The Jean Bonnet Tavern, located at the junction of the Lincoln Highway and Route 31 in Bedford County, is so old that no one knows exactly when it was constructed.

“It precedes the United States, which is an interesting way to look at it,” said Brandon Callihan, who has owned the tavern for going on nine years. “The building is actually older, it’s just that nobody knows how old.”

The tavern itself dates back to about 1762, when it was transferred from Hans Ireland, a land speculator, to Robert Callendar, a trader.

According to the tavern’s website, Callendar was also a commissary for troop supplies, and later, a scout for Gen. George Washington.

Jude Coppeta waits on Matt Frailey (left) of Coalport and Trudi McConaughey of Roaring Spring at Al’s Tavern in Altoona. Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski

In more modern times, the Jean Bonnet has become known for its full bar with 18 beers on tap and a menu featuring specials that change monthly.

“We make all of our food from scratch,” Callihan said. “It’s actually made by hand.”

Callihan, who worked at the Jean Bonnet as a cook, bartender and manager for 10 years before buying the establishment, went to school at the Culinary Institute of America in New York.

An area native, Callihan said he “ended up back” at the Bonnet after graduation and “did a little bit of everything.”

“It’s been great,” Callihan said of his purchase. “There’s no looking back. It was definitely a great decision, and that’s even going through COVID.”

The Jean Bonnet Tavern houses a restaurant on its first floor, a tavern on its second and a bed and breakfast with four rooms on its third. Mirror photo by Rachel Foor

At almost 10,000 square feet, the Jean Bonnet consists of three floors. The restaurant is on the first floor, the tavern on the second and four bed and breakfast rooms on the third.

Callihan said a lot of people don’t realize the building has overnight accommodations, each featuring a private bathroom and balcony.

“Our business is 99% the restaurant,” Callihan said. “The dining room seats 120, then there’s the tavern and outdoor seating.”

The menu in the restaurant and tavern are the same, except for tavern specials that are run throughout the week. Callihan said they serve “steak, fresh seafood and fresh pasta dishes” as early American cuisine.

“We go to food shows for the company every year,” Callihan said. “I think that sets us apart. We have a little bit of everything.”

Thad Coppeta pours a beer at the bar at Al’s Tavern, which sits at the corner of Eighth Avenue and 29th Street in Altoona. Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski

Menus vary

The menu at the Jean Bonnet changes about every month, with those changes tending to be seasonal, Callihan said. In the spring, more fruit is used, while in the fall, flavors like cranberry are introduced.

“It gets tricky because there isn’t much in January or February, so we make due,” Callihan said.

In the warmer months, when more people are traveling along the Lincoln Highway, there are outdoor areas not “necessarily in the restaurant or tavern area” for visitors to sit and relax. There is even an area with goats, and goat feed can be purchased at the Cabin Shoppe.

“You’re traveling in the car, kids cooped up, so you can come and hang out a little bit,” Callihan said.

Al’s Tavern owner Al Coppeta (center) and his sons, Thad Coppeta (left) and Jude Coppeta, stand in the dining area of the tavern, which has been in the family since Al Coppeta’s father established it in 1962. Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski

At the Muddy Run Tavern in Huntingdon, owner Chad Heichel can’t wait for summer to return.

“I can’t wait for (Raystown Lake) to open back up,” Heichel said. “People have cabins here from Lancaster and York, and we start bringing people in from the lake.”

The Muddy Run Tavern started out as a deli in 2017, until they obtained a liquor license in 2019, Heichel said. They remodeled a new building during the COVID-19 pandemic and reopened at its new location on Nov. 21, 2021. With the move, the tavern went from 30 to about 300 seats.

Heichel said he always wanted to have a bar, so he waited for a liquor license to become available and purchased it.

“It hasn’t been too bad,” Heichel said. “When we first opened, it was still the COVID thing, so it was a little slow.”

A goat grazes near the Jean Bonnet Tavern in Bedford County, which is purported to be haunted. Owner Brandon Callihan says he’s learned the ghosts’ idiosyncrasies and has even accidentally talked to them, including William, who was hanged in the building after being accused of stealing horses. Mirror photo by Rachel Foor

Now, the tavern has regular events and Heichel’s buddy opened a second location of their Hacktivist Golf Lounge on the building’s second floor.

On March 22, Stephanie and the Wildhearts will play at the tavern, while on March 29, there will be an ’80s Prom.

