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Non-Profit considers take over of Doyle hotel.

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    • I've only seen videos of the place but from what I've seen they'd better hope that a change of ownership/whatever value of renovation they plan doesn't require bringing it up to current fire codes or they're going to be spending a LOT more money than they think. I know the place is a trail icon (legend?), and if I ever pass through I'd stop by for a beer and food but you won't see this firefighter staying overnight. Flippin' deathtrap. Again, only based on videos, but it doesn't take a lot to see that place is scary.
      Do your duty in all things. You cannot do more, you should never wish to do less. - Robert E. Lee
    • oz had a good point when he said that if you stay at the doyle the first thing you do is to figure out the fire exit in case you need it in the middle of the nite.

      40 cent drafts and $11 rooms on my thru. i ate at an italian place and stayed at the doyle. i still hope to get up there this summer and if i do i'll reverse that; eat at the doyle and stay somewhere else.

      when i left on a thursday morning -- closer to breakfast time than to lunch -- i was surprised to see a few people at the bar drinking. i thot that was pretty depressing.
      2,000 miler
    • The Doyle is hole, a rat trap, a fire hazard, a hazardous materials nightmare. But it is a legend with a lot of character and characters and I hope it survives.

      But next time I'm staying down by the river after I have my two beers and cheeseburger.
      "Dazed and Confused"
      Recycle, re-use, re-purpose
      Plant a tree
      Take a kid hiking
      Make a difference
    • I think the only reason it is still open is tht it's on on going business. I dealt with a similar senario when I did commercial real estate. Powers at the time didn't renew a lease at a restaraunt, wanting to combine it to abutting hotel they owned. Once shut down, to reopen it had to be brought up to code. $$$$ to do with an old building. Was cheaper to just demo it.

      I hate seeing old historic building torn down, but the alternative if there was ever a fire could be far worse. Restoration & bringing it up to code would take sevral hundreds of thousands. if not more. Even as an historic property if you could secure a low intrest loan, how would you pay it off? Not likely with seasonal hikers.
    • I agree with grinder. Anytime you do more than a certain amount of renovation (% based on local codes) you have to bring the whole thing up to code, loopholes include historic building which then put you into a whole nother set of problems, repairing as you go is another way around a bunch of hassles...time will tell. Either way I could care less.
    • mental note wrote:

      jimmyjam wrote:

      So long as vegans don't take over the Doyle, I'm all for it. Gotta have my cheeseburger.
      yup, no cob salad! :D
      A cobb salad always has chicken or turkey and bacon and blue cheese and egg. It is the salad that is the most anti-vegan of any salad.
      Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.
      Dr. Seuss Cof123
    • Rasty wrote:

      mental note wrote:

      jimmyjam wrote:

      So long as vegans don't take over the Doyle, I'm all for it. Gotta have my cheeseburger.
      yup, no cob salad! :D
      A cobb salad always has chicken or turkey and bacon and blue cheese and egg. It is the salad that is the most anti-vegan of any salad.
      good point! I know he said vegan but In my mind I was thinkin' somethin' else. ...and Huge Thank You :D

      The post was edited 2 times, last by Socks ().

    • Kathy and I made a stop at the Doyle when we hiked that part of PA.
      We got there about 11AM and left at 2PM.
      We ate like pigs, we shared a large salad, shared a basket of cheese fries, and each had a giant burger.
      Kathy dragged me out of there when she did so I wouldn't order yet another 22 ounce Yuengling.
      My sweat smelled like beer going up the mountain south of town...lol
    • here's an excerpt from a yelper's review. he's not a fan...

      gonna have to get this image out my mind before my visit. although -- he makes a really valid point. i wonder if they have bottled beer. :)



      3) "But the food is great."

      This one is incomprehensible to me. If an owner can't manage to remove dead insects, mop, sweep, or vacuum, WHY-OH-WHY-OH-WHY would you assume they would maintain cleanliness in a kitchen? To eat at this place borders on madness, in my view. No, I did not order any food. Why would I? Nor did I order any beer on tap. Care to guess how often, if ever, they've cleaned the taps on this place? The tubes for the beer probably look like Ron Jeremy's urethra.

      Whether the food "tastes delicious" or not is totally irrelevant. It's about hygiene and this establishment makes its position on cleanliness totally clear.
      2,000 miler
    • max.patch wrote:

      here's an excerpt from a yelper's review. he's not a fan...

      gonna have to get this image out my mind before my visit. although -- he makes a really valid point. i wonder if they have bottled beer. :)



      3) "But the food is great."

      This one is incomprehensible to me. If an owner can't manage to remove dead insects, mop, sweep, or vacuum, WHY-OH-WHY-OH-WHY would you assume they would maintain cleanliness in a kitchen? To eat at this place borders on madness, in my view. No, I did not order any food. Why would I? Nor did I order any beer on tap. Care to guess how often, if ever, they've cleaned the taps on this place? The tubes for the beer probably look like Ron Jeremy's urethra.

