Primanti Bros. Restaurant and Bar — Restaurant in State College

Primanti Brothers in downtown State College is a peaceful haven by day. A handful of older couples drift in, attracted by the warmth of a game on TV while eating wings and drinking beers. But things start to turn around as Thursday night draws near. College students flood the area at 9 , lured by the promise of cheap drinks and loud music like schools of fish.

Squid, the king of the deep, is positioned in front of everything as head bouncer. With his broad shoulders and a steady look, he watches the waves of college students trying their luck with fake IDs and chooses who goes inside and who is left unsatisfied, on the pavement, drink- less.

"I’ve seen a lot of these," he says, picking up a poorly crafted fake ID from a drawer full of them. “It’s pretty easy to figure out what’s real from fake.” ¶He looks as though he's seen it all, like a fisherman who has caught every kind of fish imaginable. There is no uncertain activity with Squid; he approaches each issue with a combination of humor and firmness. He can read IDs and the accompanying shenanigans with the sharpest of eyes.

Along with Squid, you’ll often find Wyatt, his partner in crime. Wyatt’s the one with a quick laugh, making jokes toward those who try to get past Squid. Customers will look at him when they don’t get in, hoping for another chance but, “If Squid says no, it’s a no.” Their personalities bounce off one another like two sailors who have been at sea for a while.

Primanti Brothers features two bars: a larger one in the center and a smaller one to the side where spillage collects. On Thursday and Saturday nights, people are standing shoulder to shoulder and a sea of bodies screams over the music.

The atmosphere is wild, with Matt at his most comfortable behind the bar, serving drinks and ensuring the party doesn't end. "Kids spend so much money here every night." He grinned and shook his head before making a vodka Redbull. "I promise, the Zippers are to blame.”

Primanti Brothers' trademark drink is the ”Zipper,” a purple mixture designed to be chugged as fast as possible. "Every night, we sell hundreds of these," Matt continues, setting out a second tray of the drink. "You’ve never really been to Pman’s until you’ve had one. It's like a rite of passage." He watches as more students enter the bar.

Squid and Wyatt make sure everything is under control as Matt keeps the drinks flowing. They move through the wave of kids like lifeguards. When necessary, they lead the overly exuberant to the exit, keeping the environment from becoming too turbulent.

Ashton, the tall, athletic manager, is just inside the entrance and has his own beat. He is taking pictures of the long line outside to upload on Primanti Brothers' Instagram account. He says, "You guys wanna be on the Pman Instagram?" As head manager, Ashton's job is to ensure that the bar appears as “lit” online as it does in person. When it comes to Primanti's online presence, he is the master navigator, adept at making the bar appear to be the most popular place in town.

The employees never have a minute to relax from the time they clock in until the last employee is allowed to go home. They are constantly on the go, preparing drinks, controlling the throng, and ensuring the celebration lasts until it closes. Each person in the rhythm of the night has a certain part to play, including Squid, Ashton, Matt, and Wyatt. And as the final song finishes and the lights go out, it seems as though the tide has calmed down once more, ready to rise when the next wave of...

The long and short of it is that we walked out. Life-long State College resident and hoped that the "college bar scene" wouldn't screw this place up but it did. Not the typical Primanti Bros. experience. It looks, smells and acts like a bar. And the bathrooms are about as clean as I remember being a college bar being as well. Everything was filthy.

My husband and I stopped in for dinner a few weeks ago. No one could figure out where to sit us (the place was only half-filled) but we were finally seated in a booth opposite the bar. And then no service staff appeared. For nearly 15 minutes. During that time, we went to the bar (twice), hostess station (twice), and stopped the waitress who had previously been taking care of our table (once) and asked if someone was assigned to our table. We were told someone would be "right with us" each time. We couldn't even get a glass of water on a 95+ degree day. The last straw was when a cute young guy was seated at a booth directly behind us and two waitresses nearly tripped over themselves rushing to wait on him. Meanwhile, the middle aged couple (us) prepared to spend decent money on drinks, appetizers, dinner, and a hefty tip were left sitting. What was even more infuriating was the overly flirty manner both waitresses were using with the young man behind us. They didn't want to take his order. They wanted a date.

We got up, walked out, and no one even said a word to us - even though the hostess, bar manager, and several other staffers (some of whom knew we had been waiting for nearly 20 minutes at that point) all saw us get up and leave. They didn't care.

We love Primanti Bros. and will go to the one in Altoona. Never setting foot in this place again. It's a flat out embarrassment...

I take into account as much as I can...I never let a tip or lack thereof...(and there is NEVER the lack of a tip from me because I have always been a wage worker and saver and I know what that means...)...speak for me. The Hiester Street location is looked forward to because of its LOCALITY. Locality ...specifically is why it is exactly where it is. Nittany Mall is a disintegrating dump as malls go. Patton Township would be nice and smart. ...Jersey Mikes already noticed that. As has Panera. Pittsburgh people always look to socially gather, drink party etc even if there is no game in town and no show to go. This plays well to them and the youth from there. I as you might imagine am none of those. Yet, the sammitch is not simply almost famous...IT IS FAMOUS... what started out as a millworkers lunch is now go to stadium food if nothing else. Now for the bad news. Don't forget where you game from. NEED I SAY ANY MORE ? Don't forget where you came from. We still like to change clothes after work and bring our families. We still remember Guy Fieri recommended this. We still like to lunch there in good service and attentiveness. Primantis should never forget its roots...because we still remember what hard work deserves...and what NON hard work also deserves. You get your GOOD TIP THIS TIME....we let things go because for myself and my Pittsburgh wife we remember the dating days. we remember HOW GREAT IT USED TO BE THERE......and we use that as...