We were off to hockey once again and our destination was of course Penn State University(PSU). The deal this weekend though was that all hotels and lodging within one hour of PSU were sold out because of the big football game(isn’t every game there big, lol!). We actually traveled up a few hours and stayed in Clearfield, PA at a hotel that I personally would not suggest however I will not name this establishment, because I refuse to advertise or trash a hotel that was clean, just not practical as a choice for our particular situations. As you are well aware as my avid, readers, my son has food allergies that are deadly and can send him into anaphylactic shock so we must be very careful where we eat. We managed quite well on this overnight trip to find a place to eat. No I was not compensated in any form to write about this, but I do think as a parent of a child with allergies and other parents that travel with kids with allergies it might be very helpful to know where to dine when traveling to Clearfield, PA! Lavishly live an overnighter to Clearfield, PA with me and enjoy allergen-free eating(if you have the same allergies as us)
I won’t mention the hotel, because that would be bashing, but I will tell you this, we have been in a plethora of establishments who are most happy to accommodate families of kids in hockey and this hotel(express as it may have been) WOULD not. They closed and literally kicked us out of their common room by 9P alerting us that they had to use this room in the morning for breakfast and they needed to clean it. This was the ONLY Place we could sit other than across from their front desk, which we were ‘shhh’ed’ as were our kids going up and down the open balcony hallway. The front desk person got her panties in a twist when our kids would venture across and yelled at them to please not be out walking, making noise as they walked??????? Our children were hardly misbehaved, but they were going up and down the hallway room to room and the balcony was open and every footstep was amplified because of the setup of the architecture. There was no space for the kids to convene and they are not allowed to swim before hockey, so what exactly were they supposed to do? As for the adults, they had us wrap our fun in the front by 10P and that was because there was no way to really sit and hang and allow the kids to be with us- in fact at one point, they dimmed the lights on us and we knew it was time to leave. We were not loud, or obnoxious, just parents sitting there exchanging stories. You can assume there will be no more booking at this establishment for future road trips because it simply is too strict for being a very basic brand hotel. (sorry no free advertising here) Disappointed in this place as I was expecting more, and while it was very clean, it was very ‘stiff’ and not hospitable.
FOOD, ALLERGIES & Clearfield, PA
As for restaurants that could handle Latex Free, Nut Free, Shellfish free and honey free dining, it was very limited. We know that we can eat at Taco Bell and McDonald’s but really there is more to life than fast food.
An Italian Place(quite well known in this area was on our list to call as a suggested EAT AT. However, not only did the person answering the phone really not want to be too invested in what my questions were, but also informed me that they use latex and could not assure that my son would be safe dining there, very curt and without concern that there could have been 20 of us dining there. I called yet another place, HEDGES’. We all, a group of 20 of us,headed to HEDGES, where I spoke to a great lady on the phone, who explained they could accommodate my son.. Step One, challenge met and Italian local place ruled out as an option——Reminder, when a person on the other end of the phone asks you a food allergy question, rather than being burdened by it, and answering with a bit of attitude, inquire as to what the Mom or Dad or person is in need of and then answer. My guess is they could have accommodated us, but this person did not feel like dealing with it. We were discussing as a group where to eat dinner, and I made a few calls. When I returned, and told our friends on our team, those that were actually headed to Denny’s Beer Barrel, changed where they were going and we, a nice group of 20 went to HEDGES‘.
Denny’s Beer Barrel is known for their burgers. I had called Denny’s and while they might have the ‘world’s largest hamburger’ they also are latex strong(according to the person on the phone) and they have no dedicated fryers or ways to make sure a person challenged with food allergies would be safe, so we quickly dropped them as a choice just based on the fact that we could not dine there, but we welcomed the rest of the group to go and not have us hold them back but everyone decided to go as a team to Hedges’. Denny’s has lots of wings, fried foods and burgers and they are known for their burger challenges on television shows, …. it was kind of a shame that we had to miss, but I figured with wings, fryers and fries, there was not going to be a real chance for us. A set of people(we did not know, but recognized) from our hotel also showed up at Hedges’ because they tried to get into Denny’s Beer Barrel and said there were so many people there they could not get in, so my guess is good food here as well. That’s a sign of a good place right?
Hedges’– Clearfield, PA.—-315 East Market Street, Clearfield PA
As I mentioned, I called ahead to Hedges and the lady that answered the phone was super courteous and made certain my son could eat there by suggesting talking to her when I got there as well as they had a waitress(Kimmie) who would take his order and make sure it was all right. Because the lady who answered the phone was nice, answered my questions and was WILLING to accommodate I told the rest of the team, and guess what, 20 of us went to dinner, were provided a room, and serving staff to take care of our kids, and families! Additionally, they did not use latex, and she accurately described that the fryer was not dedicated but they could use separate utensils and pans to cook a burger, pasta etc to make sure his night was safe and that his tummy was fed– that was all I needed, someone who was kind, caring and had a Can Do Attitude and that is how they are there, very can do and do!
Hedges’ offers a lot of great foods, has a full service bar and a nice atmosphere, with fair prices for nice meals. It is not dressy, just very basic and more for sandwiches than fancy entrees, but the food is good. My son was able to eat, salad, pasta, hamburgers, etc. We did avoid the bread for him as ingredients were not listed, but that is not a big deal. Here is the only thing I will tell you which is odd for this day and age: if you get sodas here, you pay for every fill you put in the glass and they told us ahead of time, so we knew to expect the charges of $2.25 per beverage if the kids ordered more than one.
They have a lot of sandwiches Philly Cheese-steak and the peppers are not cooked in, they are a little more crisp and added to the end of the cooking procedure. Additionally, there were no gristly pieces(according to the person who ordered this). The kids ordered spaghetti, meatballs and salads, eating every last piece! At our table there was everything from potato skins, to side salads, steak salads and more, with no complaints, just all yum. The house dressing is a thicker sweet and sour, and it sticks to the lettuce, different from any kind I have ever had before and quite delicious.
There are children’s menus and so reasonably priced, but better for kids Under 10, not those of 10 and Up because they generally can really eat:) Parking is on the street and if you drive around the back there is a nice sized parking lot and you can enter from the back or the front. The bar here is quite busy and the main dining room was bustling while we were there as well, but the service was great and the staff is friendly.
If you are looking for good, basic food, with a very nice staff, as well as a bar, Hedges’ is your answer in Clearfield, PA. You can lavishly live food, and dining out loud here if you have allergies as well, just make sure to alert the staff as they accommodated us with latex, shellfish, nut, and honey allergies without any problem at all. I want to thank the kind lady that answered the phone and Kimmie for her great service! KUDOS!
No products, compensation, or payment was given to me, I wrote this with my own opinions after being here and felt the need to share! Enjoy!
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