Philip’s Continental Lounge, at 70, still going strong

Philip's Continental Lounge isn't what it sounds like -- although it's hard to say exactly what a "continental lounge" ought to be.

Arthur Shaheen, along with brother Faiz, came up with the name. He can't recall for sure how they settled on "Continental Lounge," except to say, "It had a different ring to it."

The Shaheens completed an extensive remodeling in 1961, turning the neighborhood gathering spot on Grove near Libbie into what he called "a showplace" with a fancy bar and a new facade. They wanted something a little jazzier than "Philip's Place," which it had been called since their father, Philip Shaheen, opened it in 1939. Believing a state law permitting liquor-by-the-drink was coming, they thought a nifty new name would give their establishment a stylish advantage.

Philip's Continental Lounge, it was.

And still is.

Seventy years after Philip Shaheen opened his place next to the then-new Westhampton Theater, Phil's, as it's known, is still going strong. Owners have come and gone, but the club sandwiches are still stacked high, the limeades are still refreshing and the beer is still cold.

Current owners Kyle Measell and Katy Wilson-Measell are holding a 70th-anniversary celebration tomorrow with 70-cent burgers, 70-cent hot dogs and 70-cent slices of pizza.

"You do have a little responsibility to make this place run because it's been here for so long," said Measell, who started going to Phil's as a student at Douglas Freeman High School in the 1970s. "We have to perform up to [the Shaheens'] level because they built a great business."

I settled into a booth at Phil's the other day as I've done on occasion since I was a University of Richmond student in the late 1970s. I usually can't get past the club sandwich, which was the case again. Measell is convinced the four sweet pickle chips and the fresh turkey make the difference, as they have for decades. He cooks six fresh turkeys every day.

"Don't fix it if it's not broke," Measell said.

Lots of places have decent food at decent prices. What's enabled Phil's to survive for 70 years, including the current economic times that are brutal on small establishments, is something more intangible. It's comfortable. If you show up more than once, they probably know your name. It also helps that it's in a prime location, which, when Shaheen opened in 1939, was "out in the sticks," said his son, Arthur.

The clientele? Through the years, just about anybody.

People who work and live in the area. Students. Lots of regulars come for lunch or dinner or an after-work drink, ordering the same thing every time. Some say they drank their first beer at Phil's or had their first date with the person who became their spouse.

"Phil's is an institution," said Tom Maeder, a financial adviser who's been going to Phil's since the early 1960s. "More times than not you'll see someone you know and like. 'Meet you under the clock at Miller & Rhoads' used to be a popular refrain. 'Meet you at Phil's' has outlasted it.'"

Phil's hasn't always been a success story. Philip Shaheen got out of the business during World War II because he had a hard time getting supplies. He sold the building, but thought better of it a few months later and bought it back.

Others operated Philip's Place until 1961, when Shaheens' sons renovated it and renamed it. They had a tough time, too, until they started featuring live music that drew young, elbow-to-elbow crowds. Arthur Shaheen, who went into real estate, credited Faiz with building up Phil's. The Shaheen family sold the restaurant in 1991 but still owns the building.

Said Maeder, "There were spells when I didn't get to frequent Phil's because I was living out of town, but there was great comfort knowing it was there."

Contact Bill Lohmann at (804) 649-6639 or .