Looney's Pub is a

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

-based chain of Irish sports-bars with four locations throughout the state. Looney's is known for its fresh crab options in the form of pretzels, dips and crab cakes.

History

On May 4, 1912, President

William Howard Taft William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857March 8, 1930) served as the 27th president of the United States from 1909 to 1913 and the tenth chief justice of the United States from 1921 to 1930. He is the only person to have held both offices. ...

visited downtown

Bel Air, Maryland The town of Bel Air is the county seat of Harford County, Maryland, Harford County, Maryland. According to the 2020 United States census, the population of the town was 10,661. The United States Census Bureau defines an urban area in northeast ...

where he gave an informal speech at the Main Street Court House. Later,

President Taft William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857March 8, 1930) served as the 27th president of the United States from 1909 to 1913 and the tenth chief justice of the United States from 1921 to 1930. He is the only person to have held both offices. ...

visited the Kenmore Inn, now home to Looney's Pub – Bel Air where he ate a "hasty sandwich" before heading South to

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

to give a speech. Looney's Pub – Canton, the first location was founded in 1993 by co-owners Bill Larney and Steve Litrenta. Looney's is one of the oldest bars in the Canton area. Looney's Pub – North, also known as Bel Air, was opened in the autumn of 2002 in downtown Bel Air, Maryland. In 2017, the Bel Air location began to seek approval from the Board of Appeals in Bel Air Town Hall to build a patio and outdoor bar along South Main Street. Previously, this location was doubled in size, by nearly 5,000 square feet, in 2007. Annually, this location has a workforce of approximately 125 people a year. In 2009, Looney's expanded to the Maple Lawn area of southern

Howard County, Maryland Howard County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population is 334,529. Since there are no incorporated municipalities, there is no incorporated coun ...

. The newest location, in

College Park, Maryland College Park is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, located approximately from the northeast border of Washington, D.C. Its population was 34,740 at the 2020 United States census. It is the home of the University of Mary ...

adjacent to the main campus of the

University of Maryland, College Park The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1856, UMD i ...

in the Varsity Apartment Complex was opened in September 2011. This was the culmination of two years of planning and four months of construction. Looney's Pub – College Park was next door to the now closed celebrity chef

Bobby Flay Robert William "Bobby" Flay (born December 10, 1964) is an American celebrity chef, food writer, restaurateur, and Television presenter, television personality. Flay is the owner and Chef de cuisine, executive chef of several restaurants and fr ...

establishment, Bobby's Burger Palace.

Reception

Looney's Pub is successful in each of its four locations. Pub clientele have included politicians, musicians, and athletes including Emmy Winning Journalist and Filmmaker Amber Theoharis, former county executive and

councilman A councillor, alternatively councilman, councilwoman, councilperson, or council member, is someone who sits on, votes in, or is a member of, a council. This is typically an elected representative of an electoral district in a municipal or regio ...

, Ken Ulman,

Gregory Fox,

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the Univ ...

wrestler, Spencer Myers, and

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...

athletes, Matt Robinson and

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (since 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's All-star, star players. The format has changed ...

and

Super Bowl XLVII Super Bowl XLVII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Baltimore Ravens and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion San Francisco 49ers to decide the National Football League (NFL) champio ...

player

Vonta Leach Terzell Vonta Leach ( ; born November 6, 1981) is an American former professional football player who was a fullback for ten seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2 ...

. In 2016, boxer Sam "The Vanilla Gorilla" Crossed starred in a

Super Bowl The Super Bowl is the annual History of the NFL championship, league championship game of the National Football League (NFL) of the United States. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966 NFL season, 1966 (with the excep ...

commercial with

Mike Tyson Michael Gerard Tyson (born June 30, 1966) is an American former professional boxer who competed between 1985 and 2024. Nicknamed "Iron Mike" and "Kid Dynamite" in his early career, and later known as "the Baddest Man on the Planet", Tyson i ...

and Tyson's son, Amir where he got knocked out. He watched the commercial live during the Super Bowl at Looney's Pub – Canton. After playing in the

Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference, among others) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Fa ...

