The owners of the new Park Place Pub are hoping that the updated version of the old Tonix will draw in crowds. The owners wanted to change up the feel of the place, and they decided to renovate the club into a sports bar.

“We really wanted to change it up,” said Francis Kennedy, a manager at the pub, “We wanted a place where students could have fun.”

Located at 910 Park Ave in the center of the Meadville bar area, Park Place Pub seems to be heavily aiming to appeal to the student population. It offers two full bars, a pool table and air hockey. Additionally, the regular $2 cover charge is waved for students with an Allegheny ID.

For those who can’t wait for the weekend or who just need a break from comping, Park Place is open Wednesdays and Thursdays starting at 9 p.m.

Kennedy said that so far, Park Place’s focus on students has been paying off, with a few show up each night it has been open.

Bree Diaz, ’11, had a favorable review of the newly renovated pub.

“It was clean and relaxed,” he said. “And more inviting than it used to be. Lots of music playing.”

Justin Gill, ’11, said that when he and his friends passed Park Place, they thought it looked like it might be fun.

“It looked like a typical Meadville bar with a bit more of a dance club atmosphere [inside],” Gill said.

Mike Lanman, ’11, agreed.

“It looked fine from the outside,” Lanman said. “It’s certainly different from Chipper’s or the Penny Bar.”

When asked about why the owners decided to do away with Tonix, Kennedy stated that they wanted to reinvent the bar every four or five years to keep it interesting and new.

“There are a lot of bars in Meadville and we wanted to stand out,” she said.

As an extra effort to draw in the student body, Kennedy also stated that they were interested in ideas for events from students, such as mixers and parties, or certain nights with discounted drinks for students.

“I’d go again,” said Gill. “Even though I wasn’t there for very long, it would be interesting to see what it’d be like on another day.”