Local restaurants' Valentine's rush even bigger due to 'Thon

Students searching for a restaurant in which to wine and dine their valentines may be out of luck.

Local hotels and restaurants anticipate an especially busy weekend because the Interfraternity Council/Panhellenic Dance Marathon begins on the traditionally busy Valentine's Day this year.

The Allen Street Grill, 100 W. College Ave., began receiving reservations two weeks ago with an equal number of women and men reserving 220 tables for the holiday, General Manager Marc Jourdain said.

Dance marathon traffic will ensure the entire weekend remains equally busy, he said.

- Ruthann Stefanick, front office manager at The Atherton Hotel

"It's sorta like Christmas, but with a different motivation, a different feeling," Jourdain said.

The Allen Street Grill is not the only area restaurant anticipating a busy weekend.

Strolling violinists will greet diners at Mario and Luigi's, 112 S. Garner St., tonight. The restaurant does not accept reservations, but General Manager Phillip Gordon anticipates serving seafood gnocchi to more than 400 people this evening.

The dance marathon and Valentine's Day combination will make tonight almost as busy as a football Saturday, Gordon said.

Anyone looking for stuffed shrimp, portabello mushrooms or a strawberry mousse crepe at Duffy's Boalsburg Tavern, 113 E. Main St., is out of luck, said Manager John Purnell. As of Monday, the restaurant was booked solid for tonight.

Dance marathon will probably not affect his business, Purnell said, but this weekend's basketball game and wrestling match will bring alumni to dinner.

The sporting events, combined with dance marathon, will make this weekend especially busy for the Stevens Motel, 1275 N. Atherton St., Owner Jeff Harman said. All 18 units are booked for Saturday and the hotel is near capacity for Friday as well.

"I don't really see that Valentine's Day has a real significant demand on my business," Harman said. "I might pick up a couple couples for Valentine's Day."

But Valentine's Day couples will be filling The Atherton Hotel, 125 S. Atherton St., said Front Office Manager Ruthann Stefanick.

For $99, a chilled bottled of champagne, fresh chocolates, balloons and bath beads will await overnight guests, she said. Rooms still remain open for both tonight and tomorrow night.

"I just had a gentleman that called," Stefanick said. "He wanted to do something extra special, he's going to propose to his girlfriend . . . it's going to be full of romance."

Couples planning to enjoy a romantic evening and dance marathon will have to look somewhere other than the Nittany Lion Inn, 200 W. Park Ave. The inn has been booked solid since last Friday, said Dining Room Manager Joe Zuravleff.

Soft candle light, a special Valentine's Day menu and piano music will greet more than 400 diners tonight, Zuravleff said.