CLEARFIELD – The Dented Keg Brewing Company is now open in Clearfield.
Late last year, it was announced that the Dented Keg of Mars, Pa., would be opening a second location in the new River’s Landing Building on Market Street, overlooking the West Branch of the Susquehanna.
The business had a “soft opening” on Oct. 20 with only word of mouth and social media announcing the news.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony for DKBC, the Christian Lezzer Realty Group-Keller Williams Advantage Reality and the event center was held on Oct. 25.
Travis McCullough, head of Marketing & Brand Development and Community Engagement, said things have “really been smooth” so far.
A grand opening celebration in conjunction with the Lezzer Realty Group is being planned for the end of November, which will include live music.
News of their October opening spread quickly with some people stopping in just because they noticed the lights were on and there were so many cars in the parking lot, he said.
They feature “elevated comfort food” or bar food, some of which is made from scratch. This includes specially-smoked wings. Their craft beers are made in house.
A few people have been disappointed that they don’t carry any of the usual beer brands due to them having a PA brewer’s license that requires they only serve beer made in PA.
But there are comparable beers on their menu, which they can quickly recommend as a great substitute for the big brand names, he noted.
Their dining room features eight huge televisions and the patio has 10 tables for outdoor dining.
DKBC is owned by Matt McCullough, a St. Marys native, and Corey Gibbons, who is originally from Pittsburgh.
It is a family-run business with Matt’s brothers, Derek McCullough as Brewmaster, and Travis working on the marketing, both playing active roles in every aspect of the operation, a previous press release stated.
DKBC “offers great beer and food in a family-friendly environment while being an active member and friend of the community in which they operate,” according to the release.
They proved their friendship before they even opened.
Last November they hosted a special event that not only gave residents of Clearfield a chance to sample some of their brews, it also collected toys for Toys for Tots. Afterwards, they donated 15 percent of their proceeds to the organization.
During the Clearfield County Fair, they had their beer trailer set up to serve residents in their parking lot all week and in mid-September they were open for a special Penn State University football game watch party.
You can check out their Web site, dentedkeg.com for their full menu and you can even place orders online.
They are open for lunch at 11 a.m. each day.
Travis recommends placing “to go” orders online because they have been so busy that they sometimes don’t have a minute to answer the phone.
They already have had a decent amount of take-out lunch orders and repeat customers.
This has kept their 48 employees on their toes as they learn their new jobs, which have a “big learning curve” for all of them, he said.
Although they have been running their Mars location for a few years, “things are different here” with a new building plus new employees, Travis explained.
Unlike other businesses in the area, Travis said they didn’t have a problem finding enough employees to run the DKBC seven days a week.
“People actually contacted us, wanting to work here,” he said.
In all the community has welcomed them with open arms.
Patrons have been surprised and commented on their large portions, leading to one repeated complaint.
“They can’t eat it all.”
In addition to the restaurant, the DGBC provides catering for the event center housed on the second floor of the building.
According to previous reports, this room holds up to 125 guests and is currently available to rent for any special occasion by contacting Clearly Ahead Development at 814-768-7838.
They decided to come to the area after Rob Swales, CEO, of Clearly Ahead Development, approached them.
“We had been open only two years when asked about this. The opportunity seemed right so we did it.”