Wharton MBA Pub has long stood as one of the School’s most cherished traditions — a hallmark gathering embedded in the rhythm of student life that’s equal parts social mixer and study break. Step inside any Pub and you’ll find classmates swapping stories, making new friends, and laughing a little louder than they do in class — sometimes with a table game, a bean-bag toss, or even a furry friend.

But Pub isn’t just about unwinding. It has also become a central stage for the many voices and passions that make Wharton tick. From Wharton Follies and Out for Business to the Ski and Snowboard Club and the wide array of cultural organizations, Pub gives MBA student groups a spotlight for sharing their work and bringing the community together. In every era, Pub has been a living microcosm of Wharton itself — dynamic, eclectic, and always brimming with good cheer.

Black-and-white photo of several hands pulling a pizza pie apart.

A longtime Pub staple — shared and savored by generations of students — captured here in the 1990 Wharton Review yearbook

Students in casual attire stand around a foosball table holding the table's handles.

Thabo Matse WG19 (gray shirt) and Henry Deng WG19 team up for foosball, while Peter Gao WG19 (background, with glasses) observes during Pub’s Cluster Game Night in 2018. (Photo: Isabel Zapata C19/Wharton MBA Pub Facebook)

Black-and-white photo of students lined up outside for an event.

Students line up outside the Steinberg Conference Center for Pub in this photo labeled “the first-night Pub line” in the 1992 Wharton Review.

Three people pose for a photo with a large crowd milling about in the background.

Martin Walsh WG16, Mary Huang Branigan WG16, and Andrew Craig WG16 at the Wharton Women in Business/Wharton 22s Pub and Cluster Dance-Off in 2015 (Photo: Wharton MBA Pub Facebook)

A man in a flannel jacket stands next to a woman holding a white T-shirt with the Business Week logo on it.

Geoff Watson WG97 and former University of Pennsylvania president Judith Rodin CW66 HON04 at Pub, posing with Watson’s homemade “BusinessWeek Wharton #1” t-shirt (Photo: Courtesy of Geoff Watson WG97)

“I was the Wharton Pub manager in 1997, along with Chuck Woodside [WG97]. Controlling the flow of pizza and beer into the Wharton community every Thursday was the best job on campus. With great power came great responsibility!”
—Geoff Watson WG97
People lined up on a dance floor with cups in hand.

Dancing the night away at a 2019 Pub sponsored by the African American MBA Association, the Wharton Africa Student Association, and the Caribbean Business Club (Photo: Wharton MBA Pub Facebook)

A black-and-white photo of several students seated around a table with drinks.

1991 Wharton Review snapshot labeled “Caught drinking at the MBA Pub again”

Two men pose for a photo. Each one holds a baby.

The next generation joins the fun at the 2013 Oktoberfest Pub: Berj Garabedian W05 WG14 and David Franco WG14 with their little ones. (Photo: Alina Costica WG14/Wharton MBA Pub Facebook)

Black-and-white photo of four men in suits and ties smile for a photo.

Chris Meyer WG00, David Gunn WG00, Chris Mahdik WG00, and Robert Lee WG01 dressed in their best for Pub circa 2000 (Photo: Wharton Review)

A man in a black suit and bowtie walks across a stage, holding a microphone.

Former Pub co-president Özgür Geter WG14 takes the stage to emcee the 2014 Fight Night Weigh-In. (Photo: Michelle Meng Bai WG14/Wharton MBA Pub Facebook)

“We organized many unforgettable events, bringing in food trucks (free burritos!), hosting beer pong tournaments on the side street, and celebrating various cultural nights. We also had Cluster tournaments and, of course, the legendary Graduation Pub, where 500 Shake Shack burgers disappeared in minutes.”
—Former Pub co-president Özgür Geter WG14
A shirtless man steps on a scale.

Penn Fight Night Weigh-In at Pub in 2014 (Photo: Michelle Meng Bai WG14/Wharton MBA Pub Facebook)

A smiling man seated at a table in a crowded room.

The late B. Kembrel Jones, former Wharton deputy vice dean of student life, at comedy night in 2014. “Kembrel was Pub’s biggest supporter,” says Geter. “I couldn’t be prouder to have made him laugh this hard at my speech.” (Photo: Courtesy of Özgür Geter WG14)

Black-and-white photo of two men singing karaoke.

Anish Mehta WG00 and Pat Stokes WG00 serve up some tunes circa 2000 at the Karaoke Pub. (Photo: Wharton Review)

Nine people gather for a group photo. One person holds a large stuffed moose.

A multicultural Pub sponsored by the Wharton Hispanic-American MBA Association, the Wharton Latin American Student Association, and the Middle East and North Africa Club in the fall of 2019 (Photo: Courtesy of Angie Gonzalez WG20)

Black-and-white photo of four people playing instruments together in front of two dartboards.

Live entertainment circa 1990 during happy hour in the Bull Penn (Photo: Wharton Review)

Where Everybody Knows Your Name

An Early Home

Pub once gathered in the basement of the MBA House on the corner of 38th and Spruce streets, where weekly happy hours brought students together. With food, drinks, and a lively atmosphere, Pub in the MBA House was a favorite stop in MBA life.

