The Varsity Club Is Ready for Its Opening Kickoff
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The Varsity Club, the latest entry in the downtown dining and nightlife scene, will have a strong connection to Youngstown State University’s sports teams.
But the business at 131 W. Commerce St. aims to be a comfortable place where everyone will feel welcome.
Owner John Rudy is shooting for a Dec. 20 opening. He will announce the date next week.
Patrons who enter the front door of the L-shaped establishment will find themselves in the pub side, which has a long bar and high-top tables. Televisions mounted along the walls will show game-day broadcasts of all YSU sports games, according to Rudy.
“It will be a fun place to sit back and watch the game with some buddies,” he said.
The Varsity Club is a sponsor of YSU athletics and will use memorabilia of the school’s teams as decor.
Around the corner from the pub is the quieter dining area, with low-top tables and chairs for family dining. The dining room will also be available to rent for parties and events.
Both rooms have exposed red-brick walls that are part of the 120-year-old building. Together, they have a seating capacity of 140.
The kitchen sits between the two halves.
Though the menu hasn’t been finalized yet, it will focus on shareables, flatbreads, appetizers, burgers and sandwiches. “It will have more of a gastropub feel,” Rudy said. “There will not be dinner entrees.”
After the new year, work will begin on a large patio that will have tables and chairs and its own bar area.
A veteran of the bar and restaurant industry, Rudy is a Youngstown native who grew up on the East Side.
He started his career years ago at the former downtown BW3 and went on to become a manager for Quaker Steak & Lube in the Cleveland area.
Most recently, he was co-owner of The Magic Tree restaurant and bar in Boardman, and also worked in his family’s wine business in Columbus.
“I grew up a few minutes from here and lived downtown for years,” Rudy said. “I love to support local, and working downtown has always been a dream of mine.”
The Varsity Club is opening just as the downtown restaurant-bar scene is shaking off a three-year slump that started with the pandemic and was prolonged by street reconstruction.
Rudy says the timing is perfect.
“Every setback is a setup for a comeback,” he said. “Downtown has grit. You have to give a lot of credit to the bar and business owners down here who stayed open through Covid and road construction, and I’m glad to share in the downtown growth with everybody else.”
The Varsity Club will be open four days a week: from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, and from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
“We have tenants above us, so we don’t want to be part of the nightclub scene,” Rudy said. “We will focus on our food quality, our cocktails and service. We are going to be a restaurant – and a bar too.”
The Varsity Club has a staff of 30. It offers eight beers on tap and another 30 or so beers and canned cocktails in the cooler, Rudy said.
The Varsity Club is on the ground floor of the Gallagher Building, which was recently converted into 41 apartments by its owner, GreenHeart Companies.
Another part of the ground floor was once the home of Cedar’s bar, a well-known rock ’n ’roll club that has since moved to the West Side.
Pictured at top: John Rudy, owner of The Varsity Club, stands behind the bar.
Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
