The popular local chain is adding a fourth location…
Downtown Scranton is about to get a new entry in the battle of “where to drink and dine,” and it’s coming from the locally rooted Benny’s chain. They’ve announced that their fourth location will open in the historic site of the former Kildare’s Pub/Railyard spot — a space that already carries the kerfuffle, laughter, and last-call stories of a neighborhood pub.
The place and the promise…
Walking into that old Kildare’s spot, you’d feel the echoes of good times: live music, sticky floors, easy laughter, early-morning leftovers. Benny’s is inheriting more than a building: it’s inheriting a mood. Scranton’s downtown has been on the upswing over the past few years, trying to ignite a nightlife and restaurant scene that honors its walkability, its history, and its rough-around-the-edges charm. Benny’s is betting it can contribute to the downtown Renaissance.
The chain is already known in the region — meaning they’ve passed the “first-night jitters.” But the bigger question is: can they carry forward a local authenticity into a fourth iteration without making it feel like a bland, corporate clone? The good news: the precedent suggests they know how to make a community bar-restaurant work.
A little background on Benny’s…
Benny’s began as the shared dream of two high school friends, who opened the first location in Peckville in 2016. That original Benny’s, tucked along Main Street in Peckville, quickly earned its place as a neighborhood hub: equal parts pizza joint, sports bar, and community gathering space.
With twelve beers on tap, a dozen TVs, and more than thirty wing sauces, it was the kind of casual, familiar place where the bartender knew your drink before you ordered it. From the start, Benny’s wasn’t trying to be fancy—it was trying to be good — local beer, dependable food, and a staff that treated regulars like family.
The formula worked. In July 2023, the team expanded with Benny’s of Clarks Summit, a slightly more polished but still unpretentious offshoot that found its footing in the heart of the Abingtons.
It was followed in March 2024 by a Green Ridge location in Scranton, opened in the former Morgan’z Pub & Eatery at 315 Green Ridge Street. Each new Benny’s carried a little more refinement and a slightly different vibe, but never strayed from the original spirit. The same straightforward bar fare, the same rotating local drafts, and the same neighborhood energy followed them from town to town.
Now, as of October 2025, Benny’s is preparing to open its fourth restaurant in the former Kildare’s Pub/Railyard space in downtown Scranton—a site with deep nightlife roots. What began as one small-town bar in 2016 has grown into a regional mini-chain that now must be considered an NEPA institution.
Those two high school friends have expanded methodically, keeping the focus tight on Northeastern Pennsylvania, building not an empire but a series of community rooms stitched together by familiar menus, familiar faces, and a shared belief that the best nights start with a cold beer and a good conversation.
What to expect (and what to hope for)…
So for the Scranton location, I expect (and hope) the following:
- The wings and pizza will be on point. While each Benny’s location has a different menu, the pizza and wings at all of them absolutely slap. I expect nothing less at the new downtown joint.
- A space that embraces the building’s pub heritage: wood tables, bar stools, TVs for sports, maybe some live music nights—but also corners where you can lean in and have a proper meal.
- Quality and consistency: It’s not an accident that we’re about to have four Benny’s locations. The food and service across all the locations have always been solid.
What do you think?
What are your thoughts on the news of Benny’s opening a new location in downtown Scranton? Tell us all about it in the comments section below.