      Whether the food "tastes delicious" or not is totally irrelevant. It's about hygiene and this establishment makes its position on cleanliness totally clear.
      I've worked in enough commercial kitchens to know most restaurants are filthy, and completely correctable, bad management starts at the top. Give a guy a pail and stiff brush and let em have it.
    • mental note wrote:

      max.patch wrote:

      here's an excerpt from a yelper's review. he's not a fan...

      gonna have to get this image out my mind before my visit. although -- he makes a really valid point. i wonder if they have bottled beer. :)



      3) "But the food is great."

      This one is incomprehensible to me. If an owner can't manage to remove dead insects, mop, sweep, or vacuum, WHY-OH-WHY-OH-WHY would you assume they would maintain cleanliness in a kitchen? To eat at this place borders on madness, in my view. No, I did not order any food. Why would I? Nor did I order any beer on tap. Care to guess how often, if ever, they've cleaned the taps on this place? The tubes for the beer probably look like Ron Jeremy's urethra.

      Whether the food "tastes delicious" or not is totally irrelevant. It's about hygiene and this establishment makes its position on cleanliness totally clear.
      I've worked in enough commercial kitchens to know most restaurants are filthy, and completely correctable, bad management starts at the top. Give a guy a pail and stiff brush and let em have it.
      whenever gordon ramsey or robert irvine show up to save a failing restaurant the kitchens are always nasty. staged or not, its always a highlight when chef irvine sees something particularly vile and then throws up off camera. :)
      2,000 miler
    • max.patch wrote:

      mental note wrote:

      max.patch wrote:

      here's an excerpt from a yelper's review. he's not a fan...

      gonna have to get this image out my mind before my visit. although -- he makes a really valid point. i wonder if they have bottled beer. :)



      3) "But the food is great."

      This one is incomprehensible to me. If an owner can't manage to remove dead insects, mop, sweep, or vacuum, WHY-OH-WHY-OH-WHY would you assume they would maintain cleanliness in a kitchen? To eat at this place borders on madness, in my view. No, I did not order any food. Why would I? Nor did I order any beer on tap. Care to guess how often, if ever, they've cleaned the taps on this place? The tubes for the beer probably look like Ron Jeremy's urethra.

      Whether the food "tastes delicious" or not is totally irrelevant. It's about hygiene and this establishment makes its position on cleanliness totally clear.
      I've worked in enough commercial kitchens to know most restaurants are filthy, and completely correctable, bad management starts at the top. Give a guy a pail and stiff brush and let em have it.
      whenever gordon ramsey or robert irvine show up to save a failing restaurant the kitchens are always nasty. staged or not, its always a highlight when chef irvine sees something particularly vile and then throws up off camera. :)
      And then Bear Grylls shows up and says Wait I can eat that.
      "Dazed and Confused"
      Recycle, re-use, re-purpose
      Plant a tree
      Take a kid hiking
      Make a difference
    • jimmyjam wrote:

      max.patch wrote:

      mental note wrote:

      max.patch wrote:

      here's an excerpt from a yelper's review. he's not a fan...

      gonna have to get this image out my mind before my visit. although -- he makes a really valid point. i wonder if they have bottled beer. :)



      3) "But the food is great."

      This one is incomprehensible to me. If an owner can't manage to remove dead insects, mop, sweep, or vacuum, WHY-OH-WHY-OH-WHY would you assume they would maintain cleanliness in a kitchen? To eat at this place borders on madness, in my view. No, I did not order any food. Why would I? Nor did I order any beer on tap. Care to guess how often, if ever, they've cleaned the taps on this place? The tubes for the beer probably look like Ron Jeremy's urethra.

      Whether the food "tastes delicious" or not is totally irrelevant. It's about hygiene and this establishment makes its position on cleanliness totally clear.
      I've worked in enough commercial kitchens to know most restaurants are filthy, and completely correctable, bad management starts at the top. Give a guy a pail and stiff brush and let em have it.
      whenever gordon ramsey or robert irvine show up to save a failing restaurant the kitchens are always nasty. staged or not, its always a highlight when chef irvine sees something particularly vile and then throws up off camera. :)
      And then Bear Grylls shows up and says Wait I can eat that.
      ...and make a fur vest out of its skin so the guys working in the freezer can survive those chilly tempature and not call out sick with the sniffles.
    • Dumb question...

      Is it possible to moth-ball the rest of the hotel and just keep the restaurant and bar open? Seems the bar/restaurant is semi-profitable at least. The lodging just seems to drain what little profit is made from the bar.

      Just one idea. As I said, may or may not be realistic.
    • Not a dumb question at all Mags. It would be similar to a retail type tenant in a strip shopping center or other building. The bar/restaurant area would have to be separated from the rest of the building with a fire wall and probably a fire rated ceiling too. Everthing within that space would have to be brought up to meet the current building and health codes.
      "Dazed and Confused"
      Recycle, re-use, re-purpose
      Plant a tree
      Take a kid hiking
      Make a difference
    • Never having been to the Doyle, I can't see the appeal of sleeping or eating in a fire hazard rat trap.