, the

Baseball team has watched the rest of the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

Baseball Tournament at Looney's – College Park to see what their

seed In botany, a seed is a plant structure containing an embryo and stored nutrients in a protective coat called a ''testa''. More generally, the term "seed" means anything that can be Sowing, sown, which may include seed and husk or tuber. Seeds ...

would be. On September 4, 2017, Looney's Pub – Bel Air gave the WMAR-TV Good Morning Maryland shout-out.

Sports

Looney's pub is a popular hang out for

happy hour Happy hour is a marketing term for a time when a venue such as a restaurant or bar offers reduced prices on alcoholic drinks. Discounted menu items like appetizers are often served during happy hour. This is a way for bars and restaurants to ...

and for watching

Ravens Ravens may refer to: * Raven, a species of the genus ''Corvus'' of passerine birds Sports * Anderson Ravens, the intercollegiate athletic program of Anderson University in Indiana * Baltimore Ravens, a professional American football franchise * B ...

and

Orioles Oriole or Orioles may refer to: Animals * Old World oriole, colorful passerine birds in the family Oriolidae * New World oriole, a group of birds in the family Icteridae Music * The Orioles, an R&B and doo-wop group of the late 1940s and early ...

games. For locations between

and Washington, D.C., Looney's – Maple Lawn and College Park, large numbers of fans from each city gather at the sports bar. Game days where both local teams (

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

and

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

) are playing, known as the "Battle of the Beltways" or the Beltway Series are among the busiest days of the year. Local teams with large numbers of fans include the

, Redskins,

, Nationals,

Capitals Capital and its variations may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** Capital region, a metropolitan region containing the capital ** List of national capitals * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Econom ...

, and the

Maryland Terrapins The Maryland Terrapins, commonly referred to as the Terps, consist of 19 men's and women's college sports in the United States, varsity intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Maryland, College Park in National Collegiate ...

. Looney's is a frequented establishment for watching the NCAA March Madness tournament.

Music and live entertainment

Looney's Pub is known for its support of local artists. Every location has a bar, stage, and patio with live music in the form of singers, bands, and DJs playing almost daily. Musicians who have performed at Looney's include the Amish Outlaws, Kristin and the Noise, and Grace Davina.

St. Patrick's Day

St. Patrick's Day Saint Patrick's Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick (), is a religious and cultural holiday held on 17 March, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick (), the foremost patron saint of Ireland. Saint Patrick's Day was made an official Chri ...

is the busiest day of the year for Looney's Pub. Known as Looney's Patty Party Weekend, Friday-Saturday, festivities include live bands, pit beef, free breakfast buffet, drink specials, giveaways and promotions such as a free Irish breakfast buffet. Irish drinks including Jameson,

Guinness Guinness () is a stout that originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness at Guinness Brewery, St. James's Gate, Dublin, Ireland, in the 18th century. It is now owned by the British-based Multinational corporation, multinational alcoholic bever ...

, and Irish coffee all have specials. Several locations apply for special permits to serve drinks outdoors to accommodate increased crowds.

Fundraisers and community service

On August 29, 2012, in honor of Patrick "Scunny" McCusker, founder of the popular Canton restaurant Nacho Mama's who passed away in a bicycle accident in

Ocean City, Maryland Ocean City, officially the Town of Ocean City, is an Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic resort city in Worcester County, Maryland, Worcester County, Maryland, along the East Coast of the United States. The population was 6,844 at the 2020 United States c ...

, Looney's hosted a fundraiser at all four locations for the Believe in Tomorrow Children's Foundation, donating 30 percent of all sales to McCusker's favorite charity. In April 2016, Looney's Pub – Bel Air held an all-day Fallen Heroes Benefit Concert for two Harford County Sheriff's Office deputies, Senior Deputy Patrick Dailey and Deputy First Class Mark Logsdon who both passed away as the result of a shooting in Abingdon, Maryland on February 10, 2016. Co-owner Bill Larney remarked that thirty bands volunteered to perform in the two outdoor tents and three stages. Due to capacity concerns, Looneys had to turn away at least sixty other bands. The benefit concert raised $140,000 for the Sheriff's Office Benevolent Fund through an entrance fee, silent auctions, raffles, and children's events. For the month of May 2017, Looney's Pub – Canton was one of ten partnering

restaurants to raise money for Brigance Brigade Foundation's second annual "

ALS Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or—in the United States—Lou Gehrig's disease (LGD), is a rare, terminal neurodegenerative disorder that results in the progressive loss of both upper and low ...

