When the owners of the Moon & Raven decided to close up, they reached out to Tony Ecker, a long-time friend of theirs.

“They called me and said, ‘we really want you to be the one that buys the Moon & Raven from us, so let’s try and find a price that works for both of us,'” explained Tony Ecker, who with wife, Katie, owns The Crooked Goose, along with The Stonehouse and the Brickyard.

“They needed out and I needed in, and we’ve known them for a long time,” Ecker said.

“I’ve been in the industry for 20 years in different capacities, as a bartender, bar manager, front of the house manager, promotions, I’ve done everything,” Todd Schuman, general manager for The Crooked Goose said. “I’ve worked with Tony for about eight years, so when he purchased this at the end of October, I moved over here from Pine Square, where I was managing.”

Patrons at the Crooked Goose enjoy dinner and drinks during the opening of the restaurant in downtown Williamsport. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

Navigating the acquisition of an established local favorite can be a daunting task, but Schuman said they have received overwhelmingly positive feedback so far.

“The transition went very smoothly because we already knew we were just going to pick up from Chip Roush, adding our own little twist to it,” Schuman said. “We kept with the pub atmosphere, and then transitioned more towards the British pub.”

“Everyone’s reaction and feedback have been wonderful,” Schuman said. “It’s been great, from the menu to the drink list and cocktails, the drink list, we’ve been really well received.”

“The whole family had a hand in this,” Schuman said. “The name ‘The Crooked Goose’ came up because they call Tony and Katie’s younger daughter, ‘Lucy Goose,’ and then Tony threw ‘crooked’ in front of it.”

“Their older daughter Alice is a huge reader, so there’s a lot of quotes up here from famous authors,” he said about the artwork that adorns the walls of the establishment, as well as a shelf of antique books. “And, Tony’s mom made the curtains.”

Patrons at the Crooked Goose enjoy dinner and drinks during the opening of the restaurant in downtown Williamsport. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

Patrons have quickly picked up on a few of the restaurant’s offerings as fan favorites.

“Our big highlights include our specialty cocktails,” Schuman said. “We do a lot of old fashioned smoked cocktails. We have wood behind the bar and they light it on fire and tip the glass upside down, and the customers enjoy seeing the whole craft side of it.”

“Our menu has been really well received,” Schuman said. “Our biggest sellers are the fish and chips, the smashburger and our beef Wellington is another big favorite, along with our soups, especially now with winter.”

“We have all of our desserts made in house by Gloria, who also makes desserts for sister locations, The Stonehouse and the Brickyard,” he added.

Schuman added that the sister bars all have different atmospheres.

“The Stonehouse is more pizza and Italian food, while The Brickyard is a lot of drafts, burgers, more sports-minded, and then we get so many groups of people here (The Crooked Goose) from families, a lot of downtown businesses, a lot of hipsters, so it’s really cool,” he said. “We definitely have a nice flavor of regulars and new people that become regulars.”

The owners and operators place a strong emphasis on community connections.

“We source a lot from local farmers, and when the farmer’s market starts, Tony’s really big into that, and we use a lot of fresh ingredients in our cocktails,” Schuman said.

And as if the appeal of an English-style pub wasn’t already a strong selling point, Schuman and company have big plans for the future.

“Eventually, we’re going to start a Sunday brunch, which a lot of people are really excited about,” he said. “We’re putting together a monthly third Friday event, where we’ll have vendors come and set up in the hallway, so people can have cocktails and check out the vendors, and enjoy piano music by Walt Straiton.”

Schuman also added that they are planning on adding music events during the week.

“We’re also going to be doing an open piano night similar to an open mic night that’s going to be on Tuesdays, and then Thursday is going to be a throwback, vinyl night,” Schuman said. “We have a record player, and everyone can bring in their favorite vinyl records, and we’re going to put them on.”

Schuman stresses that it is the total package of The Crooked Goose that has caught on so quickly with fans of the former Moon & Raven, as well as the bevy of new customers.

“I would say it’s a whole combination of things from our menu to our craft cocktails, our bartenders to our floor staff. I have an amazing staff here,” he said.

“We want to be kind of like Cheers, where everyone knows the servers, everyone knows the bartenders, they want to know our opinions or suggestions,” he added. “Our passion for good food, good drinks and good conversation — that’s what I think is going to set us apart from everything else.”

For the latest on what The Crooked Goose is up to, check out their website, Facebook or Instagram.