”
Even though it is rich with history, however, no one can say that The Corner Room is stuck in the past. Whereas other college town restaurants failed in the face of recent years’ challenges, The Corner Room adapted and overcame, with a new look and new menu befitting the ever-revolving door of new Penn State alumni.
Photos: The Corner Room
In December 2019, Pat Croce & Company purchased the Hotel State College suite of businesses, which includes The Corner Room. In the months that followed, decision-makers leaned on community support as they brought new life to the restaurant and other adjacent businesses, as we detailed in HappyValley Industry’s previous coverage of the project.
However, balancing the new and historic isn’t always easy. The Corner Room manages to blend the two via a refreshed setting, but also nostalgic touches that include the eatery’s original booths and a re-built walk-up counter from years past.
The response from alums has been mostly enthusiastic, though Hufton did mention that a few of the new menu changes managed to ruffle some feathers (the disappearance of an open-faced turkey sandwich is one notable complaint).
Photos: The Corner Room
“There’s been a learning curve,” she said, “but there are people who are blown away. As we see what people gravitate toward, we’ll continue to maintain our identity, while also making people happy.”
She added, “We still do get alumni who come in expecting the old Corner Room, but, after they experience [the new Corner Room], they get it … People get pretty excited about it.”
Even with menu updates, though, there are some Corner Room classics that are just too classic to ever remove from the menu, like the crowd-favorite Grilled Stickies.
We still do get alumni who come in expecting the old Corner Room, but, after they experience the new Corner Room, they get it.
“That is the one thing that is tried and true to The Corner Room,” said Hufton. “We sell those retail as well. When we have something going on in town, we get hit with people walking in asking if we sell them to-go. We do and we sell a lot of ’em. They’re super-fresh and constantly turning over. The Corner Room is a good place to get your Stickies for sure.”
While arguably the most well-known, The Corner Room isn’t the only downtown State College institution to receive new life via Pat Croce & Company and Hufton hints at other additions to The Corner Room’s offerings to come, including a breakfast buffet. However the landscape of downtown State College changes over the years, though, one thing is for sure — The Corner Room, and its Penn State alumni fanbase, is one Happy Valley business that’s here to stay.
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