Out-R-Inn opened its doors to the public in 1969 and has been a staple for the Columbus community ever since. Credit: Kathleen Jones | Lantern Reporter
When Ohio State canceled class in January 2014 due to extreme temperatures, flocks of students still made the freezing trek to Out-R-Inn for Mug Night.
Out-R-Inn is a bar near North Campus known for its old-style atmosphere and great deals, such as Mug Night, which offers low-priced refills of beer in a souvenir mug. After its opening in 1969, the bar quickly became a not-so-hidden gem for Ohio State students and Columbus residents alike, holding the history of decades of patrons within — and scribbled on — its four walls.
Tom Shepherd, a 2014 Ohio State graduate, said he and his friends were among those who went straight to the bar on the frigid Sunday night after classes were canceled.
“Immediately, everybody left their homes and apartments and went to Out-R-Inn,” Shepherd said. “It was just kind of funny because it was too dangerous for students to walk to class because it was so cold, but we still went to the bar anyway.”
This year, Out-R-Inn was voted best bar by readers of The Lantern. Although the bar appeals to plenty of current Ohio State students, many Ohio State alumni dating back to the bar’s opening have a deep-seated appreciation for the spot as well.
Shepherd said the primary appeal of Out-R-Inn when he was in college was its laid-back ambiance.
“There were other bars where you would kind of get looked at if you weren’t wearing the right clothing, because you had to wear a shirt with a collar or anything like that,” Shepherd said. “Out-R-Inn is kind of the exact opposite. It’s a very come-as-you-are place.”
Mic Gordon, who lived in Columbus from 1987 to 1988, said the character of the bar has remained very similar over the years.
Gordon, the father of a fourth-year, said he recently went with his daughter and the atmosphere of the bar has remained largely unchanged, down to the signature pool table.
“It’s probably the exact same pool table we used to shoot pool on,” Gordon said.
Despite having maintained the same atmosphere for decades, in the 1980s, Gordon said Out-R-Inn was more technologically savvy than its competitors.
“CDs were a brand new technology about then, and they were super cool because they had a big CD player and a great collection,” Gordon said. “They would just pop on an album or a CD and play the whole thing, which is pretty rare. Most bars would either play the radio or a set playlist or whatever.”
The rack that held hundreds of CDs in the 1980s is still in use behind the bar, Billy Parrott, a 2015 Ohio State alumnus and bartender at Out-R-Inn, said. Now, however, it holds some different items, such as liquor balls and personal belongings patrons may want to entrust to the bartender while at the bar.
Although Out-R-Inn has maintained similarities to its original years, some things have inevitably changed with time. The bar used to have a basketball court where the wheelchair ramp is now, Gordon said.
“Even if girls didn’t come with us, we didn’t really care,” Gordon said. “We would play two-on-two basketball and just be dripping in sweat, right? But yeah, we would play for beers, and same thing for pool.”
Since he started working there in 2013, Parrott said the bar itself hasn’t changed much, but the people coming through have.
“I remember when I first started bartending, if you weren’t at the bar by like 7 o’clock on a Wednesday through Sunday, you wouldn’t be able to find a place to sit down or anything. It’d be slammed,” Parrott said. “Now, people just come out later.”
The bar has expanded since its opening in 1969, Parrott said. There is a beam overhead a few steps after entering the bar, and everything north of the beam has been added on to the original building, Parrott said.
Liz Singer, a 1988 Ohio State graduate, said Out-R-Inn is appealing to the older crowd as well because they can count on being able to come back to a place that is familiar.
“Once you get to a certain year, it’s nostalgic,” Singer said. “People always want to go back, and it really doesn’t change.”
As seasons have passed and years have rolled, Out-R-Inn has stood as a testimony that the history of the Buckeyes lives on in unexpected places.
“There’s writing on the wall from decades ago,” Shepherd said. “I think it’s kind of corny to say, but you feel very attached to the history of Ohio State when you’re there.”
