The Spot: McCrossen's Tavern

We always hear about the shiny, new food companies. The Spot is a series about the Philadelphia area's more established establishments and the people behind them.

Going into business with a family member can be rewarding, but being in constant proximity to relatives isn't always easy. Add in-laws as partners, and strife might seem inevitable, but that's not the case at McCrossen's Tavern. The friendly pub on 20th Street near Spring Garden has been run by the same family (be it via birth or marriage) for nearly eight decades, and is still going strong.

It was 1937 when Philadelphia native Neil McCrossen bought the 1850s-era building. He turned the first floor into a bar, and the upstairs into an apartment, where he and his wife raised 10 kids. One of those children, Neil Jr., took over ownership of the bar in the early 1960s.

Though officially still titled McCrossen's Bar, Neil Jr.'s spot was colloquially known as the Dust Bowl. It was an blue-collar hangout, frequented by craftsmen and union folk. Stools at the counter were full from 6 in the morning to 9 at night, as factory workers got off 'round-the-clock shifts and stopped on the way home for a beer and camaraderie.

Neil Jr. loved his drinkery's everyman atmosphere, and spent most of his time there - although he did get married along the way. When he reached the age of 70, he began to think it was time to sell. He found an interested buyer in his sister-in-law's son, Jay Brennan. A trucking logistics businessman, Jay didn't have time to run the bar without help, and so approached his own brother-in-law, Michael Rodolico, to see if he wanted to partner.

As it happened, Rodolico was ready for a career change; for 20 years he'd been a sea captain on private yachts, but was looking to transition to solid ground. He agreed to join his sister's brother in purchasing the business from his uncle-in-law. Along with Jay's 20-year-old son, Jamie, they bought the bar, and in 1993, the next era of McCrossen's began.

For the first time since the 1930s, here was a brief period where the doors were closed, as Michael, Jay and Jamie expanded the bar into the building next door. They added a dining room and full kitchen, and reopened the spot as a full-fledged restaurant, something the neighborhood did not then have in great supply.

It's a different story now, of course. A few blocks to the north, Fairmount Avenue has taken off and is lined with taverns and eateries of all kinds. A few blocks in the other direction is the newly popping Callowhill strip across from the Barnes museum, which counts both Marc Vetri and Jose Garces as tenants.

McCrossen's has evolved, too, but the partners have taken care to maintain the down-to-earth feel and welcoming attitude. Michael and Jamie handle most of the day-to-day operations, and on a recent weekday afternoon, they sat down in front of the dining room's marble mantelpiece and traded memories, stories and a few thoughts about the future.

When you took over, you expanded from just a bar into a full-service restaurant; whose idea was that?

It was probably a mutual decision. We saw that this area was on the up and up, getting more affluent and more residential, and that there wasn't much dining. London [Grill] was there and Rembrandt's was there. But that was kind of it.

Did it take a lot of work to build out the dining room?

The floor was completely replaced, in both the dining room and the bar. We built an entirely new countertop for the bar, too. We exposed the brick walls - we had to tear off all this sixties-era wood paneling and then a second, thick layer of plaster. We discovered the fireplace, which no one had any idea existed. Joyce Brennan, Jamie's mom, actually did most of the work. She's always been very handy. When she and Jay put a new addition on their house, she was mostly the one who built it.

How did you announce your opening?

We didn't. Because it was our first venture, we decided to do it quietly and just let it roll, let it develop. We never sent out a press release or did a big splash of any kind.

Were you busy?

A lot of the ironworkers and a lot of the people from the neighborhood that used to come when it was the Dust Bowl came back. They were great, nice, hardworking people. A lot of characters. And then, through the years, the clientele changed.

When did it start to change - 10 years ago, 5 years, 2 years?

All of the above. It keeps accelerating, keeps changing. We used to get a lot of people from across the street - now it's the CityView condos, but for a while it was the Korman Suites. They were apartments for businesspeople who needed a long-term place to stay temporarily - for a month or two or six. So those people would always wander across the street, because they didn't cook much. That helped a lot. Some of them even became regulars who would plan their business trips so they could come here.

