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What used to be the bar Joyce’s Mountaineer Club is now home to the Brick Yard Pub, and according to co-owner Jim Dierwechter, the new pub strives to be different from the local bar scene.
With characteristics abnormal in comparison to the downtown Morgantown bar scene, like a non-smoking policy and early closing hours, Brick Yard Pub has goals of becoming a permanent family friendly landmark for the area.
The establishment offers a large menu and a full bar in a relaxed environment, Dierwechter said.
Dierwechter, a 1989 West Virginia University graduate, is familiar with both the Morgantown area and running a business.
Dierwechter owns local WVU apparel shop WV Game Day as well the pub, but he claims the idea of Brick Yard not only had its roots as a good business investment but also an opportunity to create something apart from the downtown norm.
Inspired by local places like Mario’s Fishbowl and Crockett’s, Dierwechter said the Brick Yard Pub is not a place for late-night college partying, but a nice place to relax.
"There’s a big difference between a bar and a pub, and we’re definitely a pub," Dierwechter said. "The Brick Yard’s a very laid back environment to come have some good food and drinks and watch the game after work."
In developing the business, Dierwechter wanted it to be a place that could appeal to all different sorts of customers – including families, which influenced him to institute the non-smoking policy.
"I personally don’t like coming home smelling like smoke, and I think the non-smoking policy has been a big part of our success" he said. "People thought it would hurt the business, but I think it only helped us."
Dierwechter says that aspects like the non-smoking policy and the bar’s closing time of midnight have attracted a demographic mostly consisting of what he calls "working professionals" as opposed to the usual, young, college-student crowd.
"We get a lot of families during the day and a lot of grad students, lawyers, judges and other service people during the night," Dierwechter said of the pub’s regular crowd. "We don’t usually attract young college students who hold the ‘drink and drown’ philosophy."
Although Brick Yard might appeal to a particular crowd, Dierwechter wants to welcome everyone to enjoy his pub – even smokers, who are welcome to smoke outside on the pub’s back deck.
Brick Yard has no age restrictions, but does have a floor plan designed to make it easy to regulate its alcohol distribution and prevent underage drinking.
"We’ve been very cautious about our identity," Dierwechter said. "When we first identified ourselves to the city, they were like, ‘Oh God, another bar,’ but we aren’t the kind of place to get into trouble."
Regular customer Glenn Voithofer makes the drive from his home in Cheat Lake often to visit Brick Yard, and recently brought his 11-year-old son’s basketball team to watch a WVU football game and enjoy what he thinks is the best part of Brick Yard: the food.
"The best thing there is the teriyaki wings and the blues burger, but my wife likes the suncrest chicken wrap," Voithofer said. "The food is excellent and not overpriced."
Alishia Armstrong, a 23-year-old full-time bartender at the pub and social work/sociology major at WVU, said although Brick Yard is mostly a calm environment, it still has a fun side to it – particularly with its "Yard Of Fame" concept.
"We sell half yards of beer, and those have been a really big hit," Armstrong said. "If you drink nine (beers) then you get the 10th one free, and then you get your name on our ‘Yard of Fame’ wall."
Brick Yard Pub is located at 237 Spruce St.
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