When Craig Timlin of Parkville was hunting for a new house, he told his real estate agent he wanted a place with hardwood floors, central air, and natural gas heat. It also had to be within walking distance of Racers Café, near the intersection of Taylor Avenue and Harford Road.

“It’s hard to say what I like most about it, but I would start with the beer selection and [the] crowd,” said Timlin, who’s been a Racers regular for about 15 years. “It always has been a very friendly, laid-back kind of place. Since I moved to Harford Road, I quite frequently make the walk to Racers.”

According to General Manager Donna Preisinger, the bar has a huge group of customers like Timlin who come back again and again. “There are hundreds,” she said. “They have different nights they come in. They come from all over.” One couple lives an hour away but they still make it to the bar every Friday night.

Part of the draw is Racers’ reputation for offering really good beer at really good prices in an unpretentious atmosphere.

There are 13 beers available on tap and the selection changes all the time – the only three constants are The Brewer’s Art’s Resurrection, Guinness, and Miller Lite. On a recent night, the options, all handwritten on a chalkboard, included Victory HopDevil Ale, Magic Hat Vinyl Lager, and Lagunitas Cappuccino Stout. All drafts are $3.30, with the exception of the Miller Lite, which is $2.12. The Racers’ happy hour special, which runs from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day, is three draft beers served at the same time for $5.99 plus tax.

There’s a second chalkboard advertising a wide selection of bottled beers and, if a customer doesn’t see something they like, they can mosey into the attached liquor store, Harford Beverage Company, Inc., pick out a bottle of beer or wine, request it from the bartender, pay a $3 corking fee, and drink up in the bar.

In its 67-year history, one thing Racers has never offered – with the exception of free peanuts – is food, but that’s about to change.

BIG CHANGES AROUND THE BEND

Richard Osenburg, the owner of Racers and Harford Beverage Company, purchased the building next to Racers in 2000 with the intention of expanding the bar and putting in a kitchen to sell food. That dream is finally going to become reality within the next few months – mostly likely sometime this spring.

“[Richard] has always wanted to do this,” Presinger said. “He’s owned the building [next door] for some time now and he’s always wanted to do food.”

But Osenburg said he’s not yet ready to talk about the kind of food that’s going to be served. “As soon as the kitchen gets rolling, we’re going to release a pre-menu and let everyone start looking at it,” he said. “I can tell you this, we’re going to put out a good product. I’m very picky and won’t put something out unless it’s good.”

The business has been in Osenburg’s family since 1944 when his parents, Margaret and Gilbert Osenburg, opened a bar and package goods store called Harford Stag Bar in the space that Racers now occupies.

Nearly 20 years ago, the bar underwent its first major expansion when Richard Osenburg purchased the building to the right of the bar and moved the liquor store into that space.

Preisinger said the latest expansion will feature another bar, a lounge area with sofas, and more televisions. The bar’s indoor space will more than double once the renovation is complete, and the outdoor patio area is also expanding significantly.

According to Osenburg, the patio alone will be able to accommodate 100 to 150 people. “I want to do Sunday brunch out there,” he said.

The bar will be hiring kitchen staff, but Preisinger isn’t sure of the exact number at this point. Including Osenburg and Preisinger, the business currently employs 10 people.

Once the new expanded bar space is open, there are plans in place to start renovating the liquor store side of the establishment.

Even though the physical expansion and move to serve food will change Racers significantly, Preisinger said the philosophy of the place will stay the same. “We want people to be comfortable here,” she said. “We want people to come in, enjoy what they’re drinking, and enjoy conversation.”

She added, “We want to be a place where the whole family is comfortable coming. A lot of great memories have been created by a lot of great people here over the years, and we’re always accepting more.”