We do still have regulars who live across the street, but it's different because they have home kitchens. But more residents in the area is a good thing for us, and it's not stopping. The Tivoli condos were built 8 years ago. Now Museum Towers is doubling their occupancy. They're building something like 300 apartments on top of the Whole Foods.

Has business been steady through the years? There were a couple of recessions...

Well, we opened right at the end of the one in the early '90s, so we missed that. And in 2008, when the recession hit, the Phillies were on fire! We're not even a sports bar, but during that year, the Phillies really carried us. It's definitely a challenging business, but just every day you gotta just get up and keep going.

What's the hardest part?

Oh, there's many challenges. For one, the city, and what they throw at us on a daily basis. The health inspections, the liquor license, the business license, the dumpster license, the outdoor cafe license.

When did you add outdoor seating?

Around 3 years ago. It's a great addition. It was an absolutely necessary addition, actually, because everyone else in this neighborhood now has outdoor seating. We had to get the liquor license extended for out there, that's what took a lot of time.

Did you run into any neighbor opposition?

We're pretty tight with our neighbors. A lot of them come here and dine. If there ever was some issue, some kind of thing, they'd come over and knock on our door and we'd work it out, one way or another. The only reason we've been here long-term is because we do get along with them. And we make a concentrated effort to, every day.

So, back to challenges - what else besides bureaucracy?

The hours can be tough - not just work, but maintenance. Plenty of times you get a phone call at 2 am or 7 am because something's broken and needs immediate attention. And then, staff can be challenging, but not in a bad way. One of our goals from the very beginning was to make the place really approachable - not just in the front of the house, but the back of the house too. We do the best we can to bring in people who are not only talented, but just plain good people.

At one point you brought on Townsend "Tod" Wentz (who now owns Townsend on East Passyunk) as chef and partner?

Actually, Tod was one of our opening cooks back in 1993, and he lived upstairs. He left to work at the Four Seasons and Lacroix, and in New York. Then he wanted to come back to Philly and be where his family was, so we struck up a partnership in 2010, and worked together for around 3 years. He always had his eye on starting his own establishment - which he's now done, and done well.

Did the menu change a lot when he came on, and then left?

The bar menu pretty much stayed the same - burgers and wings are always best-sellers - but on the dining room side, under Tod's influence, it became more French. Because of that, we also concentrated a lot on wine. Since Tod left, we've switched our emphasis from the wine to the beer program. Our manager, Kevin French, is doing a tremendous job with that. The beer scene in Philly is just amazing.

Has the switch to focusing on beer been good for your bottom line?

It is. But to clarify, we still do 5 whites and 5 reds by the glass and have a decent bottle list. Jamie's brother Daniel Brennan is a winemaker - he runs Decibel Wines in New Zealand - and we carry all of his varietals. We do wine events whenever he comes to Philadelphia - those are some of the best nights, with all of the family here.

Other memorable nights?

There was the cast party for [the movie] 12 Monkeys. They were staying across the street at the Korman Suites. Bruce Willis came. No Brad Pitt or Madeleine Stowe - Joyce was upset, she's a big Madeleine Stowe fan - but Bruce Willis was enough. They took over the whole place. They were great fun.

How about the pope's visit to the Parkway this September - do you have plans?

We both live in New Jersey, so commuting here is out, but as it happens, we just had one of the upstairs apartments come up vacant, so we'll probably stay there. The rest of the staff lives in the city, so we should be OK as far as that's concerned. The rest - we don't really know yet.

What about general plans for the future?

We're always looking, keeping our eyes open. If we do something else, it probably won't be in Philly. Farther afield, real estate is more reasonable. But it probably won't be in Jersey, either, because we once had a restaurant there, called McCrossen's Dockside. It was seasonal, in a marina, but after we opened in 2003, management changed hands, and we ended up pulling out. We closed it in 2010. For right now, we're just keeping things going here. We're real happy with our staff at this point, and the direction we're going in with the food and the drink.

Is it hard working with family?

It can be hard, but we always preach communication. And it's very rewarding as well. If we're gonna have success, there no other people we'd rather have it with than family.

McCrossen's Tavern

529 N. 20th St., 215-854-0923

Hours: 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. Monday through Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday, 10:30 a.m. to 2 a.m. Saturday and Sunday