40th St. bars compete for student business

When students arrived back on campus last fall, the bar scene on the 40th Street corridor was less than vibrant.

However, with the recent opening of Copabanana's O-Bar and Marathon Grill's MarBar, which joined Smokey Joe's on the corridor, some questions remain about whether the area can support all three.

While the student body has seemingly embraced MarBar, which frequently has long lines on the sidewalk on weekend nights, O-Bar has not had the same draw for students.

"I haven't even been [to O-Bar] this year, but I like going to MarBar," College sophomore Josh Siegel said.

Some student bar-hoppers mentioned that Copabanana now draws most of its clientele from the surrounding neighborhood and does not rely on students.

Manager Mike Catini said that the restaurant and bar are just taking business as it comes. "We'll continue to run specials that are geared to the student, but we'll cater to everyone who comes in."

Copabanana and O-Bar management feel the surge in business at MarBar is due to its status as the relative newcomer. "There's always that period where people go there to check it out," Catini said.

MarBar owner Cary Borish agreed, saying that he expects that all three bars on the corridor can coexist.

"I feel like [the other bars] are different from us," he said.

Even with the new variety, some students are nostalgic about 40th Street's former offerings.

"What happened to the days when cheesesteak joints didn't try to be chic and serve drinks in martini glasses? Bring back Billybob's, a restaurant which had no pretenses about what it was," Wharton junior Greg Golkin said.

Perhaps the least chic of the trio, Smokey Joe's has seen a regular clientele base, and managers believe it remains the anchor of the campus bar scene.

Further, the multitude of bars now poses an advantage, according to owners.

"I've been waiting 30 years for University City to become the spot in Philadelphia. I was tired of students always telling me how cool Old City and South Street and Manayunk are," Smokey Joe's owner Paul Ryan said.

Ryan sees the new additions turning University City into a multifaceted destination, rather than just a small competitive market. "Now, University City, with all the new places, should be the college students' destination in Philly -- and Penn students are the host."

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