Saloon 151 – Zukin Realty Commercial Partner Business Spotlight

In 2015, Saloon 151 first opened its doors in West Chester, PA. From day one, their mission was quite simple: to fill in the gap of a hole that was missing in our town’s downtown restaurant scene. We had the opportunity to speak to owner of Saloon 151 Frank Herron to find out what makes Saloon 151 so special, separating them form other West Chester restaurants. Zukin Realty is proud to partner with Saloon 151 during these unprecedented times; no doubt, they are an integral part of our downtown and community.

Saloon 151: A Taste of ‘Country’ in West Chester

Note: All Images Property of Saloon 151

Tell us about the history of Saloon 151 and its vision?

Well…for nearly 10 years I was the general manager of Barnaby’s in West Chester. During my tenure there, it became clear that West Chester is a very vibrant, competitive environment. But…I also discovered that the town was missing out on a great, country whiskey bar. So we opened Saloon 151 in 2015, offering amazing whiskey and bourbon and common, good, simple food. The name comes from our address, while using the word ‘saloon’ to connect to the country vibe we wanted to present.  

With so many restaurants opening in West Chester? How does Saloon 151 differentiate themselves?

We specialize in whiskey and bourbon. It’s really that simple. We have the full collection of Pappy’s in addition, we’re on our fifth barrel of a whiskey we have made ourselves. We literally travel to Kentucky twice year to develop our own special recipe.  

Doesn’t Saloon 151 have a food truck as well? Tell us more about that.

We do! We do a lot of charity events with our food truck. It is also available for hire. We can fully cater a speciality menu for each location we serve. In addition, we do a lot for West Chester sport teams, including West Chester football , basketball and field hockey camps.  

What is a staff favorite dish that many customers may not be aware of?

Hmm…that’s a tough one. It’s probably our ‘Caprese Salad’ with salmon, fresh mozzarella, and basil. Our staff loves it.

In these strange times, are you offering take-out and delivery? Any fixed hours, menu changes, etc?

We’re doing our full menu still; in fact, we’ve actually expanded our menu to include many family platters. Our hours are from 12-8 daily, with expanded hours on Friday and Saturday from 12-9. In addition, we’re excited to start booking our food truck for neighborhoods. Our first event is coming up at Exton Station, and it’s packed out. We have 85 families who have reserved a spot, and it will be compliant with social distancing; pickups and orders are staggered so everyone can get a delicious, completely fresh meal from Saloon 151 right in their very own neighborhood. It is something we hope to continue way beyond this season.  

Any closing thoughts?

We’re just super thankful for our customers; we’ve always been thankful for them, but to see how much our customers have supported us with orders and pickups in this season it has been incredible. In addition, I just feel blessed to have the employees we have. They truly are family. Ninety-five percent of our key people (managers, bartenders, chefs, etc.) have been with Saloon 151 since day one. They truly are family, and I feel very blessed. Finally, I’d like to thank St. Agnes. They truly have come around our employees and our business to make this season bearable and their support has made a very noticeable difference.