      Eventually, those with sentimental attachment to the place will be few in numbers and the Doyle will have a hard(er) time enticing newbies to visit. It seems that even the old timers don't want to stay there.

      I just don't see a future for the place. The most logical thing to do is tear it down, put up a nice remembrance plaque, and maybe erect a new building.
      Lost in the right direction.
    • PaulMags wrote:

      Dumb question...

      Is it possible to moth-ball the rest of the hotel and just keep the restaurant and bar open? Seems the bar/restaurant is semi-profitable at least. The lodging just seems to drain what little profit is made from the bar.

      Just one idea. As I said, may or may not be realistic.
      not a dumb question cuz i've thot the same thing. :)

      just speculating, since i don't have access to the financial records, but since they obviously don't spend money on maids cleaning up the place, or a maintenance man taking care of stuff (man - that guy would be busy!), or a front desk clerk (when i was there we just paid the bartender) i bet that most of $25 they get per room has no offsetting expenses (other than some water and electricity) and should be almost all gross profit.
      2,000 miler

      The post was edited 1 time, last by max.patch ().

    • PaulMags wrote:

      Dumb question...

      Is it possible to moth-ball the rest of the hotel and just keep the restaurant and bar open? Seems the bar/restaurant is semi-profitable at least. The lodging just seems to drain what little profit is made from the bar.

      Just one idea. As I said, may or may not be realistic.
      honestly I have no idea, I don't recall off hand having ever seen that done before, but I don't see why not as long as there aren't safety issues...put a new roof on the thing, dry in the sides and lock the doors leading up.
    • TrafficJam wrote:

      Never having been to the Doyle, I can't see the appeal of sleeping or eating in a fire hazard rat trap.

      Eventually, those with sentimental attachment to the place will be few in numbers and the Doyle will have a hard(er) time enticing newbies to visit. It seems that even the old timers don't want to stay there.

      I just don't see a future for the place. The most logical thing to do is tear it down, put up a nice remembrance plaque, and maybe erect a new building.
      its tradition, its part of the experience; i think hikers will continue to eat, drink, and sleep at the doyle as long as the joint is standing.

      and while i have no desire to ever spend the nite there again, i recommend (after making sure they realize the place is a dump) to thru hikers that they get the whole experience and spend the nite. it's a lifetime of memories.

      i agree that the place does not have a long term future unless taxpayers get hit with the bill to fix it up.
      2,000 miler
    • max.patch wrote:

      TrafficJam wrote:

      Never having been to the Doyle, I can't see the appeal of sleeping or eating in a fire hazard rat trap.

      Eventually, those with sentimental attachment to the place will be few in numbers and the Doyle will have a hard(er) time enticing newbies to visit. It seems that even the old timers don't want to stay there.

      I just don't see a future for the place. The most logical thing to do is tear it down, put up a nice remembrance plaque, and maybe erect a new building.
      its tradition, its part of the experience
      i have no desire to ever spend the nite there again,


      i recommend (after making sure they realize the place is a dump) to thru hikers that they get the whole experience and spend the nite. it's a lifetime of memories.
      (This is a curious and puzzling concept. For me, it's similar to the adage about jumping off a bridge) :)

      Isn't the AT "experience" all about finding one's own way and isn't each journey individual? Will missing the life-long memories of staying at the Doyle really impact a person's thru-hike? Staying at the Doyle is your memory, future thru-hikers will have their own amazing, life-long memories.

      Life moves on, building's decay, traditions come to an end and new one's take their place. It makes us nostalgic for 'the good old days'. It's why we reminisce so much in the Cafe.

      I hope the Doyle can be saved, but if not, c'est la vie.

      :)
      Lost in the right direction.
    • jimmyjam wrote:

      The appeal for me was getting to have a beer and socialize with other hikers and the owners. Also the place has some really nice architecture and trim details and my mind can see it was quite the place in its day.
      I agree with jimmyjam 100%. I'm glad we stopped there to jaw bone with the other hikers and to have a calorie filled meal. Then we continued southbound to the next shelter, where the stream that was the water source was stocked with beer 8o :D :thumbsup:
    • ya go to philadelphia and ya go to pats or genos. or both.

      ya go to nyc and ya go to the top of the empire state building, look at the statue of liberty, and take in a play.

      ya go to paris and ya go to the eiffel tower.

      ya thru hike the AT and ya go to the doyle.

      just becasue.
      2,000 miler
    • LIhikers wrote:

      jimmyjam wrote:

      The appeal for me was getting to have a beer and socialize with other hikers and the owners. Also the place has some really nice architecture and trim details and my mind can see it was quite the place in its day.
      I agree with jimmyjam 100%. I'm glad we stopped there to jaw bone with the other hikers and to have a calorie filled meal. Then we continued southbound to the next shelter, where the stream that was the water source was stocked with beer 8o :D :thumbsup:
      I may grow old but I'll never grow up.