The Bull Penn

Students lost their go-to space for Pub when the MBA House was demolished during construction of the Steinberg Conference Center in the 1980s. Filling the gap, alumnus Michael Tarnopol W58 and the MBA Class of 1987 funded a new pub inside the conference center. Called the “Bull Penn,” it opened in 1988 and featured a cherrywood bar, a billiard table, foosball, dartboards (pictured directly above), and even handmade backgammon sets.

A Stage for More

Since 2013, Pub has made its home in the 23rd Street Armory (pictured below) in Center City. Also home to the First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry, the historic hall offers more space than any prior venue, allowing for large crowds and lively nights just steps from where many students live around Rittenhouse Square. It has also proved an especially fitting setting for the large-scale student showcases that have become integral to Pub in recent years.

A crowd of people mill about in a large drill hall.

Hundreds of graduates reconnected with classmates at the 23rd Street Armory — home to Pub since 2013 — for All-Alumni Pub during Wharton MBA Reunion Weekend in May 2025. (Photo: Shira Yudkoff)

Three people wearing traditional Tracht for Oktoberfest.

Julian Bennet WG14, Lauren Fishbane WG14, and Colin Hartman WG14 raise a toast at the 2013 Oktoberfest Pub. (Photo: Alina Costica WG14/Wharton MBA Pub Facebook)

A man in a light blue button-down shirt, sunglasses, and a red tie that is draped loosely around his neck stands on stage holding a suit jacket.

Neal SenGupta WG18 takes the stage during 2016’s Date Auction and International Week Pub. (Photo: Wharton MBA Pub Facebook)

People standing in a crowd, some with their hands raised.

Hands shoot up from the crowd with competing bids during the 2016 Date Auction and International Week Pub. (Photo: Wharton MBA Pub Facebook)

Two women pose for a photo in front of a milling crowd in a large drill hall.

Wharton vice dean of graduate student affairs Maryellen Reilly and former Pub co-president Dempsey Simonis WG23 at the last Pub of the 2022-23 academic year — Graduation Pub (Photo: Courtesy of Dempsey Simonis WG23)

“When I think of Pub, I think of community. The relaxed and casual atmosphere was a neutral space that made it easy to strike up conversations with new people or kick back with old friends and build on existing relationships.”
—Former Pub co-president Dempsey Simonis WG23
A woman painted in various colors cheers in front of a flip cup table, surrounded by others.

Malvika Agarwal WG15 and friends celebrate at the 2014 Flip Cup World Cup at Pub, co-sponsored by the Wharton Inter Cultural Society and the Wharton Japan Club. (Photo: Ikenna Ekeh WG15/Wharton MBA Pub Facebook)

Four people perch atop a military vehicle parked in a drill hall.

Attendees perch atop a military vehicle in the Armory during Veterans Pub, sponsored by the Wharton Veterans Club in 2015. (Photo: Amrith Krushnakumaar WG16/Wharton MBA Pub Facebook)

Black-and-white photo of four men playing foosball.

Lewis Johnson WG00 (front right) and Ken Ruskin WG99 paused in competition with their opponents for a snapshot circa 1999 (Photo: Wharton Review)

Two people dressed as Toy Story characters pose for a photo with a dog dressed as Woody in one of their hands.

Students show out in full costume for a Dance Studio Showcase and Halloween combined event in 2019, joined by one of Pub’s most beloved guests — a pup from the MBA community. (Photo: Wharton MBA Pub Facebook)

Two men stand on either side of a large sign for Wharton MBA Pub that says "Every Damn Thursday."

Former Pub co-presidents Max Kneis WG24 and Luke Geoghegan WG24 (Photo: Courtesy of Max Kneis WG24)

“Serving as Wharton Pub co-president with Luke Geoghegan [WG24] was the highlight of my time outside the classroom. The best part was having the entire Wharton community together every week — Thursdays just aren’t the same anymore!”
—Max Kneis WG24
Four women in red and blue shirts that say "I'm an ally" on them.

Nikki Ferszt W08 WG14, Lauren Joyce WG14, Christine Jaory Uratsu WG14, and Trisha Chhaya WG14 at Rainbow Pub, sponsored by Wharton Out for Business in 2013 (Photo: Alina Costica WG14 and Lisa Donchak WG15/Wharton MBA Pub Facebook)

A woman among a group of people turns around and smiles for a photo.

Christine DiPietro Novello WG93 (center) and Patrick Parr WG93 are captured smiling for the camera in this throwback photo. (Photo: Courtesy of Melinda Champion WG93)

Black-and-white photo of dozens of students crowded around a table, seemingly watching something that is beyond the picture frame.

Scene from a packed Pub 30 years ago (Photo: Wharton Review)

A man and woman flash smiles from their place behind a large ice sculpture.

Nick Weido WG19 and Julie Grauel WG19 flash smiles at the Ski and Snowboard Club Pub in 2018. (Photo: Wharton MBA Pub Facebook)

Six people in orange Wharton Follies shirt dress up in hats, clown noses, and wigs in front of a photo backdrop.

Clowning around at the Wharton Follies Auction Pub in 2013 (Photo: Wharton MBA Pub Facebook)

A student wields a shinai in front of a person dressed in a kendo uniform.

Practicing kendo at the Wharton Japan Club Pub in 2018 (Photo: Wharton MBA Pub Facebook)

 

Published as “In Good Company” in the Fall/Winter 2025 issue of Wharton Magazine.