Fans of New Kensington’s House of 1,000 Beers don’t have to worry, the longstanding bar and restaurant will remain open despite the closing of its other location in the North Hills.
Arthur and Janice Barbus took over House of 1,000 Beers on Freeport Street in 2014. They bought it from Dave Sagrati, who founded it in 1974. It had been called “6 and Save” for many years.
They opened the second location, in Marshall Village off Route 19 in Marshall Township, in May 2018, Janice Barbus said. That location closed March 10.
In announcing the closure, the family said they had difficulty recovering from the pandemic’s impacts on costs, supply chain and staffing.
“We just couldn’t form the same customer base we have here in New Kensington,” said Luke Barbus, assistant manager and the Barbus’ son.
About a dozen people worked at the Marshall location. There are 19 in New Kensington. No employees from Marshall have come to New Kensington because they did not want to relocate, Janice Barbus said.
Despite the second location closing, Luke Barbus said New Kensington should not be affected and will be “staying open just fine.”
All of the kitchen equipment, furniture, alcohol, restaurant ware, dry goods and decor from the Marshall location will be sold at auction, Janice Barbus said. A date was not known as of Wednesday.
Gift cards from the North Hills location will be honored at the New Kensington location.
Brian C. Rittmeyer is a TribLive reporter covering news in New Kensington, Arnold and Plum. A Pittsburgh native and graduate of Penn State University's Schreyer Honors College, Brian has been with the Trib since December 2000. He can be reached at brittmeyer@triblive.com.