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Haywoods Bar and Grill offers community-oriented service

Haywoods Bar and Grill, Muncy’s must-stop location for a Pittsburgh cuisine experience, is approaching its 20-year anniversary of business.

The restaurant and bar, located at 113 W. Water St., Muncy, is famous for its Steelers and local athlete memorabilia, according to Kim Walker, owner.

“We are a Steelers bar and we feature local athletes–all kinds of memorabilia,” Walker said. “We are very community oriented and we celebrate local athletes. Our menu is named after local coaches.”

Haywoods is also known for its Pittsburgh-styled sandwiches, its large portions, its homemade ciabatta bread with homemade coleslaw and fries–on the sandwich.

Walker said you can think of the Primanti Brothers’ from Pittsburgh, except “… you get less bread with us, and more meat. We’re known for our wings… all our wing sauce is made in-house.”

“We try to make as much of our own product in house as possible,” Walker said. “It’s nothing fancy, but everything is good and is the best quality we can buy.”

Haywoods’ repertoire extends far beyond just sandwiches and wings, however. They make their own black diamond steaks, mac and cheese and more. Additionally, they feature around 10 craft beers on a rotating basis.

However, Haywoods’ reputation as a Central Pennsylvanian portmanteau of Pittsburgh culture attracts some attention, too. Rocky Bleier, Robin Cole, Dan Kreider and Andy Russell have all passed through to try what Haywoods has to offer.

“You never know, when you come in–you might run into a Steeler,” Walker said.

Haywoods got its start in 2002 when Walker and his business partner bought the property to renovate it and sell it.

However, as repairs went underway, the project became more and more extensive, Walker said. He said the two decided to launch a restaurant from the property instead–and founded Haywoods Bar and Grill with a menu printed on 8.5×11-inch paper. Both of them were new to restaurants, according to Walker.

“The only experience I’ve ever had in restaurants is on the other side of the bar,” Walker said.

Walker initially acted as a general manager of the restaurant, while his partner handled paperwork. But after around three years, Walker bought Haywoods out in an amicable split between the two.

“Over the years, our customers told us what they enjoyed and we continued that idea,” Walker said.

Through that refinement process, Haywoods continued to capitalize on its identity as a local, Steelers-themed bar.

“We celebrate local athletes, and our menu is named after local coaches,” Walker said. “We have had a lot of players who went on to play college football. A lot of them brought back memorabilia from their college days. It’s a very local, friendly, casual place.”

Haywoods, unbeknownst to many, does offer off-premise catering, and can serve 100-500 people at an event, according to Walker. Additionally, Walker said he wants to get back to having a “bike night,” which he said could attract anywhere around 175 motorcycles on a Tuesday.

“It’s a motorcycle get-together in the parking lot on the second Tuesday of the month. We set up a display with live entertainment, and we hope to be able to do that again this summer,” Walker said.

That kind of event engrains the bar and restaurant as a community-driven location. Walker explained he does very little advertising because his customer base grows from word of mouth.

“It’s a real simple story. We say hello when you come in, and we try to thank you when you leave,” Walker said.

There are a lot of options to choose from when dining, and when someone chooses local Haywoods Bar and Grill instead of a corporate-owned chain restaurant, Walker said he tries to thank them and show appreciation for their patronage.

“We want to thank all our patrons for supporting my wife and myself during the pandemic,” Walker said. “Had it not been for our loyal customers, we might not have made it. We want to let everyone know how thankful Carol and I are for their support then, and our support now.”

Walker also gave credence to his staff, who stuck with him through an employment shortage.

“We’ve been very blessed to have the employees we’ve had,” Walker said.

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