Same pizza, new owner as Clank’s reopens in Hook
But the man behind Clank’s Bar promises the pizza will be the same
MARCUS HOOK >> Same name, same pizza, new owners for Clank’s Bar in Marcus Hook, which will celebrate its grand reopening on Friday.
“Still the family shop with a pub for mom and pop,” the slogan goes for Clank’s, which under new owner Andrew Newborn, 43, of the Bridesburg section of Northeast Philadelphia, will keep the recipe to the Sicilian-style pizza that made the restaurant-bar famous.
“We were able to keep the same recipes for the chicken wings and the pizza,” Newborn said, who purchased the building at 326 Market St. in Marcus Hook from previous owner Dawn Clymer. She shut it down unexpectedly in November.
Now with draft beer and delivery pizza, the new Clank’s is set to carry on the longstanding tradition as a Marcus Hook institution, known across the region for its pizza.
Newborn, who previously operated Red Zone Sports Bar in Upper Chichester and a “gentleman’s club” in Philadelphia among other places, said he’s been fortunate to carry on businesses from their previous iterations, Clank’s being no different. He said beyond the necessary “enhancements” he wanted to keep the place the way people remembered.
“I wanted to make sure their system was something we’d follow,” he said. “We have people who come up from Maryland or down from Philadelphia who love the pizza.”
Laughing at the number of times patrons have walked in and said, “I’ve been coming here for years,” sometimes going back decades, Newborn said he is hopeful to carry on the spirit of the bar.
Established in the 1950s, Clank’s never changed much. The Clymers, Dawn and Michael, were were fifth owners to hold the Clank’s name. The pizza remained the same throughout the changing of hands.
The pizza, served in a cast iron deep dish, Sicilian-style with the cheese on the bottom, sliced — not grated — mozzarella, topped with sauce and best with pepperoni placed orderly with an even number per slice, Clank’s Pizza was voted Best Pizza in Delco by readers of the Daily Times in 2014.
Newborn said that since he’s taken over some long-time regulars have popped in to give him some advice to keeping the pizza the same.
“One long-time customer told me that we used too much sauce,” Newborn laughed, adding that the next time the man came to eat he flashed Newborn the “okay” sign with the smile while digging in.
Complete with new televisions, a pool table and dart boards, Clank’s will soon be home to a pool league, dart league and a softball league. The faux brick wall is still there, as are much of the old aesthetics like the liquor bottle lamps, but sadly the cutout of the Eagles fan desecrating a Cowboys helmet is gone.
With a dozen or so employees, most of them from the Marcus Hook area or surrounding communities, Newborn said he wanted to hire as many people from the community as possible, including a few returning employees.
Today there will be a fundraiser, another staple carried over from the Clymer’s, to raise money for a local family caring for a child whose young mother died of an overdose.
“We wanted to keep the tradition while bringing something new,” Newborn said.
Friday Clank’s will celebrate the grand reopening with $0.75 wings, $12 large pizzas, Jell-O shots, deals on domestic beer and a 50/50 raffle. It’s open daily from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. with the kitchen staying open until 1:30 a.m.