Sitting at the intersection of 14th and W Main Street, Boylan Heights has been a staple of the Corner life at the University since 2008. As part-restaurant, part-sports bar, Boylan draws students and Charlottesville locals to experience its University-themed menu and abundance of TVs placed around its two floors, especially on game days.
Many fourth-year students recall Boylan during its glory days — colloquially known as “the first-year bar,” with droves of underclassmen dancing upstairs three nights per week. However, students said that the once-bustling environment has been scarcely present since the 2023–2024 school year, replaced instead by eerily short lines and an empty dance floor.
Lauryn Kumpe, Boylan server manager and fourth-year College student, described how the bar’s reputation as a first-year bar is what once caused its popularity. At the same time, the reputation of being a haven for underclassmen is what eventually led to its downfall, according to Kumpe.
“All the first- and some second-years ended up coming to Boylan, and the upstairs was always packed,” Kumpe said. “[But the] reputation for being a first-year bar sort of became a detriment, in the sense of people being like, ‘Oh, well, no one goes there.’ … Because everyone said, ‘No one goes there,’ no one went.”
Lately, however, Boylan appears to have surmounted this lull to be in the midst of a comeback, building a new reputation with a specific customer base and an emphasis on student leadership.
“Over this past winter especially … [Boylan] is kind of getting its mojo back a little bit,” Kumpe said.
Specifically, Boylan has honed its niche to lend itself to different competitive positioning. Employees said that whereas Boylan’s atmosphere used to be that of a college bar primarily attracting underclassmen students, management is now focusing on its sports bar identity. Staff said that the new era is characterized by game-day watch parties, card games over dinner and drinks and a notably stronger upperclassmen presence.
According to Jay Dixon, Boylan regular and Charlottesville resident, Boylan’s advantage as the only real sports bar on the Corner makes it the optimal spot for students to cheer on their favorite sports teams accompanied by dinner and a cozy, friendly ambiance. Still, he said that day-to-day nightlife turnout has yet to catch on.
“If there's a U.Va. basketball game, everybody comes here because it's just a great place to watch games,” Dixon said. “[If] we’re talking about a night out, then it's gonna be eight people at the bar, and half of them are gonna be employees … There's a lack of a crowd outside of game days.”
Employees attribute much of Boylan’s rise in popularity to a managerial culture shift. Boylan staff shared that historically, multiple salaried operational managers were employed. This winter, though, many of these operational managers sought new career opportunities. Their places were filled by student managers paid hourly, giving Boylan a stronger student-focus and similar managerial structure to Trinity Irish Pub.
Jaiden Beckett-Ansa, long-time Boylan employee and fourth-year Engineering student, saw this reorganization first-hand as a customer, server, barback, bartender and eventually, student manager at Boylan. He said that while the shift to student management was a substantial restructuring, student employees stepped up to take the transition in stride.
According to Adam Fuchs, a Boylan bouncer and second-year Engineering student, Boylan staff had deliberate conversations surrounding their vision for the bar’s rebrand. In addition to increasing student managers, the rebrand aims to focus on teamwork and innovation, with new menu items, drinks and events.
“There's a big focus on new ideas coming into Boylan,” Fuchs said. “Management's trying to keep the ideas like that flowing of new menu items, new drinks, new events.”
Some of these events include the option for Contracted Independent Organizations and other organizations to rent out portions or the entirety of the bar for bar tabs and events. According to Grace Mozolewski, fourth-year College student and regular Boylan patron, management has made an effort to reach out to different organizations, encouraging them to host events at Boylan.
“I definitely do see the resurgence,” Mozolewski said. “Recently, I had a date function there, and it was super fun. And I think recently people just go to get food and hang out more and go get drinks because it is a great bar.”
Along with trivia held upstairs every Wednesday night, as well as the option for private groups to rent out the venue, Boylan hosts public gatherings for sporting events and other holidays like Oktoberfest and St. Patrick’s Day. These gatherings often feature themed drinks and decorations — the bar’s Super Bowl celebration offered the Patriot Pint, a shirly-temple-esque vodka-based mixed drink and the Seattle Sip, a rum-based cocktail with blue curacao to celebrate the game.
Kumpe echoed how this collaboration, creativity and commitment to open discussion of the employee culture with Boylan’s rebrand has led to a more positive work environment.
“Before, I felt like there would be a lot of blame,” Kumpe said. “Now I feel like there's a much more open environment with that. And I just think that even my relationship with people who come in has changed … I am just happier when I'm working.”
This openness carries over to employees off the clock as well. According to Fuchs, many employees of the restaurant are often patrons on their day off, accompanied by groups of friends. Similarly, those same groups of friends can be seen crowded by the bar or at a table visiting their friend on shift.
For Beckett-Ansa, working in a connected environment like Boylan has even posed unexpected perks. On an ordinary Monday on the job, he met his current mentor who went to dental school at Virginia Commonwealth University. According to Beckett-Ansa, this connection influenced his decision to attend VCU School of Dentistry next year.
“If it wasn't for me working on a random Monday where I met my mentor who went to dental school at VCU, I don't think I would have had the opportunity to be going to VCU next year for dental school,” Beckett-Ansa said. “The networking and the community I've been able to build around, it has just been so amazing.”
Ultimately, Boylan’s rebrand has shown promise for its revitalization. Gone are the days of being exclusively “the first-year bar” — with new versatility, management and event-planning opportunities, Boylan is evolving alongside its patrons to remain a staple of University life on the Corner.
“It's just a jack of all trades, in my opinion,” Beckett-Ansa said. “You get to watch your sports … You get to eat amazing food … It can be a place where, if you just want to even go there and do work on a casual Monday, you can still do that.”
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