The Union adds new menu, has plans to open for lunch

Over the years, Stanley has amassed a fairly impressive collection of Marshall memorabilia ranging from a framed photo of the “The Young Thundering Herd” from 1971 to a jersey from the 2020 NCAA Championship men’s soccer team.

“The name comes from the old Shawkey Student Union, which was a predecessor to the Memorial Student Center. We even had a picture of the building on our old logo. I thought it was fitting, because Union can also mean a meeting place,” Stanley explained. “I have more Marshall University memorabilia than anyone. When the players turn 21, they hang out here. The med students also hang out here. Every year we host them for match day, which is the day the students find out where they are going to do their internship.”

The Union now has a brand-new food menu featuring a variety of burgers, salads, wings and appetizers. The new restaurant manager is Cody Wise, who previously ran the restaurant “Wise Guys” in Ironton. He is assisted by kitchen manager Trista Wiseman.

“One of my buddies is a regular here who knew they were looking for someone who was consistent and knew what they were doing to take over the kitchen. So I had a meeting with Herb and we hit it off fairly quickly. We started on October 1st and we are looking to expand into the lunch hours in the new year. It’s going to be a big change, as Herb has never been open for lunch before.” Wise explained. “I based the menu off of what we had in Ironton and focused on the heavy hitters. We have 10 to 12 different burgers, we do traditional wings, boneless wings and chicken tenders fresh and hand-breaded. We also have four salads as well as appetizers and specialty fries.”

The new menu includes the Mushroom Swiss Burger ($9.99) topped with a deep-fried mushroom. There’s also a Classic Cheeseburger ($6.99), a Pizza Burger ($9.99) and a Mac & Cheese Burger ($9.99.) You can also enjoy boneless ($9.49) or traditional wings (market price) in a variety of sauces including BBQ, Parmesan Garlic and Buffalo. There’s even a house “Union Sauce” (available in mild and “dude” hot) which is a spicy barbecue sauce with a hint of rum. A new addition to the menu is The Pub Fries ($4.99 small, $8.99 large) topped with shredded cheese, bacon, and a ranch drizzle.

“I’ve had a burger from the new menu and they were excellent, and the pub fries are unbelievable! I wanted to give Cody a chance to get a feeling for things before we try lunch. It’s going to be something new for me, as in all of my years I’ve never been open for lunch,” Stanley said. “We are hoping to make an announcement soon. For now, we are getting ready for our New Year’s Eve party. We are going to decorate the place real nice and we will have party hats for the first 100 guests. There will be a small cover change, and we will be sharing champagne with the guests.”

The bar has a signature shot called The Southern Belle, which has Canadian Club Whisky, DeKuyper Peachtree Schnapps and Red Bull.

The Union is located at 1125 4th Ave. next to Purple Earth Comics. It is open from 4 p.m. until 2 a.m. Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, and 3 p.m. until 2 a.m. Saturday. It is currently closed on Tuesdays and Sundays. Cash and all major credit cards are accepted. You can reach them at 304-654-0917. You can follow them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/theunionpubandgrill/ or visit them at http://theunionpubandgrill.com/.