“One of our friends, she said she had never been to a prom,” Heichel said. “So we said, let’s have a prom party for you.”

Tickets for the prom cost $20 for singles and $30 for couples, Heichel said, with the proceeds benefiting the Huntingdon County Humane Society.

“I figured, if we’re going to do this, it might as well be for a good cause,” Heichel said.

As for food, Heichel said their big sellers are wings and burgers. They’re also known for their six different specialty fries, including the Reuben, the Pittsburgh, Piggyback and Cheesesteak.

When asked how realizing his dream of owning a bar has gone, Heichel joked it’s “kind of a nightmare.”

“It’s good, it’s a lot of work and a lot of time,” Heichel said. “You definitely have to live here to do that. I figured going from 30 to 300 seats, it would be a huge change.”

Burgers and wings are also the top sellers at the Shovel Head Tavern in Cresson, Cambria County, according to employee Zach Mack. It includes other pub fare as well, such as quesadillas, wraps, subs and fish and chips.

“It’s a great environment,” Mack said. “There’s not a lot of bull going down. People just come here to chill out.”

The building the Shovel Head Tavern is located in dates to “the early 1900s or earlier,” and was originally a bank, Mack said.

“Then I believe it was the Civil Saddle, and then a gay bar in the basement,” Mack said.

The Goose came next, before finally becoming the Shovel Head.

“This is the place for history and entertainment, I’ll tell you that,” Mack said.

The Shovel Head has poker every week, trivia nights, darts, pool tables, local bands playing and gambling.

“That’s a big one,” Mack said. “Obviously, there’s lots of booze. That’s the entertainment here.”

They also have a party for just about every holiday.

“Another plus is we’re one of the only places that cooks food until midnight,” Mack said.

Not ‘just a bar’

Mack said the Shovel Head wasn’t “just another party bar,” while Al Coppeta said Al’s Tavern isn’t “just another corner bar.”

Al’s Tavern, or simply “Al’s,” was established by Al’s father, also Al, in 1962, Coppeta said.

“I was 12 years old,” Coppeta said. “It’s always been a tavern of some sort. Before, it was Bill’s and then Bushes.”

The tavern and the property it sits on at the corner of Eighth Avenue and 29th Street has been a part of the community since the late 1940s or early 1950s, Coppeta said.

In the 1960s and 1970s, when the tavern was starting out, Coppeta said the surrounding area was mostly family dwellings and warehouses.

“There was always light industry in the area, so in that time, we served breakfast,” Coppeta said. “My dad made sure we were open at 6 a.m., then had a lunch special at noon and in the evening, it was mostly neighborhood customers that would come in.”

In the 1980s, Coppeta said a lot changed with surrounding businesses closing. It was then that Al’s became “more of a bar business, opposed to a food business” until “1985 or so.”

That year, Al said they decided to expand and put an addition on the back. Then 10 years later in 1995, they expanded the kitchen and leaned back into serving food.

“We just kept expanding the menu,” Coppeta said. “Everything on our menu is homemade. The chicken is cut every day, there’s fresh dough, fresh sauces.”

Coppeta said “there’s no shortcuts” as they “don’t have anything pre-prepared.” The dedication to quality comes from the family who has been running the tavern for nearly 63 years.

“It’s been a family-run operation since 1962,” Coppeta said. “We always have a family member here.”

Coppeta himself said when he was younger, he went away to school and worked somewhere else for a few years before deciding to return to the tavern.

“We’re actually on our third generation,” Coppeta said. “My two sons are here. My grandchildren, whenever they were in high school, going to college, they would serve and bus tables.”

In addition to family, Coppeta said they have about 30 employees, many of whom have worked there for decades.

“We treat everybody like family,” Coppeta said. “Not only the staff, but also the customers. That’s what it takes to be successful.”

The tavern seats about 200 people, Coppeta said, and serves items like soups, salads, pizza, wings, steaks and sandwiches.

They also have about 22 draft beers on tap, including a pale ale made exclusively for Al’s by a brewery in Bellefonte.

“Most of those are unique beers and they’re always switched out,” Coppeta said. “Probably at least 15 are switched out weekly.”

The unique beers come from small craft breweries “and they’re just happy to have someone sell it.”

Coppeta said they order from all over the state and that the breweries create specific beers for taverns to sell.

“There are several that contact you and ask if you’d like to try it,” Coppeta said. “They give you a description of what it tastes like. We know what our customers like, order that and put it in the cooler and on draft.”

