Brookline Pub thrives under young bar manager

Taylor Hughes, the 22-year-old bar manager of The Brookline Pub, has utilized her Bachelor’s degree in psychology by turning the bar into a center for the community. She has implemented creative events to draw crowds like weekly trivia nights and holiday themed parties. Photo by Seth Culp-Ressler.

By: Carley Thieret

When 22-year-old Brookline resident Taylor Hughes began her freshman year at Point Park University, she was interested in psychology. Helping out at her parents’ bar, the Brookline Pub, was just a job she did for extra money.

Taylor will graduate in May, but now she can’t imagine leaving the Pub. Her career plans, and her role at the family business, have changed dramatically.

While most college students spend their weekend nights drinking at bars, Taylor spends hers serving drinks as the bartender and bar manager of the Brookline Pub. She works four nights a week and does everything including bartending, waiting tables, scheduling and ordering.

“I am trying to make this the place where people my age want to hang out. I’ve lived in Brookline my entire life, and I want the Pub to be a gathering place for nightlife here,” Taylor says.

Taylor’s family bought the Pub when she was 14. They had no prior experience owning a bar.

“My parents came home one day and out of the blue said ‘We bought a bar.’ The place was kind of a dump when they bought it. We’ve done a lot to make it what it is today,” she says.

Doing a lot means they created an incredibly spacious bar with a dining area. The Pub offers daily specials that Taylor and her dad, Leo, create. Another project since the Hughes family took over the bar is remodeling the upstairs. As they had success with the downstairs portion of the bar and restaurant, they decided to expand in 2013. The upstairs portion of the Pub offers additional seating and a smaller bar, but with the same food and beverage options as downstairs.

Taylor sees herself using what she learns in her psychology classes to benefit the bar and the direction she sees it heading. The Pub sits at the center of the newly-renovated Brookline Boulevard. As more young people move to Brookline, Taylor wants the bar to grow along with the community. She engages the young newcomers, as well as the “same old barstools,” to find ways to create new specials and events for the bar.

Trivia Night is one of Taylor’s most successful events. It is held every Tuesday, and she sees a growing turnout from week to week.

“In creating events like trivia night, I see myself using my degree in a roundabout way. People use psychology in advertising and promotion, and I try to find new ways to promote the events of the bar,” Taylor says.

Her techniques are working. Taylor’s dad Leo says that Trivia Tuesdays are sometimes even  busier than weekends at the bar.

“We sometimes need three bartenders behind the bar on Tuesdays,” Leo says. “People come to eat, drink and play. It’s a really good time. That was Taylor’s thing, and it has brought us a lot of success.”

Taylor also dreamed up an annual “Boos and Booze” Halloween party. She hopes to create similar events in upcoming months.

Being the bar manager has made Taylor curious about craft beers. Taylor attends beer festivals and tasting events, where she has met people who share her passion for craft beer and have offered suggestions for new draft beer options.

The cooler behind the bar is constantly changing with a variety of new bottled beers, and there is always something innovative on tap. There is everything from light beer to seasonal and hoppy IPAs. There are always at least 70 beers available, and Taylor takes both customers’ and her dad Leo’s suggestions to heart.

That psychology degree comes in handy with dealing with fellow bartenders, as well. The Brookline Pub is a family owned restaurant in every sense of the word. There are eight bartenders, and six of them are related to Taylor.

“You can only imagine how it gets back there when it’s busy,” she said with a laugh. “I go from manager to shrink.”