State College born and raised, Aidan Turnage-Barney went to University of Wyoming for a year before coming back to central Pennsylvania to enroll as a recreational management student at Lock Haven.

He started working at The Deli at age 16, and while he was in college, started working at Axemann Brewery, first as a server and then as a bartender.

“I love the hospitality industry because I get to meet new, interesting people every day and provide a fun experience for them,” he said. “I believe that people in the hospitality industry have one of the most rewarding jobs in the world because they get to see how our hard work benefits our consumers in a way that really does breed happiness.”

He says that his job has helped me to learn to manage people and how to provide a more authentic and fun hospitality experience — with an emphasis on fun.

“People used to ask me about the special of the day, and so I just started telling people that it was Liter One day, and they could get a big liter of beer for $10 on Wednesdays. I was just making it up because it was funny. But pretty soon Axemann started to do it and now Wednesdays really is Liter One day. On all the social media posts it says ‘Liter One Day — it’s real.’” He laughed. “I like to create a place where people want to come in the doors every night.”

He says that his ultimate goal as a bartender is for Axemann guests to have a good time, and to come back. “I want them to bring people who have never been here, so they can enjoy being here too.”

If there’s one thing he’d like guests to know about himself and his team, it’s that everyone has highs and lows. “Everyone has a bad day sometimes. Be patient,” he says.

As for himself, he’s newly graduated from Lock Haven, and loves his place at Axemann — both on the clock and during his days off. “This is where I go when I’m off work,” he said. “I love it.”