They also have a selection of liquors, wines, bourbons, vodkas and gin.

“If someone asks for it, we usually have it,” Coppeta said. “There are so many unique things you won’t see anywhere else.”

Just as diverse are the tavern’s patrons, with Coppeta saying anyone would be hard pressed to find someone from Altoona who didn’t know where Al’s was or hadn’t eaten there.

“We’ve had everyone come into our place from the guy who takes out your trash, to congressmen and judges,” Coppeta said.

Regulars drive success

The Knickerbocker Tavern on Sixth Avenue is another Altoona mainstay, with current owner Bjorn Reed’s parents buying the establishment in February 1996.

In 1990, the Knickerbocker’s predecessor, the Variety Room, closed after more than 40 years. After six years, the previous owner sold the tavern to Reed’s parents, who had followed him to the United States from Sweden.

At the time, Reed was in law school and working a lobbying job in Washington D.C. Reed said he found that lobbying wasn’t for him and actually had a passion for the restaurant industry, so he began working at the tavern full time.

Prior to their acquisition, the tavern “was a different concept.”

“It had a small kitchen and there was only one beer on tap,” Reed said.

With “no real experience” in the industry, Reed said they opened the Knickerbocker with a new concept, which was being the only tavern selling craft beer at the time.

“We started working deliberately on beer,” Reed said. “We were constantly looking for new and putting in the leg work.”

Reed estimated that the Knickerbocker had been involved in the craft beer scene the longest in the area, and had aged beer, 30 different beers on tap and more than 500 bottles of beer at their height.

Reed said their bar is “second to none” with about 1,000 whiskey cocktails. Some customers come “just for the whiskey” and, while they are still expanding, the tavern has “a solid wine list.”

About three or four years ago, Reed said they started making “specially designed non-alcoholic cocktails.” While “mocktails” usually just taste like an assortment of juices, Reed said their non-alcohol cocktails substitute alcohol for non-alcoholic alternatives such as non-alcoholic whiskey, beer and wine.

The tavern also boasts vegan and gluten-free meal options, Reed said, and they have used local ingredients for the past 10 years.

The restaurant takes advantage of local pork, free-range eggs and grass-fed beef that comes from Thistle Creek Farms about 40 minutes away. Since switching to local, grass-fed beef, Reed said they went from selling 40 pounds of beef a week to 150 pounds.

“Supporting our community is something we believe in,” Reed said. “We’re friends with those people.”

The tavern has “always sold a bit of food” but the restaurant business has grown, while the bar remains craft-beer driven. They specialize in “new American food” with gastropub fare, which Reed described as “elevated pub food.” The menu changes seasonally about two to three times a year.

“It’s a from-scratch kitchen,” Reed said. “It’s been a tremendous effort. It’s taken us a long time to get here.”

When the tavern reopened in 1996, Reed said only he and his parents worked there before slowly beginning to hire employees.

“The front room didn’t exist,” Reed said, explaining that the doors between the kitchen and another door that led outside were closed off. The old owner of the building used that area as his living space until the tavern was expanded.

“We were fortunate to be able to get it,” Reed said.

The expansion helped accommodate the about 120 seats in the tavern’s outdoor area during the winter months.

“We were not busy, and then we were busy,” Reed said of opening the outdoor dining area. “Then we began to wonder, where are we going to put all of these people in the winter?”

Reed said they also own the four upstairs apartments, the old glass shop and garage across the street, as well as the parking lot on the next block, across from the Knickerbocker row homes.

The tavern and row homes were constructed by the Knickerbocker construction company out of Philadelphia in 1904 and emblazoned its name in red at the top of the building, from which the tavern took its name. The tavern still has its original chandeliers and sports vintage cigarette advertisements on its walls from the antique shop Reed’s parents owned before the Knickerbocker.

“It’s a good, clean, fun family business,” Reed said. “There’s a lady that’s worked here for 19 years who has been cooking for 40 years.”

The business has low turnover, with all employees having worked there for between eight and 15 years, Reed said. They also have “an unbelievable amount of regulars.”

“We’re very grateful for our regulars,” Reed said. “They are what makes us special.”

In addition to being a tavern and restaurant, Reed said the Knickerbocker caters and can be rented out for private events.

“It’s something we’ve always done, but we’re expanding on it,” Reed said.

They also stay involved in the community by doing charity work.

