Hal's Bar & Grille to Add Six-Pack Shop, Party Room in Ross Township

Hal Koenemund saw an opportunity when Chalky's Pool hall , located next door to his restaurant, Hal's Bar & Grille , went up for sale at 3225 Babcock Boulevard in Ross Township.

Koenemund bought the property a month ago plans to begin renovations this week to turn it into a six-pack shop and party room.

Koenemund said the six-pack shop will offer 300-400 varieties of beer, and unlike a beer distributor, customers won't have to buy an entire case.

“Instead of spending $30 or $35 dollars a case, and you’re not sure you’re going to like it, you can pick six, six different beers in a six pack and you’re on your way and you can see if you like them,” he said.

Koenemund hopes to have the six pack shop open by Christmas, but admits that timetable may be overly optimistic. The entire front facade of the building will also be renovated.

Koenemund said he resisted the temptation to use the space to expand his restaurant.

“I don’t want to ruin what I already have. I want to keep it the same, I don’t want to make it bigger because I don’t want the service to suffer, I don’t want the food to suffer," he said. "I like how we are busy over there. But then if I have a big party, I can have a big party in the new space.” 

The demolition of the former West Penn Billiards showroom  for additional parking made the timing perfect for Koenemund.

“There’s a lot of opportunity. I needed more parking, now I can do something like this -- I can have a big party and still have the restaurant open," he said. "Hopefully I can eventually add an outside deck to the restaurant, with fire pits and stuff like that. That’s ultimate goal."

Follow us on Twitter | Like us on Facebook