The Steel Penny 2.0
When Ed Fawcett shuttered The Steel Penny Pub in March 2011, San Angelo sighed that the end of an era had come. Downtown, with all of its buzz, had consumed its first casualty. Rumors and Evil Corporate Media newspaper articles seemed to summon its demise.
Embroiled in a nasty fight with the Texas Alcohol Beverage Commission, Fawcett decided that fighting for a chance at winning wasn’t worth the ride. And so, the old Steel Penny, the place of hundreds of magical musical memories and San Angelo— Los Lonely Boys, Blue October, Del Castillo, and so much more was set to fade out of existence.
Behind the scenes, however, Fawcett’s former manager was working on an idea. What if, he thought, we could bring back “The Penny” as most locals have called it over the years, and all of its magic, and make it better—like a “Steel Penny 2.0”?
Trey Weaver, former Navy Corpsman, was the manager of the old Steel Penny from 2003 until late 2007. And he started working there as the door security guard in 1999. He knew the regulars well. Yet, he had a clean slate and cash, why not build a bar downtown instead, I asked. “This place has a built-in crowd. A lot of faithful regulars. I know them all. They don’t want to have to drive downtown,” Trey says. “Besides that, downtown is getting crowded. I saw an opportunity for a neighborhood bar.”
Trey hooked up with Clint Baker, a well-known and successful restaurant operator, and together they hatched the idea of transforming the storied venue into The Penny Pub and Grill. “[Russ] Steel hasn’t owned this place for more than 10 years, and everyone refers to it as ‘The Penny’ anyway,” Trey says, explaining the idea behind the new name. Besides that, before the location was a bar, it was a restaurant. All of the hook-ups for a kitchen already existed. Adding a new kitchen wasn’t too difficult.
The kitchen serves a full menu of sandwiches and salads. Trey says that the Penny Cheese Steak has been the overwhelming favorite. “We ordered enough food for what we thought would be a week when we opened. It lasted three days,” Trey says. Other items to try on the menu include the Rueben, and an array of Penny Burgers. They’re full-sized, though.
The Penny has other improvements, too. New air conditioners, more lighting, more flat screens, more ceiling fans, new restaurant-style tables, refurbished restrooms, and local artists’ art on the walls.
The bar’s selection of beer was upgraded too. There are more craft beers now, including ten types of Texas beer that are available all of the time. The Penny is featuring three types of beer from the infamous St Arnold’s Brewery in Houston.
Trey Weaver and Clint Baker may be on to something: Keeping the heritage of the old Steel Penny and giving it a facelift for the 21st century.
The partners aren’t scared of the recession, either. “It’s a niche that needed to be filled,” Trey says. In the process, the new Penny Pub and Grill employs 22 people.
Let’s get out and support them!
The Penny Pub and Grill is at 2412 College Hills, San Angelo, Texas, in the 2400 Center office complex.
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