“We feel very much like a part of the community,” Reed said. “It feels like we’ve been here longer than we have been.”

Seafood a draw

The Bedford Tavern on Pitt Street in Bedford Borough is similarly ingrained in its community, with its building being “a little over 200 years old,” owner Jeffrey Rinscheid said.

“It’s been a food and beverage establishment since 1946 with two names and three owners,” Rinscheid said.

The restaurant was owned by the same family from about 1849 to about 1940, Rinscheid said, before becoming a pharmacy and then briefly a dentist’s office. In the mid-1940s the Stayer family bought the property and it became known as Stayers.

Rinscheid has owned the establishment for about 18 years, he said.

“I used to work in telecommunications and software in Pittsburgh,” Rinscheid said. “My ex-wife and I used to come to Bedford three weekends a month to get the heck away.”

Rinscheid said one night, the previous restaurant owner told them they had a contract to sell the building to a chain. Rinscheid told the owner to let him know if that deal fell through.

“The next thing I knew, I was negotiating buying a restaurant,” Rinscheid said. “At the time, Bedford only had one other place to eat for dinner and it was a pizza place, so I put a lot of money into putting in two dining rooms.”

A year later, the Bedford Springs reopened, followed by “more than a dozen restaurants.”

“The more choices you have, the more people you’ll attract, but I think the statistics would show it’s oversaturated,” Rinscheid said.

He assumed bigger was better and also put in a large kitchen, but found that cooks “really want a smaller kitchen so there aren’t so many steps.”

“It’s a learning experience or a great practical joke I played on myself, depending on how things turn out,” Rinscheid said.

A seafood restaurant, Rinscheid said their scallops come from Argentina, while their crab legs come from the North Sea, just off the coast of Scotland.

They also serve Chesapeake Bay oysters, Rinscheid said.

With a liquor license in hand, the downstairs of the building remains a big sports bar and serves food like wings and burgers.

“Upstairs is a bit quieter,” Rinscheid said. “We’re basically open 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. six nights a week, so we’re looking at the dinner crowd.”

Customers shouldn’t go to the Bedford Tavern seeking out steak, though, as Rinscheid tries to “stick to the seafood, with bar food mixed in.”

“You can’t be everything to everybody,” Rinscheid said. “If you come in for a steak, I’ll tell you where the good steaks are.”

‘Haunted’ dwellings

One thing customers at the Bedford Tavern may be able to find, however, are “employees and patrons long since passed away,” according to its website.

Under a section called “Hauntings!” the tavern details various encounters that Rinscheid, employees and customers have allegedly experienced. One such encounter states that about 40 eggs in the restaurant’s walk-in cooler had been spread all over the floor. All of the eggs were reportedly unbroken, while the eggs’ container wasn’t overturned.

Another alleges that a server-bartender walked into the building’s front dining room while the restaurant was closed in the morning’s early hours, only to see a black, hooded figure that quickly disappeared.

A customer reported hearing someone call her name three times while she was sitting at the bar by herself, despite the TV being muted. Rinscheid himself also included his own story, writing that he came into work 15 minutes before opening to find a crawl space open, which he described as a “no-no.”

Rinscheid wrote that he “chided the bar manager for leaving it open.”

“She, in turn, remarked that she was surprised it had been open when she arrived, so she closed it,” Rinscheid wrote. “When they looked back at the door, it was open again.”

Another allegedly haunted location in Bedford is the Jean Bonnet Tavern, although Callihan said he never knows how to answer the “haunted questions because it makes you sound crazy.”

“It’s an old building,” Callihan said. “I’ve literally seen and witnessed every single ghost we have. There’s seven of them.”

Callihan said they usually just let those looking for encounters wander around the property.

During his own time there, Callihan said he’s learned the ghosts’ idiosyncrasies and has even accidentally talked to them. One such ghost is William, who was hanged in the building after being accused of stealing horses.

“His neck is broken from being hanged,” Callihan said. “You’ll hear him say ‘I’m not ready.’ He says he’s bored.”

Callihan and the employees aren’t at the tavern overnight, so everything they see happens during the day.

“Sometimes it’ll be really busy and we’ll see William traipse through the dining room,” Callihan said. “It’s just unique.”

Callihan said a lot of people will stay at the tavern to see if they can have their own encounters.

“That is a big draw,” Callihan said.

Mirror Staff Writer Rachel Foor is at 814-946-7458.