PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — It’s got more bite than a cheesesteak. It costs less than the $5 toll to get over the Ben Franklin Bridge.
It’s a Philadelphia duo that’s become so iconic, Hall and Oates just might be in trouble.
We’re talking, of course, about the “Citywide Special” at Bob & Barbara's Lounge: A ¾ oz. shot of Jim Beam bourbon and a 12 oz. can of Pabst Blue Ribbon lager, all for the absurdly dangerous, wallet-friendly price of $4.
In the words of Leonard Dwight, “You can't beat that, right?”
Dwight has tended the bar at Bob & Barbara’s, where he goes by “Butchie,” for 19 years.
He’s served up a lot of “Citywides” in his day.
“It's called the 'Special’ here,” said Butchie, using pointed vernacular. “A lot of years later, bars around the city started picking it up, and [people] started calling it ‘Citywide.’ But here, Pabst Blue Ribbon and a shot of Jim Beam is called the 'Special.’”
What Butchie says is true.
Inside Bob and Barbara’s hallowed walls, which are plastered floor to ceiling with PBR memorabilia like vintage advertisements and hanging lamps, proprietors and patrons alike typically call the bar’s signature offering by its proper name, the "Special.”
But Butchie and the rest of Bob & Barbara’s team won’t begrudge you if you come in and ask for a “Citywide.” They get it.
They just want you to feel at home and have a good time.
“We're just trying to keep doing what we're known for,” said Jack Prince, Bob & Barbara’s owner.
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“When people come to Philly, where can they see a real Philly place? What's a unique place? Where can they hear live music and not spend a lot of money? We check off all those boxes.”
“The Special” is a big part of the experience.
How did Bob & Barbara’s come up with the idea to pair Jim Beam and PBR together? What has allowed the bar to keep the price so low for all these years? Why does the "Special” speak to Philadelphia so much?
The Jawncast visited the renowned Bob & Barbara’s, near the corner of 15th and South Streets, to find out.
The owner
Jack Prince bought Bob & Barbara’s, which first opened in 1969, from its original owner in 1994. Within a year or so of the purchase, Jack was put in touch with Rick Dobrowolski, pictured in the gold frame above Jack’s right shoulder. Dobrowolski, who was known best as “Rick D.,” had a lot of connections in the Philadelphia music scene. Jack credits him with being the mastermind behind the "Special.” Rick D. passed away in 2011.
“I called Rick and he agreed to book [Bob & Barbara’s] Tuesdays and Wednesdays, which were nights that we needed to fill in. He suggested that we get a case of Pabst and some Jim Beam and sell a little shot and a can of beer. He said, ‘Just make it your special.’
“I looked at the prices of stuff and [we] said, ‘Alright, $3.’ I definitely leave meat on the bone, leave money on the table. My business model is not a business model from the books. [It’s] just, ‘Are we making more than we're spending?’ If so, we're doing okay.”
The manager
Katrina Duva and her brother Oskar oversee the day-to-day operations of Bob & Barbara’s. The bar has raised the price of the "Special” just once — from $3 to $4 — since it was born nearly three decades ago. The modest bump happened a couple years before the pandemic.
“Our lives would be made easier by having a [digital] point-of-sale system, or our customers’ lives would be easier if we took credit cards. But that's not the feel of this place. We would just miss the ring of the old tombstone-style cash register. We would miss hearing those loud buttons in that drawer slam out. So it’s great, and it's not broken yet, so we're not ready to fix it. Until that day, we're holding out.”
The bartender
Leonard “Butchie” Dwight has been a bartender at Bob & Barbara’s for the last 19 years.
“Right now since I’m older, I’m just here three days a week. I open up Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday at 4 p.m. Then, after I get off at 8 p.m., I hang around [Bob & Barbara’s] a little bit because it’s so nice.
“The people are real diverse, and it's real friendly and stuff like that. Everybody who comes here is welcome, and that's why it's so sweet and nice.”
The patron
Philadelphia native Malcolm Kenyatta has essentially been going to Bob & Barbara’s Lounge since he was old enough to legally drink. The 32-year-old is a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and finished third in the 2022 Democratic U.S. Senate primary. His district covers parts of Philadelphia north of City Hall.
“There's a real magic at Bob & Barbara’s. It has this ability to straddle timelessness, but to embrace an ever-changing world in a really seamless way.
“Me and my husband Matt, after our wedding, we had our reception here. This was the first place we wanted to come to and that was never even in question. When you plan a wedding there are things you disagree on, but we were both like, ‘We have to go to Bob & Barbara’s!’
“I think what the 'Special’ does so well is…it doesn't care. It doesn't want to be anything that it's not. Bob & Barbara’s does it right, and I think it’s also like Philadelphians. We’re not going to burn down the thing that makes us ‘us,’ but we might put in a colorful jukebox along the way. We might bring in some TVs, right? But in the end, the heart and the core of it never gets diluted.”