Staff meals go public at The Industry

By Megan Rowe

Every major city has at least a few restaurants that stay open until the wee hours and serve as hangouts for fellow hospitality workers at the end of their shifts. Now, a neighborhood restaurant and bar concept in Philadelphia called The Industry is betting that the general public wants to share that comfortable late-night camaraderie.

Owners Dave Garry and Heather Gleason and Chef Pat Szoke serve a host of fun, meal specials at The Industry. The name is meant as an homage to the hospitality business and as a tribute to the city’s restaurant employees. 

“The Industry is a spot for our South Philly neighbors, for people looking for a great bite and a drink and for the talented professionals who work ‘in the biz’ in the Philadelphia area,” says Gleason, a veteran of the city’s booming restaurant business. “Our specials reflect our commitment to serving affordable, delicious food and drink.”

The Industry serves the city’s only public staff meal. Every Sunday from 10 p.m. until 1 a.m. guests can enjoy an ever-changing plate of the same meal served to the staff after the evening’s service, for $6 per plate.

Szoke also created Monday Night Burger & Bubbles specials as a way of featuring The Industry Burger, a quarter-pound ground brisket burger with lettuce, tomato, onion and pickled mayo. Guests can order the burger two ways: Fine Dining style, served with either a glass of sparkling cava or brut rose for $11; or Dive Bar style, served with a bottle of Miller High Life, “The Champagne of Beers,” poured tableside for $7.50.

The restaurant also features other great deals throughout the week including: Buckets of Champagne, available every Tuesday, featuring five-bottle buckets of Miller for $10 each; and In the Biz, a 20 percent discount offered to all “industry” workers (with valid proof), seven days a week.

The Industry also serves food late, until 1 a.m. daily, and brunch throughout the afternoon, until 4 p.m., to accommodate the often unusual hours worked by industry folks.