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| Penny Lane was established in 1994 by Pat & Theresa Duggan, Roy Ashcroft, and Mark Tarpin. Prior to that the building was an auto parts store. The Duggans hailed from Liverpool where, in their youth, they actually knew The Beatles! And although none of the Fab Four have yet been to Penny Lane Pub, as far as we know, George Harrison's sister was a frequent visitor years ago and was said to have loved the place. Pat & Roy, having construction backgrounds and being finish carpenters, did most of the woodwork and handiwork you still see at Penny Lane, and they put together a great little pub. The current owners of Penny Lane, Brandie & Rob Cosaert, grew up in Salt Lake City, UT, although Rob always hastens to add that he was born in Amsterdam. They were married "ages ago", when both were still too young to even drink, legally. Brandie & Rob discovered Penny Lane shortly after moving here in late 1998, after failing to find any other place in SD County as fun, or as wild as the Barbary Coast, a biker bar they frequented in SLC. Can that be? Can there be a bar in SLC, UT that's more wild than bars in San Diego County? Apparently the answer is,. yes. There's a strange phenomenon In Utah that leads to a situation wherein the counter-culture element, being in the minority, revels in, and celebrates their non-conservative behavior. Stated in simpler terms; some people party much harder in Utah to make up for the conservative majority there. There was a full-sized, raked chopper hanging by a chain, over the bar at the Barbary in those days! Brandie was known to dance on that bar on numerous occasions, and is still featured in their photo catalogs. There was a certain sense of camaraderie among SLC partiers that seemed strangely missing to Brandie & Rob in San Diego. That is, until they found Penny Lane. Both Brandie & Rob have always been avid music fans, with a special devotion to the Beatles, and other classic rock bands, many of which the Beatles inspired. So, when they walked into a place that was a tribute to "the best band ever", they felt right at home. At Penny Lane they found a friendly, casual atmosphere, that seemed welcoming to everyone, that celebrated great music, and all the better things in life. And, after being PL regulars for 5 years, they decided to do all they could to buy the place when Pat announced he was selling it in mid 2004. And, thanks to their efforts, the format and theme of Penny Lane have remained largely unchanged. Whether you call it The Lane, or The Penny, it has become famous for it's atmosphere. And even though it could never be called a pick-up bar, the great atmosphere at PL has spawned hundreds of relationships, many of which have lasted for years, but some of which have lasted only a few minutes. Business is going well these days, but it hasn't always been that way. As Brandie says "The restaurant business isn't nearly as profitable as most people believe, and if you don't stay on top of things, those things may just crush you." In 2006 and early 2007, while reeling in the aftermath of some family tragedies, Brandie & Rob nearly lost Penny Lane to the IRS, as well as their home and their cars. But, with help, they managed to turn things around slowly, but surely. And even though the atmosphere hasn't changed much, the improvements have been constant. The HDTVs, the carpets, the sinks, the POS system, the new & expanded deck & awning, the XM sound system & new jukebox, golf machine, improvements in the restrooms, improved A/C, and many more improvements have all helped to make the place a little nicer for customers. The menu has also been significantly improved in recent years , and their frying oil is now trans-fat free! One severe irritant to both Brandie & Rob is racism and bigotry, and their stands against them have helped Penny Lane become such a great place. Their opinions on the subject could be at least partially due to the fact that Rob is a self-proclaimed "Heinz 57 mutt" with racial lineage going back to Indonesia, Germany, Holland, Belgium, Arabia, Spain, France, India, and many other directions as well. Since their two beautiful daughters are half that mix, put together with Brandie's Norwegian / Scottish / Irish / English and Native American background, there are a lot of races to be sensitive about! But it really goes way beyond that. As Rob says "In this day & age, 123 years after Huckleberry Finn was published, 63 years after the holocaust, and 40 years after the civil rights movement in this country, there's just no room for the stupidity of racism and bigotry! We should have all learned our lessons from history by now!" There's a large sign behind the bar at Penny Lane that reads "If your racist comment is overheard, you will be asked to leave!" This has accomplished two things at Penny Lane; First, it sends a strong message to everyone, stating that all are welcome here. And, secondly, if it doesn't cause racist @$$holes to leave the premises at once, at least it gets them to keep their opinions to themselves. Having created an atmosphere of tolerance, music, & good times, Brandie & Rob like to think that Penny Lane Pub is the kind of place that John Lennon and George Harrison would have loved, and maybe the kind of place that Paul McCartney & Ringo Starr will still love. And they say a standing invitation to dinner & drinks is left open for the lads, and anyone they may want to bring along. In the meantime, it is definitely a place that all the regular customers love. And, we all hope they keep this great little pub running for many years to come. Cheers!! |