Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant abruptly closing all locations
Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant abruptly closed its remaining locations Thursday, weeks after announcing the closure of three restaurants in the Philadelphia region.
No immediate reasoning was offered by the restaurant for the closure.
"It has been our pleasure to serve you, and we are deeply grateful for your support, friendship, and loyalty over the years," Iron Hill wrote on social media. "We sincerely hope to return in the future, and when we do, we promise to welcome you with open arms."
Kathleen Adams says her family often ate at the brewpub's Maple Shade location.
"We had my son's confirmation dinner here," Adams said. "We had a big group, it was a really fun time, so it's unfortunate because it's nice to find a local place that's affordable that has good food."
Adams stopped by Thursday afternoon, looking to have lunch with a friend. Other customers were also turned away and met with a sign on the door saying this location and 15 others are now closed.
"We had a gift card that we were going to use," Adams said, "and unfortunately, I guess we won't be able to use it, but we loved the food here and we loved the environment."
Earlier this month, Iron Hill announced the closure of three locations, including its flagship brewpub in Newark, Delaware, which opened in 1996, as part of a "changing business landscape."
Company executives said at the time they were "deeply committed to creating memorable culinary experiences, award-winning beers and delivering exceptional hospitality."
"While we are closing a few locations, this is truly part of a larger growth story — we are evolving, strengthening our brand, and positioning Iron Hill for long-term success," Iron Hill CEO Mark Kirke said in a statement on Sept. 10.
Two weeks later, the brewpub is now closing all locations.
"It certainly is a surprise. They were very popular here," Skip Michael said, remembering the Maple Shade location opening. "They had very good brews, and it was family-friendly to a pretty good extent, so yeah, we'll miss it."
Near the Maple Shade location, Sal and Joe's Pizza has a help wanted sign hanging in the window. The restaurant has been open for 40 years, and the owners are encouraging any Iron Hill employees now looking for a job to stop by.
"Come fill out an application, there's always an ad on Craigslist," Robin Klaus said, "but we do take walk-ins, come fill out an application, and we will always accept an application."
CBS News Philadelphia is reaching out to the restaurant leadership and will have more on the closure as we get information.