Popular brewpub Iron Hill Brewery shuts down all locations overnight — files for bankruptcy

Iron Hill Brewery: Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant said that it has permanently closed all its locations on Thursday and will file for bankruptcy, as per a report.

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Iron Hill Brewery Permanently Closes All Restaurants Amid Bankruptcy

The 29-year-old chain's decision comes suddenly, two weeks after shutting down its original Newark location and two others in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, as per a report. The three closures had left the Delaware-born company with 16 locations, including restaurants in Center City, Exton, Huntingdon Valley, Maple Shade, Media, Newtown, North Wales, West Chester, and Wilmington, as per an Inquirer.com report.


Just earlier this month, Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant CEO Mark Kirke had said that, "we are evolving, strengthening our brand, and positioning Iron Hill for long-term success," as quoted by Wdel.com.

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However, Iron Hill, which was founded by Delaware home brewers Kevin Finn and Mark Edelson in 1996, made the announcement on Thursday in a Facebook and Instagram post, “It’s been our pleasure to serve you, and we are deeply grateful for your support, friendship, and loyalty over the years," adding, “We sincerely hope to return in the future, and when we do, we promise to welcome you with open arms.”

A Center City Iron Hill employee told Inquirer.com that workers had received a message from management at 8:30 a.m. alerting them that the company was closing all locations effective immediately.

Iron Hill’s Challenges: Lawsuit Settlement and Pandemic Struggles

The note, which was unsigned and sent to employees via the company’s scheduling platform, Restaurant365, said that, “Due to ongoing financial challenges, the company has made the difficult decision to file for bankruptcy, and, regrettably, will be permanently closing its door,” as quoted by Inquirer.com.

The firm has faced challenges over the years, in 2016, Iron Hill Brewery’s owners paid about $1.3 million to settle a class-action suit, after servers objected to paying a portion of their tips to expeditors, staffers who check orders for accuracy before they are delivered to the tables, as reported by Inquirer.com.

Then in 2020, amid the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, it opened a production brewery and began canning its beers and last year, the company has said that it would open what would have been its 20th restaurant on Temple University’s campus, but it never opened, as per the report.

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FAQs

Why did Iron Hill Brewery close?
The company said ongoing financial challenges forced it to shut down and file for bankruptcy.

How many Iron Hill Brewery locations were there before closing?
Iron Hill had 16 restaurants left at the time of its closure.