SCRANTON, Pa. — Wisteria is the spring pop-up bar coming to Scranton for the next month.
Allison Mayer wants to own her own restaurant one day, so for now, getting to run Wisteria is a dream come true for her.
"They've just taught me so much—from ordering to inventory to actually working at a bar. I never worked at a bar before I came here," Mayer said.
409 on Adams is the student-run restaurant operated and managed by the culinary and hospitality students at Lackawanna College.
You may remember Blitzen, the holiday-themed pop-up bar that has come to 409 on Adams at Lackawanna College for the past two years.
"The community has really come together to support us for Blitzen, so we figured why not give it a shot for something totally different? It's a whole different vibe," said Kristen McNally, director of Lackawanna College's School of Hospitality.
That's where Julia Koerwer comes in. She's an English major at Lackawanna College. During her professional writing studies class, she created the theme and the narrative. She says she wanted the spot to feel like a fairytale for adults.
I just want them to feel like they're stepping into another world. I want them to forget about their day at work, forget about all their problems, but feel like a storybook come to life," Koerwer said.
The storybook come to life was made possible by architecture students at Marywood University. They built almost everything by hand, from the tables to the benches, the bars, the wall frames, and all of the decor.
"It's very different from designing your own project on the computer to a real-life project that now other people are experiencing, not just you," said Isabella Coleman, a Marywood architecture student.
Wisteria officially opens for the spring semester on Wednesday night. Food will be served until 9 p.m., and drinks until the dragon sleeps. And speaking of dragons, there will be hidden dragons throughout the bar each night. If you find one, your drink is on the dragon.
"I probably have about 12 people coming; I invited everyone I know. I'm just really proud of everything that we do here, so having them come here is important to me," Mayer said.
Wisteria will be open every Wednesday and Thursday night from now until May 9. Reservations are recommended but walk-ins are welcome.