Bites!" Campaign. This campaign established by former

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...

player O. J. Brigance and his wife Chanda Brigance raises awareness and funds to help encourage and empower people with

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or—in the United States—Lou Gehrig's disease (LGD), is a rare, Terminal illness, terminal neurodegenerative disease, neurodegenerative disorder that results i ...

, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. As part one of the partners, Looney's Pub – Canton donated proceeds for purchases of O.J. Crushes and the "Brigance" Stake & Crab Sandwich. Looney's Pub – Maple Lawn hosts fundraisers for local

Howard County Public School System The Howard County Public School System (HCPSS) is the school district that manages and runs the Public school (government funded), public schools of Howard County, Maryland. It operates under the supervision of an elected, eight-member Board of ...

schools, especially the nearby Atholton and

Reservoir A reservoir (; ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam, usually built to water storage, store fresh water, often doubling for hydroelectric power generation. Reservoirs are created by controlling a watercourse that drains an existing body of wa ...

High Schools. In November 2017, actor Josh Kelly and Brent Connor hosted an

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American Music competition, singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle (company), Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It a ...

style fundraising event for the Casey Cares Foundation at Looney's Pub – Maple Lawn. Funds were raised from ticket sales and an auction which included sports memorabilia from the Ravens and Orioles, such as a signed

Ray Lewis Raymond Anthony Lewis Jr. (born May 15, 1975) is an American former professional football player who spent his entire 17-year career as a linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football f ...

photograph.

Criticism

Councilwoman A councillor, alternatively councilman, councilwoman, councilperson, or council member, is someone who sits on, votes in, or is a member of, a council. This is typically an elected representative of an electoral district in a municipal or regio ...

Christine Nagle (Dist. 1) was wary of the opening of the College park location, noting that in her opinion there is "an emphasis on drinking." Patrick Wojahn of the College Park city council expressed concerns over lack of parking for the College Park location. These were somewhat assuaged with Litrenta's announcement that Looney's would operate a shuttle service to carry patrons to and from the restaurant similar to the service provided at its other locations. The Canton location was shut down for two days by the

Baltimore City Health Department The Baltimore City Health Department (BCHD) is the public health agency of the city of Baltimore, Maryland. BCHD convenes and collaborates with other city agencies, health care providers, community organizations and funders to "empower Baltimore ...

for multiple health code violations. Co-Owner Bill Larney responded to inquires that all issues "

ave is a Latin word, used by the Roman Empire, Romans as a salutation (greeting), salutation and greeting, meaning 'wikt:hail, hail'. It is the singular imperative mood, imperative form of the verb , which meant 'Well-being, to be well'; thus on ...

been taken care of..." remarking that they were the first issues in 23 years.

Awards and honors

* 2011: "Star of the Industry" Nomination: Favorite New Restaurant, The Restaurant Association of Maryland * 2013: Harford Award for contributions to economic and civic life, Harford County Chamber of Commerce * 2014: 2nd place for Irish Pub, Reader's Choice: Best of East Baltimore, Baltimore Guide * 2014: Best Sports Bar, Howard Magazine Best of Dining * 2015: Best Bar Food, Harford Magazine's Best of Dining * 2016: Best Bar Food, Harford Magazine's Best of Dining * 2016: Best Sports Bar, Howard Magazine Best of Dining * 2017: Best Bar Food, Harford Magazine's Best of Dining

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1993 establishments in Maryland 2002 establishments in Maryland 2009 establishments in Maryland 2011 establishments in Maryland Bel Air, Maryland Buildings and structures in Baltimore Buildings and structures in Harford County, Maryland Buildings and structures in Prince George's County, Maryland College Park, Maryland Companies based in Prince George's County, Maryland Cuisine of the Mid-Atlantic states Economy of the Southeastern United States European-American cuisine Hamburger restaurants in the United States Howard County, Maryland Irish-American culture Regional restaurant chains in the United States Restaurants established in 1993 Restaurants established in 2002 Restaurants established in 2009 Restaurants established in 2011 Restaurants in Baltimore Tourist attractions in Howard County, Maryland