After more than four years of delighting diners in Philipsburg, the We Are Inn is moving forward with a major expansion in State College in early 2025.
Owner Pat Romano expects We Are Inn’s second location at 1031 E. College Ave. to open in the early spring. The building, located just a mile down the road from Beaver Stadium and the Bryce Jordan Center, was the longtime home of Damon’s Bar & Grill before becoming Lettermans in 2015. It was most recently Tailgate Sports Bar & Grill.
When Romano opened his first restaurant in 2020, he named it We Are Inn Philipsburg because he planned to add more locations. In fact, he had his eye on the East College Avenue spot for years.
“That location’s always been a favorite of mine since it was Damon’s because I used to go there a lot for sporting events and always got the ribs,” Romano said. “The first time where I thought about having that building was eight or nine years ago when Barry Manilow was in town and I took my daughter to the concert. She took a picture of me and she goes, ‘What are you thinking, Dad?’ because I was in concentration. I said, ‘I was thinking what I’d do with this place if I owned it.’”
Romano began talking with the property owners about a lease in 2022, but held off while they did some work on the building, including addressing water seeping into the lower level.
The State College restaurant will have a nearly identical menu to the Philipsburg location, including Italian meals from Romano’s family recipes, steaks, cheesesteaks he learned to make in Philadelphia and sandwiches. In a nod to his fondness for the old Damon’s, however, Romano will also be adding ribs to the menu at the new location.
One of the largest restaurant properties in the area, the building has an indoor capacity of 583 and patio space for about 60. With multiple levels and a lot of space to work with, Romano is creating different atmospheres within the restaurant.
“We’re going to offer a little bit to everyone and a lot to some,” he said.
Plans include a family dining area on the main level, a bar and patio with its own distinct feel and a fine dining type of space in the middle level.
“We’d like to have a fine dining level where people who are celebrating or just want to come out and splurge on themselves can do so,” Romano said.
The lower level will be open for functions such as banquets, weddings, awards ceremonies and reunions.
When not reserved for those kinds of special occasions, Romano plans to open up the space for nightlife activities.
“I see a mechanical bull and country night down there as well as some comedy nights and different attractions for people to come out and just enjoy themselves in general without having to eat,” he said.
With a name incorporating the university’s famous We Are cheer, a location just down the road from the school’s athletics complex and an owner who is a longtime Nittany Lion sports superfan, the restaurant of course will have plenty of Penn State memorabilia on display.
“There’s going to be lots of different memorabilia and stuff like that in there. I mean, every inch I can cover, I will,” Romano said, noting he just had delivered 31 signed and framed Penn State football jerseys for the new location.
He also, importantly, is having all new equipment installed and is designing the workspaces around efficiency.
“Damon’s survived there because they went in with all new equipment and were able to limp along because it was designed around their foods,” Romano said. “You’re not going to get things done with the same efficiency as you can by installing all new equipment designed around your menu and how many steps you take this way, how many steps you take that way, counting that all off and shorten it up so you can just be cooking and not worrying about running around like a nut.
“… If you have to walk 10 steps instead of two steps, that’s five times as much walking and time that you’re going to be wasting to get something done. And it’s not about money, saving money on labor. It’s about getting food out to tables to keep people happy.”
We Are Inn’s State College location is expected to employ about 60 to 80 full- and part-time staff, roughly double the Philipsburg location.
Romano is hoping to open the new restaurant in March, and aims to be up and running at least in time for Penn State’s Blue-White Game in April.
When it does open, Romano says it will be a reflection of what he loves.
“I always say, you know, a bar or restaurant is like the emotion or the personality of the owner,” he said. “And I love food and I love having fun. So that just sums up. That’s my passion and what’s going to happen there.”
